Chapter 3: Stranger in the rain.

The windshield wipers sweep furiously across the glass.

The rain has gone from a light drizzle to a relentless downpour, turning the roads into shimmering rivers beneath the glow of streetlights.

I should be driving home.

Correction.

I should be driving to the Luciano estate.

Papa is probably waiting. He’ll want a full report on the disaster he calls my date.

He’ll ask questions and I’ll tell him Sebastian is an arrogant pig with the personality of stale bread.

He’ll tell me to be polite and We’ll argue.

Again.

I sigh.

Nop not tonight. I tighten my grip on the steering wheel and take the next turn instead.

Toward my apartment.

Well...My apartment.

The tiny one Papa doesn’t know exists. If he ever found out I’d rented a place behind his back, he’d probably replace every lock with armed guards and assign two men to follow me everywhere.

Actually....He’d assign four.

Being the Don’s daughter comes with very little privacy.

So six months ago, I quietly rented a one-bedroom apartment across town under a company owned by a friend.

It’s small and Old.

The kitchen barely fits two people, the elevator complains every time it moves but I absolutely love it.

It’s the only place in the city where I can breathe without someone reminding me I’m a Luciano.

Tonight...i need that place more than ever.

Rain pounds harder against the windshield and the road ahead blurs into streaks of white and gold.

I slow down.

Com on...Just a few more minutes.

Then...Something moves in my peripheral vision. A figure, right in front of my headlights.

"What the...."

I slam my foot on the brakes, the tires screech as the steering wheel jerks violently beneath my hands.

A dull thud echoes through the storm and the car lurches to a stop.

My heart stops.

"Oh... fuck."

My fingers tighten around the wheel.

"Oh, fuck... fuck... fuck."

I stare through the rain-covered windshield.

Did I...No. No, no, no.

"I hit someone."

My pulse explodes.

"What do I do?"

I glance wildly around the deserted road. There isn’t another car in sight, no pedestrians either.

Then another thought punches me straight in the face.

"Oh my God..."

I slap a hand over my forehead.

"Oli’s car."

She’s going to murder me.

My sister had practically threatened my life before tossing me her keys this morning.

"Scratch my car and I’ll haunt you for the rest of your life."

I promised.

Now I’d probably flattened a person with it.

Fantastic....just fantastic.

"Nerissa, move."

I force myself to breath and I throw the door open and rush into the rain.

Cold water drenches me instantly.

My dress clings uncomfortably to my skin as I hurry toward the figure lying a few feet ahead of the car.

Please be okay. Please be okay. Please don’t be dead.

As I get closer, I realize...It’s a man. A very large man, with broad shoulders and long legs.

Dressed entirely in black.

Rain pours over him as he lies unnaturally still against the wet asphalt.

"Oh my God..."

I kneel beside him, my hands trembling.

"Sir?"

No answer.

"I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you."

I lean closer.

"Can you hear me?"

His face is hidden beneath damp strands of dark hair nd I carefully reach toward his shoulder.

The movement is barely an inch when a hand shoots up and grabs my wrist. Before I can scream, something cold presses against my temple.

A gun.

Every muscle in my body locks ans I stop breathing.

There’s a freaking gun to my chin!.

The stranger’s grip is crushing ns when he speaks his voice comes out rough and edged with pain.

"Who sent you?"

"I... what?"

"Answer me!." He says jerking me so hard my head jerks back.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about."

The barrel presses harder against my head.

Lightning flashes overhead and fr a split second, I catch a glimpse of his face.

Sharp jaw, dark eyes with blood running down one side of his forehead.

Hes beautiful and trrifying.

"I swear," I whisper, unable to stop my voice from shaking. "I didn’t mean to hit you."

His eyes search mine.

Finding...i don’t know but after several painfully long seconds...The pressure against my temple eases.

"I don’t want to hurt you," I say softly. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

His grip weakens ever so slightly and he’s breathing grows uneven, heavy an labored.

Something isn’t right.

Then I see it. The dark liquid mixing with the rain beneath him.

Blood.....Lots of it.

My eyes widen.

"You’re bleeding."

He doesn’t answer.

I look lower.

Just below his ribs, his black shirt is soaked through, but not from the rain. A fresh crimson stain continues to spread with every passing second.

My stomach drops.

"That..."

My voice catches.

"That wasn’t from my car."

The wound is too small and bleeding too much. Recognition hits me like a freight train.

It’s a freaking bullet wound!.

Someone had already tried to kill him...Long before I ever found him.