You okay? he mouthed at me.
I nodded and flicked a worried glance to Ryan, whose face was tightened in pain, and who didn’t meet my eye.
“That way.” One of the Capellos’ men gave me a shove from behind, sending me stumbling toward the rear door of the building.
We were all herded into the dark restaurant. Metal shutters on the doors secluded the interior from the street beyond, and someone reached out and flicked on a light.
“What are you going to do to us?” I demanded of Frankie.
He smirked. “Since when have you started to talk to me like that? Seems these last few weeks have made you forget your place.”
“It’s a perfectly reasonable question,” Kodee said, stepping in. “You’ve brought us all the way back here, so now what happens?”
“The girl stays with me.”
Kodee’s jaw tightened. “We want her with us.”
Frankie chuckled. “Do you really think I’d trust you with her again after all the problems you’ve caused us? Not going to happen. She stays with me, and you can get to work, but in the meantime, I also need a little insurance policy.”
Frankie jerked his chin toward the man closest to Dillon. He returned the nod then lifted the butt of his gun and slammed it hard against the side of Dillon’s head.
A scream peeled through the room, and it took me a moment to realize it was coming from my mouth.
Dillon dropped to the floor like a sack of flour, and his head hit the parquet tiles with another sickening crack. I whimpered at the sound, tears filling my eyes. Dillon lay facedown, motionless. I stared at him, desperately trying to see if his back and shoulders were moving to show he was breathing, but I couldn’t tell.
“No!” Kodee roared, lunging toward Dillon.
But the two men holding onto his arms held him back, and the one on the righthand side lifted his gun and pointed it at Kodee’s head, just in case Kodee hadn’t gotten the message.
Ryan struggled in the grip of the Capellos’ men, too. His face was pale, his blue eyes grayed over with worry for Dillon. All of our attention was fixed on Dillon now. Nothing else mattered.
“Relax,” Frankie scoffed. “He’s not dead. He’s just unconscious. Should stop him running that mouth of his for a few minutes. He’ll wake up soon enough, and I’m sure he’ll only have a pounding headache as an injury.”
“Since when did you have a medical degree?” I snapped.
A palm cracked around my cheek, sending my head rocking. One of the Capellos’ guys had hit me.
Kodee roared again, and that was the only thing that made me clamp my lips shut. If they kept hitting me in front of the guys, they’d end up getting themselves hurt on my behalf.
“Take that one away,” he said, nodding toward Dillon.
My stomach lurched. “What? No! Leave him alone. This isn’t what we agreed.”
“He’s going to be our insurance policy.”
“What kind of insurance policy?”
“He’s our way of making sure you show up at court and do your absolute best to get Joe Nettie sent away.”
My mind boggled. “I already said I would! I can’t do anything more than show up in court and tell the truth.”
“You already ran once. You’ve shown us you can’t be trusted.”
“You can trust me now,” I begged. “I swear it.”
He shook his head. “You’re only saying that because you’re worried we might kill one of your boyfriends. Which is kind of the whole point.”
“What if I refuse?” I blurted. “What if I say I won’t testify unless you let Dillon go?”
Frankie shrugged. “If you won’t testify at all, then there’s no need for us to keep any of you alive.”
My stomach plummeted. “No, you don’t have to do that. I’ll testify. I swear.”
Frankie looked toward Ryan and Kodee. “You can both go back to your apartment and get to work. I trust you won’t be going anywhere, and if you try anything, your friend will find a bullet in his skull.”
“What about Joe Nettie’s men?” Kodee said, his tone curt. I knew he was going to be as worried about Dillon as I was, but he also knew trying to do anything about that now wasn’t going to help matters. “Aren’t they going to come looking for us at our apartment?”
“No, they think you’re long gone. You’d be idiots to come back. But just in case, I’ll make sure I have someone watching the building.”
Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “We’re unarmed. You’ve taken our weapons.”
He snorted. “And you won’t be getting them back again.”
“So, we’ll be defenseless if someone does decide to come for us.”
“Should have thought of that before you decided to take Rue and run.”
Kodee yanked his shoulder forward, trying to dislodge the man beside him. “Fuck.”
“And don’t even think about trying to be heroes and attempt to grab Rue back. If we get so much as a hint that you’re plotting something, your friend will die. Do you understand?”
Kodee glared down at the floor. “Understood,” he muttered.
“Louder,” he demanded. “I want to be sure there’s no misunderstandings.
Kodee lifted his gaze. “Understood!”
“And you?” Frankie directed his question at Ryan.
“Yeah, understood,” Ryan replied, his jaw rigid, his lips thinned.
“Then get to work. I’ve plenty to throw your way.”
“What about Rue?” Kodee dared ask.
Frankie turned to me with a snide smile. “Rue can get back to work as well. We’ve missed having her around here.”
“No,” Ryan cried in horror. “She’s done with all of that!”
“That’s not for you to decide.”
Tears filled my eyes, and I shook my head at the guys. “It’s okay. I can handle it.”
“Good.” Frankie said then directed attention toward his men. “Now, get them out of here.”
As Kodee and Ryan were dragged from the room, leaving me behind, I couldn’t help but wonder...
Perhaps I could handle it, but could they?
THE END... FOR NOW. Watch out for book three of Dirty Twisted Love, coming January 2019!
About the Author
Marissa Farrar has always been in love with being in love. But since she's been married for numerous years and has three young daughters, she's conducted her love affairs with multiple gorgeous men of the fictional persuasion.
The author of more than thirty novels, she has been a full time author for the last six years. She predominantly writes paranormal romance and fantasy, but has branched into contemporary fiction as well.
If you want to know more about Marissa, then please visit her website at www.marissa-farrar.blogspot.com. You can also find her at her facebook page, www.facebook.com/marissa.farrar.author or follow her on twitter @marissafarrar.
She loves to hear from readers and can be emailed at [email protected]. To stay updated on all new releases and sales, just sign up to her reverse harem newsletter! https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/e2x3e1
Other Dark Contemporary Books by the Author
The Bad Blood Trilogy
Shattered Hearts
Broken Minds
Tattered Souls
The Monster Trilogy:
Defaced
Denied
Delivered
Dark Codes: A Reverse Harem Series
Hacking Darkness
Unraveling Darkness
Decoding Darkness
Merging Darkness
For Him Trilogy
Raised for Him
Unbound for Him
Damaged for Him
The Mercenary Series:
The Choice She Made
The Lie She Told
The Trust She Gave
The Trap She Faced
Standalone Novels:
No Second Chances
Cut Too Deep
S
urvivor
Dirty Shots
Guarded by Them
Dirty Twisted Love: Book Two
Copyright © 2019 Marissa Farrar
Warwick House Press
Edited by Lori Whitwam
Cover art by Marissa Farrar
License Notes
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of these authors.
Publisher’s Note
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Guarded by Them (Dirty Twisted Love, #2) Page 16
