Hers to Save: Loving Your Enemy, #2

By Talia Ellison

Since her relationship with Aaron is no longer a secret, Octavia is determined to convince her family that what she and Aaron share is real. However, her family's disapproval is the least of her worries. Roberto wants her dead, but first he intends to take Aaron away from her, and he might just have a perfect plan on how to do that.

This is the second installment in the three-book Loving Your Enemy series.

Reading order:
HERS TO TAKE (Book 1)
HERS TO SAVE (Book 2)
HERS TO LOVE (Book 3)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Talia Ellison
• Release date: Dec 22, 2016
• ISBN: 9781540166425

Talia Ellison

Talia Ellison is the author of Hold Me, Unfold Me, the Loving Your Enemy series, the Your Love Is Dangerous series, Destroying the Billionaire, The Mafia Proposal series, the My Broken Hitman series, the Her Dark Mafia Heart duet, the Owned by the Mafia Queen series, the Never His duet, the Taking Revenge on Her Bully series, the Varano Mafia series, and Arranged: Cassaro Mafia. She loves to read and write all kinds of romance, and she has a thing for broken, tortured heroes and fierce heroines who aren't afraid to take what they want. When she’s not busy with a book, she likes to watch TV shows and listen to music. Never miss a new release! Sign up for Talia’s newsletter: https://taliaellison.weebly.com/newsletter.html

Book preview

Chapter 1

I had no idea how long I’d been staring at the same spot on the wall in the panic room at my family’s home. It was impossible not to keep replaying today’s events in my mind. Aaron had come to warn me that his father knew something about me, only he never got the chance to explain, because we’d been attacked and he’d jumped in front of me to protect me, the bullets meant for me hitting him instead.  

When I looked down at my hands, I realized my fists were clenched, my knuckles white. The worst part of everything was that I still didn’t know anything about Aaron’s condition. My father and my brothers, Michael and Tony, had taken him to a doctor­—probably my father’s close friend—who had a secure facility where Aaron could be treated. Taking him to a hospital would’ve been too much of a risk for all of us, especially without knowing more details about the attack.

I had to believe Aaron would be fine, but my mind kept jumping to the darkest thoughts. What I needed was a distraction. Lifting my gaze, I found Marco, who was sitting in the chair across from me and staring down at his hands.

Marco, I said softly, and his dark brown eyes met mine. How did Roberto find out about me? What exactly does he know? There was probably more than one way to uncover my real identity, but I didn’t know if Roberto had found out about Aaron’s plan and what we’d done to destroy his precious shipment. Roberto had sent his assassins after me, and the only reason Aaron had gotten in their way was because he’d wanted to save me. Had Roberto wanted to kill us both? Or was I the only target?

I don’t know. Marco glanced at my brothers, who were still guarding the door just in case Roberto decided to attack us all. Jason couldn’t hide the hatred and distrust in his brown eyes and Dylan’s gaze was guarded as they both kept looking at him.

But before he left, Aaron told me you needed to speak urgently with him. Was that about...?

Marco nodded. I overheard my father giving out an order to go after you, and I knew I had to warn Aaron. Roberto knows who you really are, but I don’t know if he thinks you tricked Aaron or if he knows the full story. I didn’t stick around to find out, because I didn’t want to be caught or interrogated before I could speak with Aaron. That’s why I had to meet with him in person. If Roberto doesn’t know the whole story...

So you don’t know if Roberto sent someone after Aaron too?

No. Marco’s brow was furrowed in concern. Even if he did, my father probably wouldn’t know.

How come? He’s Roberto’s trusted guard. I assumed that if Roberto ever doubted his son’s loyalty, he’d send one of his closest men to get him.

Yeah, but he’s also my father, and Roberto knows Aaron and I have been friends for a long time, even though we tried to hide it around him. That’s why he wouldn’t tell my father anything, because the news could get to me. And if my life was in danger along with Aaron’s... My father might be loyal to Roberto, but if it came to choosing between Roberto and me, he’d pick me.

Right. I sighed. A buzzing sound at the door startled me, and I immediately got to my feet, turning toward my mom, who was just striding through the door.

Honey! She had her arms around me a moment later, her hands rubbing circles on my back.

Mom. I pressed myself closer to her, her brown hair tickling my face. Tears prickled my eyes and I couldn’t hold them back any longer.

Hey, it’s okay. It’ll be fine, my mom whispered as she caressed my hair.

Aaron... I choked out, sobs racking my body.

I spoke with your father on the phone a few minutes ago, she said, and I pulled back, wiping away my tears, my lips slightly parted.

What did he...? I asked. Marco’s chair scraped against the floor.

Aaron’s in surgery. The doctors don’t know anything yet, but they’re doing everything they can.

When are we going to know more? My voice cracked a little. Where is he? Can I go see him after...?

