C11 Let Me Go

“What the hell is she doing?” Dante thought as he saw her pull out the IV.

He was about to ring Aguillar when he saw that she had woken up and that silly nurse had slept off.

His hand hovered over the buzzer when he saw her look towards the sleeping nurse.

The satisfaction on her face made his eyes narrow.

“That damn fool,” he muttered when he realised what she was trying to do. He was more than certain now that she couldn’t be a decoy. If his "conversation" with her so-called father hadn’t been proof enough, then this foolish act of hers was.

Any idiot should have known that trying to get in or away from his fortress would be nothing but suicidal.

As he watched her almost fall on her ass, his eyes darkened, and he reached for his phone.

He sent a message to his men immediately and watched her freeze like a deer when she heard their footsteps outside the door.

He was already out of his room before she fully stepped out of the recovery room.

She had just exited the men’s lodge as he approached the building.

“What the fuck do you think you are doing?” he bellowed at her before he could rein in his anger.

Eyes wide as saucers, she whirled towards his direction and would have cracked her head open on the wall if he hadn’t grabbed her before she fell.

Dante hated the way she felt in his arms.

He hated the faint scent that managed to reach him despite the medicine smell on her.

He hated wanting to lean forward to bury his nose in that glorious hair.

“No, she was not Isabella” he thought to himself unconsciously as he stared into her dilated eyes.

Then she started struggling in his arms. “Let me go,” she squeaked out while feebly trying to get out of his arms.

“Should have let her break her damn neck,” he thought to himself as he straightened and let go of her.

She wobbled backwards and would have fallen anyway if Angelo hadn’t stopped her with his palm on her back.

She flinched as she looked behind her to see Angelo and two more men who had stepped out of the house behind her.

Realisation dawned on her, and she looked from them back to him.

“What are you going to do to me?” she said in a resigned tone that angered him more. “Are you going to kill me?”

“I can arrange that if you want to die so badly. Make me repeat my question and it might happen sooner than later,” he said in a chilling tone.

She unconsciously took a step backwards, knocking into Angelo, who still had his hand on her back.

She didn’t seem to notice as she said in a wobbly voice; “Don’t kill me. I don’t want to die. Please, not yet.”

A new emotion entered her voice at that last statement. “Not yet?” Dante had no idea why her easy acceptance of death pissed him off more than her harebrained escape plan.

“So you are open to dying later? Cool. It is not up to you though. I see no reason not to get rid of you right now.” he said simply.

“But you can’t!” her sudden firm voice as she stepped towards him surprised him, but she stopped before she got to him.

As if her strength had fled her again, a suspicious wetness showed in her eyes as she said in that trembling voice, “Please, don’t kill me. I have something to do. I just want to leave!”

“There was that little fire in her voice again. Maybe she wasn’t so spineless after all,” he thought as he stared at her with his penetrating gaze, “You pulled that foolish stunt because you had something to do? Sure, why not? You can go right ahead,” he cocked his head down the driveway.

She looked in the direction hopefully, then her shoulders sagged as she looked back at him. “What do you want from me?” she said in a frustrated tone. “I swear I can come back to do whatever you want me to do. I can do any work you want. Free of charge too. Please, just let me go.”

“Your father thinks otherwise,” Dante said while looking straight at her.

Her eyes fired up and he saw something like hatred cross her face. With the flash of emotion, he expected an outburst from her again, but her tone went rigid and icy as she said, “He is not my father. He is nothing to me. I know you kept me here just so he could find me. What did he promise you? Money?” she snorted in derision as she said, “If that is why you kept me for him, then I am afraid that you have been fooled. He doesn’t have the money to give. If you let me go, I will do anything you want me to do. I can work for you for the rest of my life, or I can work hard elsewhere and pay you any amount you want.”

“Hey, watch your tone!” Angelo snapped at her.

She jerked at his tone and her look turned apologetic. “I am so… You know what? I am not sorry!” she said so suddenly that Dante couldn’t help but be surprised.

Like someone who had signed a death warrant, she kept moving towards him as she said rapidly, “I did nothing to you. I just wanted to get Cathy, but you knocked me down!” Dante's body went rigid when she jabbed her finger into his chest.

His men started forward, but he stopped them with a look.

“I promised her, but you made me break that promise. Now, I don’t know what has happened to her, but you won’t let me go! You want to kill me? Just kill me already!” she whirled around and held her head as she wobbled on her feet. “Tell Tad he will never have her. I will die first before…”

He had to catch her once again.

He swore under his breath as he felt the heat radiating through her body despite the cold.

“Let me go,” she said weakly as she tried to push him away. “I need to go,” she whispered as tears leaked out of her eyes.

“Call Aguillar,” Dante said as he swept her off her feet and headed to the main house.

“Please, I don’t know what they did to her.” she sobbed in his arms before her body went limp.

“What the fuck have I gotten myself into?” Dante thought.