AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"That’s not my style. If I wanted to kill your brother, I’d have done it to his face. And yours."
Anger sears my blood. I attempt to jump to my feet, only to be restrained by the ropes. I growl as the bonds cut into my arms and my ankles.
"Don’t talk about my brother, you bastard."
"I had nothing to do with his death," he insists. "Whether you believe it or not, that’s not my problem."
"By bringing her here, you’ve brought an entire shitload of problems to your doorstep, youcarogna!"
"Nothing I can’t face," he drawls.
"You sure about that?"
The door flies open, and he jerks his head toward it.
Sebastian prowls forward, his gun trained on JJ. Luca follows, then Massimo and Antonio. All three of them have their guns drawn. Christian brings up the rear; he drags the man by his collar—the one who’d restrained me—and throws him on the floor. Then levels his gun at the temple of the guy and fires.
Karma shudders, glances away as the man’s body jerks. He slumps to the floor and Christian slams the door shut behind him. He takes his position in front of it.
JJ takes a sip from his brandy. The man’s one cool customer; I’ll give him that. Seb keeps his gun trained on JJ as he jerks his chin in Luca’s direction. Luca stalks over to where the knife is embedded in the wall next to the fireplace. He grunts as he works it out, then pivots and walks back to me. In two strokes, he’s cut through the ropes. I rise to my feet and he hands the knife back to me, handle first. I snatch it from him, stalk over to where JJ is seated. He raises his tumbler to his lips and I press the knife to his throat. "I am going to kill you," I growl.
That’s when the windows explode.
27
Karma
The panes of glass explode and the pattering of what sounds like hail stones fills the space. My throat hurts, and that’s when I realize, I am screaming. The sound of my own voice echoes in my ears. The next second, I am pushed to the ground; a big body covers me. The scent of leather with a hint of woodsmoke. Fresh snow fallen on the earth… His scent envelops me. The heat from his body pours over me, cocoons me. I push up and into him, trying to get as close to him possible; to touch as much of my body to his as I can. Even though we are in the middle of what sounds like a gunfight, I can’t help but exult in the fact that he’s near me, on me, around me. I turn my head and push my cheek into his T-shirt covered chest. I draw in deep lungfuls of Michael, and my head spins. His chest heaves, the hard planes digging into my breasts as he gathers me even closer.
His arm moves and I realize that he’s holding the knife out and over me. Guarding me, protecting me. My own personal bodyguard. My champion. My knight… Stop… Clearly, I am in shock. That is the only reasonable explanation for why my thoughts are in such free fall.
I draw in a breath and my lungs burn. My stomach twists, my arms and legs tremble, and I squeeze my eyes shut. Shit, shit, shit. Not the time to be going into shock.
The silence lengthens, I sense him move, then he grips my chin. I feel his gaze peruse my features, and crack my eyelids open. His blue gaze burns into me. In their depths, there’s so much fire, so much concern… So much everything. I open my mouth, but my brain seems unable to put the words together. I draw in another breath, feel a tear run down my cheek.
Stop that. Why am I acting like such a weakling? I can get through this. I’ve survived this far; hell, I’ve faced the biggest transformation possible and come through the other side. I lost my child, almost died, lost a man who I had grown to love like a brother in such a short time, and I am still here, aren’t I?
So why is my heart racing, my pulse pounding, my arms and legs trembling like I am in shock…?Um, it’s because you are in shock?Because I may be married to a Mafia Capo but I am still not used to being shot at. Hell, I may never be used to being shot at, truth be told. Because as much as there is darkness at my core… I am also a creature who craves the life I once had?
A home, a career, a focus on creating art through my designs. Producing clothes that will bring my visions to life, and getting them out in the world. Where does all of that fit in with this life that I have been thrust into? Where do I fit in with this world that is Michael’s life? This is where he came from and this is where he will always be. And if I want to live with him, I’ll have to fit in. Do I want to fit in with this life that he has chosen for me? Do I want to walk away from everything I have spent my life working toward...to be with him?
So far, he has led and I have followed. Since I met him, it’s been a roller coaster ride, and I’ve been happy to go along for the ride. But now… It’s as if I am waking up from a long sleep and realizing that I have a choice.
I hear the sound of someone moving and glance around to find JJ belly-crawling forward toward the doorway. He reaches it, straightens, keeping as close as he can to the wall, and hits the light switch.
Gloom descends on the room. The rays from the sun slant into the room, but I guess switching off the lights makes us less of a target? Maybe? JJ's eyes glitter as he glances toward Michael, who nods. Something silent passes between the men. That's when another burst of shots rings out, and JJ drops to the floor again.
"Merda!"Michael swears as he throws his body over mine again. This time, the shots seem to go on and on. Things hit the floor around me. People? Or pieces of the furniture that the bullets have ripped out? Or bits of the wall that the bullets have loosened and which are now hitting the floor? A moan wells up and I swallow it down. My entire body trembles.
Michael seems to sense my anxiety, for he presses me into the floor. Thump-thump-thump; his heartbeat pounds against my back. Strong, steady…grounding me. I focus on it, on him. Strange, even though I know that our time together is, surely, drawing to a close, I still can’t stop myself from leaning on him. Another tear runs down my cheek and I try to swallow the ball of emotion that clogs my throat.
Silence descends and I realize the shooting has finally stopped. No one moves, then something else crashes to the floor.
I turn to find Seb and Massimo have upturned the table so it's another barrier between us and the windows. While Luca keeps his gun trained on JJ, Seb and Massimo use the edge of the table to balance their guns and return fire. The sound of gunshots fills the room again. It's so loud, so close... Too close.
A tremor runs up my spine. I am not a weak person, but my daily life and my fashion designing business seem so far away right now. One wrongly– or rightly-directed bullet, and I'll be dead. Gone. A soft moan leaves my lips before I can stop it.
"Shh," Michael presses his lips to my temple, "you’re safe,Bellezza.I promise, I won’t let anything happen to you."
