God!!!
The barrel drives harder into my skin, and I suck in a quivering breath before letting it out very slowly.
Calm down. You can’t think straight if you lose it.
Suddenly I’m dragged toward the window, and it rips a frightened gasp from me. My heart slams wildly against my ribs as I stare at Adriano, thinking today is the day I die.
At least I got to feel true love before my untimely demise.
“Think this through, Marco,” Adriano growls viciously.
“Oh, I have,” Marco lets out a harsh laugh. “I’m dying here today. The only thing that matters is how many of you I take with me.”
Adriano’s eyes touch on mine for a second, and I don’t know where the courage comes from, but before I can think things through, I stomp my heel hard on Marco’s foot and use all my strength to slam my elbow into his side.
His arm around me loosens enough for me to wrench myself away from him.
Go!Go!Go!
I let out a panicked shriek, but instead of blowing my brains out, Marco aims his gun at Adriano.
“Noooo!” I cry, the sound pure desperation from the very depths of my soul as I dart forward.
I’ve never moved as fast as I do in this horrific moment, and when gunshots fill the air, I throw my body in front of Adriano’s.
Pain rips through my upper arm, and something burns along the side of my neck before warmth spills down my skin.
“Laurie!” Tori shrieks.
I slam into Adriano, his arm instantly wrapping around me while rage twists his face into something ferocious, making my stomach clench.
Not sure if it’s from shock or because I’m dying, my body loses all feeling.
Tiny tackles Marco off his feet, and it has Adriano shoving me so hard behind him, I stumble and fall near the bed. Leaning against the side, my arm pressing into the covers, I watch with wide eyes as the horrific scene unfolds.
Even though Marco was shot in the knee and thigh, he fights like a rabid dog, his blood smearing all over the floor.
When he manages to drive his fist hard enough into Tiny, he’s able to get free and lunge for a gun lying near the corner of the bed.
Adriano is on him within a second, and the sound of his fist slamming into Marco’s face is sickening.
“You fucking betrayed me!” Adriano roars before another punch snaps Marco’s head violently sideways. “You pointed a fucking gun at my wife? You thought you could take what’s mine?”
Marco tries to shield himself, but Adriano keeps punching him with a level of violence that turns the entire room silent except for the sound of his fist connecting with Marco’s face.
Tiny steps back, breathing heavily while he grabs hold of Tori, who’s sobbing from the shock she’s just been dealt.
Angelo hurries toward Adriano and grabs his shoulder. “He’s out, son.”
My husband drives another punch into Marco’s bloody face before he climbs to his feet, his chest rising and falling with harsh breaths.
When he turns and his eyes lock on me, the violence drains from his face and is quickly replaced by something akin to fear.
“Are you okay?” I ask him, using the bed to pull myself up, but my head spins, and I sink down again.
“Oh my God, Laurie,” Tori gasps as Adriano hurries toward me, dropping to his knees in front of me.
“Christ, Laurie,” he groans, his voice filled with unbearable pain, which confuses me.