Your father will call as soon as there’s any news. You don’t have to worry about that. Her brown eyes softened as she gently squeezed my shoulder, but then her gaze focused on something behind my back and a frown creased her brow. That man shouldn’t be here, she said.

Yes, he should. He’s my... friend. I glanced at Marco over my shoulder, wondering if he’d argue, but we weren’t exactly enemies either.

He works for the Viteris, my mom said. I know you think he’s your friend, but we’re on the brink of a war, and we can’t have spies around. He’s not family, and he shouldn’t be here. She turned toward Jason. Take him to the basement.

No, Mom! It’s not safe for him to be there! This room was impenetrable in case Roberto attacked. Maybe Roberto’s men wouldn’t kill Marco, but what if they shot first and asked questions later? What if they knew Marco had helped Aaron and me? Sure, Marco had had to follow Aaron’s orders, but somehow I doubted that meant he’d be given a free pass.

He’ll be fine. Roberto won’t attack for now anyway. We don’t have to be stuck in here. She waved her hand at Jason, who immediately made his way to Marco, pointed a gun at him, and grabbed him by the arm.

Walk, Jason barked.

If something happens to him, I swear... I started to say, and Jason shot me a glare.

You’ll what? Hurt your brother over some guy who would give his life for our enemy? You’re not thinking straight. Jason’s grip on Marco’s arm seemed to tighten, because Marco gritted his teeth.

It’s okay. I’ll go. Don’t worry about me, Marco said, giving me a forced smile.

I ran my hand through my tangled brown hair as I watched them leave. How are you so sure Roberto won’t attack?

We let him know his son got shot and that we have him. If he attacks, his son dies, and it seems that’s not what he wants, my mom said. We have enough men protecting the house, just in case, but your father suggested we secretly move to another one of our residences. If Roberto’s son dies, we won’t have much time before he comes down on us with the force of a thousand furies because he’ll blame you for everything. It’s better if he can’t get to us easily.

Don’t even say that. Aaron can’t die. If Aaron didn’t make it, Roberto wouldn’t have time to come after my family, because I’d be going after him.

Okay, whatever you say. My mom gave me a placating smile, as if I were a child. But we have to get somewhere safe either way. Your father suggested a perfect place just outside the city. It’s a wonderful mansion. You’ll love it there.

A frown creased my brow. What mansion? I was pretty sure I knew about all of my family’s property, not just in this city but around the whole world. Why are you so sure no one will find us there? Isn’t a mansion a little too obvious?

It belongs to a friend of a friend, so no one can connect it to us easily, my mom said. Only our friend, your father, and I know it exists, and we’ve never been there in person. The house has been taken care of and everyone believes the owner’s some rich soccer star who doesn’t have time to visit. It’s in an area with a lot of other similar houses, so the neighborhood is quite safe.

We can’t all just go there. I’m sure Roberto’s monitoring us. He’ll know where we went. The beginning of a headache was starting to form behind my eyes. All I wanted was to make sure my family wasn’t trying to trick me into going someplace I could never see Aaron again. They loved me and wanted to protect me at all costs, and I didn’t want them to ship me off somewhere for my own protection, only to find out later that we were in a place so remote that I couldn’t visit Aaron once he was allowed visitors. And if he died... I swallowed bile. Then I’d still want to see him one last time. God, I couldn’t even believe I was thinking about that.

No, he won’t. The tunnel to that house where you pretended to live isn’t the only tunnel around here. We can get to that place without being seen, trust me. You don’t have to worry about anything. Your brothers and I will make all the necessary arrangements. Why don’t you go lie down for a while? You’re still in shock. She gently placed her hand on my cheek. Still so pale.

My mom would never have risked sending me anywhere if she hadn’t thought it was perfectly safe, so I believed that part, but there was still something else I wasn’t sure about. And what about Aaron, Dad, and...? Where will they be? How will I go see him?

They’ll come to the house too. Once it’s safe.

Do you promise? I stared straight into her eyes. If something happened to Dad, you’d mow down anything in your way to get to him. That’s what I’ll do too if someone tries to keep me away from Aaron.

She pressed her lips into a white line, then just nodded. That was good enough for me. No matter where they took me, no one would keep me away from Aaron. No one. Marco’s coming with us too.

What? No. My mom vehemently shook her head. I understand how you feel about Aaron, but his guard... He’s a threat. Imagine what could happen if he sees where we’re going and escapes. Roberto would know exactly where to find us, and we can’t allow that.

Marco’s not a threat. He’ll want to see Aaron, and he won’t act without his orders. He’s Aaron’s friend, not just some bodyguard, and he was involved in everything Aaron did against his father, so going to Roberto wouldn’t be in Marco’s best interest. Please, Mom. He has to come with us. Put a blindfold on him, earplugs, whatever... Just take him with us. He’ll be my responsibility. If Marco remained here with my father’s men, I didn’t expect they’d treat him kindly or just let him sit here in the house with them. It would be easy for them to attack him, torture him, or just take out their anger on him for the ones they’d lost in the fight against the Viteris. No one would be here to witness it or stop it, so they could easily say Marco was trying to escape or that he had attacked them first.

