Too Devious to Tame (The Giovanni Clan) (10 page)

She dug her fingernails into his fleshy biceps. Her knee tried to connect with his groin, and when that failed, she sunk her teeth into her menace's beefy shoulder, noting his "Umph" of pain with a spurt of hope. The grip on her arm loosened, and for one glorious second she thought she could get away, before the brutal back hander spun her head round, and stars exploded behind her eyelids.

"You bitch want it rough, do you? Only too happy to oblige."

Pain shot out from her ribs when he threw her over his shoulder. He descended down the stairs and into a myriad of tunnels before he finally stopped and dumped her on the cold, stone floor.  Jemima screamed—
far too late, girl.
Scrambling away from him as fast as she could, she desperately looked for a weapon of any kind. They seemed to be in a disused wine cellar, judging by the cobwebs on the empty wine racks, and Jemima choked back the sob of utter despair.
Giorgio, where are you?

Surely she would be missed by now. Damn it, they were supposed to be watching her. How could this be happening to her again? Who was this man?

"You won't get away with this." Her voice was just a croaky whisper, and caveman's leering smile deepened.

"I already have,
Gemstone."

Jemima closed her eyes against the painful memories. "Don't call me that. That's not my name."

"So what does a bit of fancy ass like you go for these days? I must make sure I repay whoever brought you here."

He cut off her agonized, "I'm not a," with one fleshy hand on her mouth."Spare me. Whoever it was won't dare stand against me. Bring his whore to the Don's granddaughter's party, will he?  Takes guts, I give him that. Not that lover boy will have any left by the time I'm finished."

"Who are you?" Jemima risked a look at the beefy hulk of steroids-induced muscle towering over her, but no memory would come.
Oh thank God!

"Ah, I'm heartbroken you don't remember me, Gemstone, but then you never had me. You'd remember me otherwise, sweet-cakes. And you'll scream my name by the time I'm done with you."

His leering laughter made Jemima screw her eyes shut again. No, no, no, this couldn't be happening to her. Was she never going to be able to shake off those terrifying few months? Had she not paid for this over and over already?

The smell of alcohol forced her eyes open again as his breath invaded her senses. One rough hand yanked her to her feet, and his cloying presence proceeded to crowd her against the wall.

Jemima bit down on the finger he ran across her lips, gagging at the taste and smell of him, her attempt to bring her knee up once again hindered by his other hand. His laughter echoed round the cavernous room. "I don't recall you being such a wild cat before, but I like a good fight." He ground his hips into her. His obvious arousal fueled Jemima's anger and disgust, and she finally found her voice from somewhere.

"Help! No!
Help
!"

The screams joined his laughter, and the eerie echoes bounced around them.

"No one will hear you, Gemstone, and no one will care, so just cut it out, will you."

Jemima could taste the salt of tears she was desperately trying to hold back. Her lips mouthed a silent no, and her head twisted this way and that to avoid the mouth descending upon her.

No, please, God, no.

Chapter Ten

This was taking too goddamn long. He was going to punch the lights out of the next person who came up empty-handed in the search for her. Renzo's leering smile advancing toward Jemima played itself out over and over in Giorgio's mind, and was driving him nuts. What the fuck was the man doing here anyway? Last he heard the Don had ordered him to lie low, after his latest hit had gone sour. The man was a liability and should have been put down ages ago. That's what you did with rabid dogs. His teeth crunched loudly, his jaw so tense it was painful. That was another “no” through Alfonso's ear piece, judging by the slightly sick look on his face.

"Giorgio, the Don wants you back at the party, now!"

I just bet he does.

"I'm not going back there without her, Alfonso."

No fucking way.
Instinctively he spread his legs, bent his knees, and raised his fists, ready for the attack that never came. He just about caught Alfonso's mumbled curse, as the man listened to his earpiece, and the hair on his neck stood up at the expression on Alfonso's face.

"One of the doors to the tunnels is unlocked. Let's go."

Giorgio didn't need to be told twice. Adrenaline kicked in to wrestle with the bile in his gut.
Dannazioni,
she had to be all right. He would never be able to look at his cousin again, let alone at the face greeting him in the mirror every morning.

Fury drove him on, through the ominously open door and into the maze of tunnels, Alfonso's team hot on his heels. Fuck it, they could be anywhere, and the team was making enough noise for a herd of elephants. He forced himself to slow down, listening to Alfonso's quietly uttered orders to split up, and to go easy.

"We don't want him spooked."

Hell, definitely not that.

The soft clicks of safety catches being released was too loud in the confined space, as was the incessant beat of his own heart.
Stop thinking about it. You're no good to her like this.

Alfonso's click of his tongue had him accepting the hand gun held in his direction with a grim smile.

"We'll find her. She hasn't come this far without knowing how to defend herself." Alfonso put one hand on his shoulder and Giorgio shook it off in disgust.

"I sure as hell hope so, for everyone's sakes, especially yours."

Alfonso took a step toward him. His black eyes glittered in a fury as potent as his own.

"I'm on your side here, remember that. No matter what she's done, no woman deserves to be manhandled by scum like Renzo. When we find them, I'll be right behind you taking off the other one of his balls with my bare hands."

Giorgio nodded in agreement, his estimation of Alfonso going up rapidly. He couldn't agree more with the expressed sentiment. The distant sound of female screams drowned out by eerie laughter made his blood freeze in his veins. Alfonso's immediate growled order in his intercom, one finger on his lips to Giorgio, propelled both men silently down the tunnel. Giorgio ignored the other man's hushed order to wait for back up, when they reached the arched doorway to the old wine cellar. He inched forward. Sweat trickled into his eyes, and he willed his breathing to slow down. He had to keep his head here. She was too fragile to risk to Renzo's beefy hands. He could snap her neck in an instant. Jemima's anguished, hoarse whisper had fresh fury rising in a hot wave. His voice a barely suppressed growl, he stepped past the wine rack.

