Page 55 of Revere: A Legacy Novel

It only took him a couple of seconds to gain his bearings and realize what was happening, but it was seconds too long. Cross found he couldn’t fight back because his attacker was already on him again.

The butt of a gun to the face.

A boot to his ribs.

Another hit to the face.

A fist.

A kick.

Another, and another.

“Fuck,” Cross grunted out.

He turned on his side, pretty goddamn sure that kick had cracked his rib. He spat the blood in his mouth to the hardwood floor. One more kick came to his face, and sent his head snapping back with enough force to make his neck strain.

“Dante, relax,” came a kind of, sort of familiar voice.

“Fuck off, Lucian. You relax. Let it be your daughter, and you fucking relax.”

“You can’t kill—”

“I can do whatever the hell I want to, actually.”

“You’re not above retribution for this just because you are a boss,” Lucian snarled.

Cross rolled to his back, and every single breath hurt. It probably didn’t help that his breaths were coming out short and shuddering. Like he couldn’t catch it well enough to make any difference. The blood in his mouth kept coming, making him choke. His vision blurred, but he wasn’t sure why.

He could barely see at all.

Still, the form up above him became clearer the closer the man came. Dante Marcello leaned over Cross with his gun already aimed. Cross looked down the barrel of the nine-millimeter and found he didn’t know what to say.

For the first time in his life, he was speechless.

Dante pistol whipped him in the mouth one more time with the barrel. Cross finally learned what gun metal tasted like in those moments.

Cold.

Rusty with his blood.

Hard.

Lonely.

Unsure.

Cross exhaled another sore breath.

This was not what death should feel like.

The ringing through the speakers of the Rover brought Cross from his thoughts with a bang. He hated how his mouth tasted like blood—rusty and tangy—for no particular fucking reason except his memories.

That had been almost seven years ago.

It should be over.

Out of his head.