With no other choice, I turn the gun back onto my mother’s crying face. Her sobs are killing me. This woman who abusedme all my life. This woman who just wanted to protect me from mafia men who would use me.
If she were to die, I wouldn’t have to worry about her ever again. If she were to live, she’d always come for me. But Leo might be dead and I’ll be married to Matteo soon. Does it matter if she’s alive or not?
My hands shake.
“You can do this,” Matteo says. “For us to have a fresh start. You have to do this.”
I have to kill her. I can’t kill her. I have to kill her. I can’t kill her. It repeats in my head like a mantra.
My mother looks into my eyes, sobbing.
The church doors burst open and Leo storms inside followed by Gabriel and Rocco and other men I have never met. They open fire on Matteo’s men.
I dive behind a pew to avoid getting shot.
Matteo shoots at Leo and Gabriel before running away. He’s shot in the arm and lets out a cry but that doesn’t slow him down. I watch in horror as he runs out the back door.
“Follow him,” Gabriel orders. Two of his men run after Matteo.
Then everything is quiet.
“Emma?” It’s Leo. He reaches out for me. “You’re ok now. You’re ok.”
Everything happened so fast in the blink of an eye. “It’s really over?”
“It’s over.” Leo helps me to my feet. That’s when I see Matteo’s men dead on the floor. They didn’t stand a chance against the number of Gabriel’s men.
“I promised I’d always save you,” Leo says, pulling me into his arms. “You’re safe now, baby.”
“What about Matteo?”
“Hopefully he’ll be killed,” Gabriel explains as he steps over a dead body. “But if not, we’ll cross that bridge if we come to it. You’re safe now, Emma.”
“I’m really safe?” I whisper. Tears well up in my eyes.
“Oh, baby,” Leo murmurs. “You’re safe.” He wipes my tears away but they just keep coming. “I promise. You’re safe.”
“I thought you were dead.”
“Matteo tried. The house… he burned it. I don’t even know what’s left. All I could think about was getting back to you. That’s all that mattered.”
“You chose me.”
Leo’s smile is warm and open. “I chose you. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat. You’re mine, Emma. I love you.”
His admission makes my breath catch. Before I can tell him I love him in return, I hear a sound that draws my attention.
The sound of a cough and a whine.
Looking to my right, I see my mother, lying on the ground. Her stomach is bleeding. She gasps and cries out.
“Mother,” I gasp, running to her side. I kneel down next to her, ignoring the blood on the floor. The way it stains my clothes. “Mother? She was shot! How did she get shot?”
“A stray bullet,” Gabriel explains. “We were aiming for Matteo’s men and she was caught in the crosshairs. I am sorry.”
“Shouldn’t we get her to the hospital? We have to get her to the hospital!”
“Emma,” Mother says in a weak voice. She grabs my hand but there’s no strength to her touch. “Emma.”