"Let go of my wife, Renzo … ah … slowly, and keep your hands where I can see them."

****

Jemima sensed the slow withdrawal. A familiar male rumble penetrated through the terrified fog in her brain.

"Are you okay,
cara
? Jem? Sweetheart?"

Renzo's evil laugh rang around the room, and Jemima finally managed to force her eyes open. She drank in the sight of Giorgio. His face murderous, he was holding a gun unwaveringly into Renzo's laughing face.

"Oh, who have we here? This is priceless. Your wife, eh. Don't make me laugh. Even the pampered wanna be son of the Don's isn't going to get away with bringing his whore here. I'm surprised, though, that you gotta pay for it these days. Having trouble keeping it up, man? Or just like slumming it? How much does our Gemstone charge these days anyway?"

The look Renzo threw toward Jemima was pure evil, that horrendous laugh shattering the last bit of strength she had. Her legs refused to carry her anymore, and she slid to the floor, eyes screwed shut, tears falling in earnest now. She couldn't bear to see the contempt on Giorgio's face.

Oh God, no, he is going to hate me.

Her eyes widened in horror and surprise at Giorgio's low, furious growl, interspersed with Alfonso's quietly uttered," Go ahead, I've got it covered. Just save a bit for me."

Alfonso had his gun trained on Renzo's back.  He inched toward her and gestured for her to get behind him. His eyes never left a furious Giorgio slowly circling Renzo's still smiling, yet alert form.

"Whatcha gonna do, Loverboy?" Renzo's taunting laugh echoed, even as his whole body went on alert.

The look of hurt and fury Giorgio threw in her direction while lowering his own gun cost him dearly. Renzo lunged. His fist made bone crunching contact with Giorgio's face. His grunt of pain sliced through her heart at the same time as Alfonso pulled her to her feet and out of the way.

"Let's get you out of here."

"
No."
She swung at Alfonso with the last bit of strength left in her. He took the slap to his face with a grim smile, all the while dragging her away.

"No, I'm not leaving him. You've got to stop this. He will kill him. "

The sickening sounds of fighting behind her increased the bile rising in her throat. She desperately tried to twist around to see what was going on, but Alfonso's iron grip on her did not soften. Neither did the hand with the gun waver from the scene behind her. He was watching over her head, his face grim.

He has to let me go. I have to see.

A well-aimed kick to the man's shin made him pull her closer to him, effectively stopping her from moving at all.

"Quit it. You're coming with me. This is no place for a woman."

"Of all the male chauvinistic bull. Let. Me. Go. Alfonso,
no,
I'm not leaving. You're hurting me."

Desperation rose thousand folds.
I have to make him see
. Another vicious blow behind her made her wince, the sound of a body being slammed against a wall.
Oh God
, Giorgio would stand no chance against that hulk. Why didn't Alfonso stop this? Why didn't the men who had appeared out of nowhere? They were now forming a semi-circle behind her blocking her view even more. Alfonso had lowered his gun at last, and the grip on her loosened, regret in his face.

"I have my orders, and he wouldn't want you to see this."

"But, whose orders? Damn it, let me see!" she asked.

"That would be me."

The cool, authoritative voice behind her made the hair on her arms stand up almost as much as Alfonso's changed manner. His body tensing, his hold on her grew painful again, before the shot fired right next to them had her ears ringing in protest. Her eyes watered, and her throat constricted with the dust and smoke left in its wake.

Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.

When the dust finally cleared, the semi-circle of men had moved, letting the owner of that deep, demanding voice stand between them, his gun trained on Giorgio's back. Giorgio had his arm sealing off beef cake's windpipe. He was holding him up against the wall. With his other hand, he held a gun to the man's testicles.

"Do it and you're a dead man."

The white haired man's voice, devoid of all emotion, chilled Jemima to the bone. He wasn't really going to shoot Giorgio, was he? Alfonso's lightening quick hand on her mouth stopped her from screaming. His voice in her ear, terrified her even more. "Don't. For God's sake woman, keep quiet. That's the Don. Show some respect!
Caspisci
?" He released his hand at Jemima's nod, keeping one arm tightly round her waist. Grateful for the support, not at all sure her legs of rubber would hold her up; Jemima watched the scene unfolding in front of her. She sent a silent prayer up to
please, please, please keep Giorgio safe.

****

The red mist of fury slowly lifted at the Don's low, urgent demand, and Giorgio released the pressure on Renzo's throat a little. The filth gulped in much needed air, his immediate leering smile fading when he pushed his gun deeper into the dog's balls.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't take these off right now?"

Twisting the gun deeper still, Renzo's grunt of pain made him smile, despite the anger and need for revenge still coursing through his veins.
Damn the Don and his henchmen. That filth had his hands all over her.

"I'm not telling you again, son, step away."

Giorgio groaned under his breath.
Sorry, mamma.

"His balls will be dog food before you can stop me."

The Don's sigh left him cold, but Jemima's whimper of terror made him step back, the gun still trained on Renzo.
Dannazioni,
what was she still doing here?

"Giorgio, please, he's not worth it." Her anguished words made him take another step back, and he threw a quick glance in her direction. Held in an iron grip against Alfonso, her tear-stained face, marred by the beginnings of a huge bruise—he was going to kill the bastard for sure now—had him grind his teeth together.

"Listen to your woman, son. Let it go. Renzo will be dealt with in the usual way. Maria is asking where you are."