Andrea lunges for her in the middle of the crossfire, trying to drag her away by force, reaching past me like a rabid animal.
I intercept him before he can touch her.
I slam into him with my full weight, driving him back. My fist crashes into his face once, twice, the sound of bone meeting bone satisfying in the chaos.
He staggers but comes back harder, tackling me into the stone wall. We crash against it, trading heavy blows at close range, elbows, knees, fists. Blood sprays from his split lip as I land another punch to his ribs.
“You think she belongs to you?!” he snarls, spitting blood. “She was promised to me!”
His words ignite something feral inside me.
“You will never have her.”
I grab him by the throat and slam him back against the tree, pinning him there. Around us, the garden has become a warzone, gunfire cracking, men shouting, bodies hitting the ground.
From the corner of my eye, I see Eleonora trying to make herself small beside the stone. Fuck. I need to end this.
Andrea tries to knee me in the groin. I twist just in time and drive my forehead into his nose. Cartilage crunches. He howls in pain.
I pull my gun, press the barrel hard under his chin, and look him dead in the eyes.
“She was never yours,” I growl, voice ice-cold. “She’s mine.”
I pull the trigger.
The gunshot is deafening at point-blank range. Andrea’s head snaps back. His body goes limp instantly, sliding down the tree trunk, leaving a smear of blood and brain matter on the bark.
Silence falls across the garden for a heartbeat.
Massimo’s men freeze. Some of Gallo’s remaining soldiers start backing away the moment they see Andrea is dead. The marriage alliance they were all fighting for dies with Andrea Gallo in the dirt.
Massimo stands a short distance away, face pale, eyes wide with shock. He raises his hands slowly as I point my gun at him.
“Enough!” he shouts. “I’ll pull back! Just let me leave with my daughters!”
The nerve of this bastard. “Fuck off Massimo, before I change my mind and decide you suffer the same fate as Andrea.”
“Surely you can't….”
“Take your minions and leave!” I bark. “Now!”
Looking around, he realizes he's been out numbered. Most of the men lying dead or injured are his and Gallo's men. It immediately dawns on him that he won't win this fight.
“This isn't over!” He screams, backing away.
“Go home Massimo, your daughters don't want to talk to you.”
His remaining men begin to scatter, retreating toward the perimeter.
I don’t lower my gun. I turn slowly, searching for Eleonora.
She’s still behind the stone wall where I left her. Blood spatters her robe and cheeks, but she’s unharmed. Her eyes meet mine, she doesn’t look toward her father. Not once.
She walks straight to me.
I pull her against my chest, one arm wrapped tightly around her, the other still holding my gun.
She leans into me, her fingers curling into my shirt, choosing my side in front of everyone, her father, the bodies, the blood.
