Chapter 4 Chapter Four

Chapter 4.

Genevieve's Point Of View.

"You always were too curious, Aveline...or shall I say Genevieve?"

Zane's voice had lost every ounce of its clumsy, small town warmth. It was flat, dry and carried the weight of a shovel hitting the ground. He slowly pulled his hand from his apron pocket, and the dim light of the prep kitchen glinted off the heavy black barrel of a silencer pistol.

My heart did a violent ugly kick against my ribs. I took a step back, my heels hitting the base of the prep table.

"I bought this bakery because of you," he said, his warm brown eyes now dead as he tracked my movement. "The Albano family wanted to see if the dead Drayneheiress would eventually try to access her parents' Swiss accounts. We only needed to get close. Someone you'd trust. Someone who could watch you sleep without calling the police,"

"You bastard," I seethed. "You killed my parents!" My hand slowly slid along the edge of the prep table behind my back, searching for anything solid. My fingers brushed the cold plastic handle of a twenty pound bin of flour. "I trusted you."

"It was just business, Genevieve," he said, raising the gun. "And now, I'm going to need that Swiss password and

I need the second factor key- Drayne biometric phrase. The only one you know."

"As if I would!" I yelled as I grabbed the handle of the four bin and flung it towards him with everything I had. A massive choking white cloud exploded into the air, filling the narrow aisle. Zane coughed, his first shot going wide, the suppressed bullet hitting the metal exhaust hood above the oven with a sharp ping.

"You bitch!" He growled. I didn't waste a second, I grabbed a heavy hot cooling tray of croissants from the rack and slammed the sharp metal corner directly into his collarbone. He let out a ragged yell, stumbling back into the wall of flour.

As he attempted to reach for him, I turned and bolted for the back exit. My hand slammed onto the brass deadbolt, but it wouldn't budge.

The lock was jammed.

Fuck! He had rigged the door.

Behind me, I heard the heavy thud of Zane's boot clearing the flour cloud.

"Oh, you're so dead!"

Think. Genevieve. Think.

My eyes caught a cast iron skillet from the overheard rack, I grabbed it, spun around and smashed it into the glass pane of the door. The glass shattered with a deafening crash, sharp shards raining down onto the wet gravel outside. I threw myself through the broken frame, the jagged edges of the remaining glass tearing through my sleeve and slicing deep into my forearm.

"Fuck!" I cursed as I hit the wet gravel of the alley. A sharp gasp tore from my lungs as the cold rain hit my face. Blood was already blooming through my torn sleeve, mixing with the rain as I scrambled to my feet and began to run.

My boots slipped on the wet stones, my breaths came in ragged, painful gasps as I sprinted toward the main street. My heart raced even fast as I heard Zane behind me, his shadow stretching under the alley light.

I burst onto the sidewalk of the main road, the street empty and slick under the yellow glare of the lamps.

I had nowhere to go.

I didn't take my car.

I didn't grab my keys and my apartment was probably a dead end now.

"Damn it!" I cursed as I started running just as I burst out from another road, a black sedan with tinted windows screeched to a halt in front of me.

The front door swung open immediately. "Get in!"

I leaned in to see Nilo sitting in the driver seat. He didn't look surprised to see me bleeding and covered in flour. He looked like he'd been waiting for the show to start.

"I don't need to repeat myself again. Get in."

I looked back at the mouth of the dark alley. Zane's shadow was already reaching the sidewalk.

"Fuck it." I grumbled as I got in the car.

The heavy door slammed shut, instantly sealing out the sound of the storm, leaving only the quiet purr of the engine. The air inside smelled of cedarwood, mint and expensive leather.

He glanced at my bleeding arm, then used one hand to reach into the backseat. "Treat it." He says as he throws a med kit on my lap without looking at me.

"Did you know?" I asked, my chest heaving as I tried to press my back into the leather seat, trying to catch my breath.

"I had a camera placed in the bakery. And also planted another on the bakery's back alley. So yes, I knew. I saw him pull the gun."

"Then you also knew Zane was a plant all along?" My anger began to flare as a sick realization gnawed at me. "You used me as bait!"

"Partly, yes," he replied, his gaze fixed on the road ahead. "I knew he was watching you. But I didn't know he was an Albano Hitman. If I did, I would have put a bullet in his head few months ago,"

"You're a liar!" I screamed, my voice cracking with rage. "You're a monster, Nilo! You've been stalking me for six months, writing down my life in a book, watching me nearly die just to put an end to your suspicion on Zane and now you expect me to thank you?!"

He didn't answer. He just drove us deep into the industrial district, pulling the car into a concrete loft that looked like a half constructed fortress.

"I won't stay here," I said, crossing my arms over my chest, a wince escaped from my lips because of my bleeding forearm but I refused to let the pain show. "I'll take a bus, I'll change my name and-"

"You won't make it to the station," He interrupted, his voice dropping to a low commanding register that made the air in the car thick. "Zane knows your face. The Albanos know your face. If you walk out of this territory, you're dead by morning."

"They need me," I corrected. "To access what's left of my father's empire,"

He let out a dark mocking chuckle. "Oh sweetheart," he turned to face me, his gray eyes cold. "You're naive. The Albanos will break you to the extent you won't even know when you'd be spilling all that you know and when they are done with you, you'd be begging for death."

"You don't even care about me!" I spat, my hand gripping my bleeding arm. "You want the Drayne patents. You're just using me as leverage."

"I am using you," he admitted, leaning in closer directly into my space. He was so close I could feel the heat radiating off his chest. "But I am also the only thing standing between you and a shallow grave. You want to survive, Genevieve? You stay beside me."

He reached out, his hand snapping onto my chin, his fingers tough as he tilted my face to meet his gaze. His touch was burning, a sudden blinding jolt of spark that sent a shiver straight down my spine.

I hated how safe he felt, even when he was threatening me.

"You're under my name now, Genevieve," his thumb dragging slowly over my lower lip. "And I don't let people steal what's mine."

Just then, I heard sirens blaring. My breath hitched as I pulled away from his touch, my eyes darting around. "T-they are coming."

"Exactly,"

I turned to look at him wide eyed. "Are you crazy?!"

A dangerous smile played on his lips, he reached out into his pocket, pulling out a black sleek gun. "I want the Albanos to watch me take the only thing they desire most in this world," his eyes fell on me. "You."