Page 51 of Savage Little War

A gunshot cracks the night.

It catches Paolo off guard enough for his grip on me to loosen. I use every ounce of strength that I have left to surge upward, my head finally breaking through the surface of the water. A gasp tears from me as I suck in a deep breath before coughing violently.

Paolo grabs me again, but my stubbornness is stronger than his now.

I slam my shoulder against his chest, knocking him back away from me and buying myself enough time to catch my breath. Water rolls off my face and drips from my hair, the top of my shirt soaking wet.

That shot…Cara. It has to be.

Fuck.

What if someone found her and shot at her?

I start to head in that direction, willing to leave this fight behind for now for her, but Paolo blocks my path, his face twisted in fury.

“You just won’t die, will you?” he snaps as he approaches me.

I have to finish this fight.

“Try again,” I tell him.

Paolo swings at me.

I duck and drive my fist into his stomach, forcing the air from his lungs.

He slams his elbow against the side of my head, making my ears ring as my vision blacks out for a second.

I dig my feet into the cobblestone, steadying myself so that I don’t topple over.

I punch him in the throat, making him wheeze painfully. My hands reach for him, grasping his shirt in two tight handfuls as I kick the side of his knee. I shove him down to the ground on his knees as his leg gives out.

Paolo flails, but I don’t let him fall over.

I move behind him and wrap my arm around his throat, pulling as tightly as I can. My fingers wrap around my wrist, putting my weight on my own arm to crush his throat.

Paolo gasps for air, trying to pry me off him.

I clench my jaw, letting out a strained groan as I put all my strength into cutting off his air.

“Names,” I grind out. “Every. One. Tell me!”

“Fuck you…Ivanov.” Paolo’s grip on my arm slowly loosens, a strangled sound leaving him like a ragged whisper.

“Fuck you, Ferro,” I grit out in response before applying more pressure until he goes completely fucking limp, lifeless. Then, I finally let him fall to the ground at my feet.

I straighten up with an exhausted exhale, my body shaking as I fight the urge to collapse. My gaze lowers to Paolo as he stares lifelessly at the sky, moonlight reflecting in his glazed, bulging eyes.

“Dmitri!”

Cara breaks from the hedges and runs to me, right into my arms. I ignore the pain that ripples through my body from the light impact. “I heard a gunshot. What happened?”

Cara rests her cheek against my chest. “One of his guards came to the garden.”

“You killed him?” I ask her as I cup her face, expecting to see guilt or uneasiness on her face.

Instead, Cara peers up at me with a straight, unwavering face. “I was afraid to shoot at Paolo and miss…but I wasn’t going to let anyone else get to you.”

She had my back. Of course, she did.