Honey... My mom folded her arms. Please reconsider this. We need to be extremely careful about this. We can’t trust anyone, especially not someone who works for the Viteris. Why don’t you let me get you some tea or hot chocolate? And when your mind’s clearer, we can discuss this again. How well do you even know Marco? I bet you didn’t spend the same amount of time with him as you did with Aaron.

Mom... I closed my eyes for a moment, rubbing my forehead. My head was now fully throbbing and I didn’t think I was capable of forming any coherent thoughts or compelling arguments. Marco’s coming with us, or I’m not going anywhere. End of story. I met her gaze. If it’s safe... I’d like to go to my room. If you need help with the strategy on how to transfer Marco wherever we’re going, then I’ll do it. I’ll take care of him and of everything else, but he needs to come with us.

Alright. She sighed. If that’s what you really want, I’ll tell your brothers to include him in our plan.

Thank you, I said, offering her a small smile.

Go. You need to rest. I’ll bring the tea in a few minutes.

You or Edith? I wondered if all of our staff was still here and would be coming with us. Probably yes, just like some of our most trusted guards. The ones we trusted less, and who were probably currently outside watching the perimeter, would stay and take over the place once we left. It would be a fun experience for them.

Me. Edith needs to pack what we need. She flashed me a smile, and I arched an eyebrow. What? I know how to make tea.

We’ll see. I’d never seen my mom do any housework or cooking. Too bad I was so tired and not in the mood to watch her prepare the tea. It had the potential to be funny to watch.

Go! She all but shooed me out of the room. As I was heading to my room, armed guards rushed out of my way with worried looks on their faces, and I prayed that Aaron would be fine.

Chapter 2

I stopped in the large foyer of a house that was supposed to be my family’s new home for a while. We’d used disguises and had exited separately through the tunnels so that Roberto’s spies couldn’t tell we’d left. One of our loyal guards, Todd, had driven me here in silence, and I’d been surprised to see a whole cluster of mansions with huge yards and high, spiked fences.

We’d passed through the neighborhood and Todd had parked in the woods. After he made sure no one was around to see us, he’d led me into a small cottage, opened a trapdoor, and told me to climb down. A few minutes of traipsing through a smelly, damp, and dark tunnel, and we’d emerged in this foyer. Jason and Dylan were already here, and my mom was supposed to come soon too.

Nice, I said to Dylan, even though I didn’t care much about the gray marble floor, statues of what were probably some Greek gods, and a stairway with a black railing twisted to look like branches of a tree.

Father called, Jason said, and my throat constricted as I looked up at him.

What did he say? I asked breathlessly.

Just that you should call him as soon as you got here. Jason pulled a phone out of the pocket of his black jeans and tossed it to me. Call the first number on speed dial.

I grabbed the phone with my shaky fingers. We’d had to ditch our phones and anything that could be used to track us, so this phone had to be untraceable. Dylan’s eyebrows were drawn together with worry, and I took a deep breath that did nothing to alleviate my twitching stomach. If my father had news about Aaron, why wouldn’t he just tell Jason? What if Aaron...? I pressed the right buttons and waited for my father to answer, each ring seeming like an eternity.

Dad? I breathed as soon as he answered.

Princess. Relief was evident in his voice. You arrived safely at your destination, I presume.

Yes. What did you want to tell me? Is Aaron...? My voice broke a little.

Aaron’s condition is stable at the moment.

I closed my eyes, my knees almost buckling under me. Thank God.

He’s not completely out of danger, but the doctor’s optimistic about his recovery. The bullets didn’t damage any organs or his spine. He was lucky.

Thank you for doing this, I said. Please bring him here to me as soon as possible.

I’m doing it for you, Princess, he said. And yes, Michael, Tony, and I will bring Aaron with us once the doctor permits it.

I’m looking forward to that. The tension seeped out of my shoulders.

Has your mother arrived? he asked.

Not yet, but she’s on her way.

Good. Let me know as soon as she does.

I will. I ended the call and made my way across the foyer, then dropped onto a big red couch. As I looked up, I found myself staring at a huge portrait of an unfamiliar red-haired woman with beady, dark eyes.

Creepy, right? Dylan strolled toward me, his hands in the pockets of his black pants, his black hair ruffled. There’s like a ton of these in the hallway upstairs.

Oh, God. I groaned. Take them off. Please. I hate weird portraits.

We can draw mustaches on them like we used to when we were kids. Dad would love to relive his nightmare. He grinned as he settled on the couch next to me.

I fought the urge to laugh. When we were kids, Dylan