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"Shoot him or I shoot her." He places the barrel of the gun against my temple again, and I can’t stop the sound of panic that spills from my lips. My heart slams against my ribcage. Adrenaline laces my blood.
"Do it," Freddie snaps.
Axel’s features tighten. He lowers his hand, reaches for the gun at the small of his back, then he draws it out and raises it.
"No funny business now, or I’ll shoot your wife." Freddie tightens his grip on me and I groan.
Axel’s entire body goes rigid. "Don’t hurt her, you motherfucker," he says in a low voice, "I’ll do as you say."
He turns slightly and levels his gun at Seb.
"Cazzo,"Massimo swears.
"Knew you’d turn on us," Luca glares at him. "Don’t fucking shoot him, youcarogna."
Axel cocks the pistol and the sound echoes through the space. Goosebumps pop on my skin. The hair on the back of my neck rises.
"Don’t," I manage to push out the word through a throat gone dry.
Seb seems to freeze, every muscle in his body wound so tightly that the tension pours off of him. He meets Axel’s gaze, and the two seem to engage in a face-off.
The silence stretches a second, then another.
"The fuck you waiting for?" Freddie bursts out. "Shoot him, you basta—"
A shot rings out. I squeeze my eyes shut and cry out. Something clatters to the ground, then his grip on my waist loosens. I turn to find Freddie staggering back. He has his palm pressed to his side. The blood flows down his arm, drips to the floor. I hear someone screaming from a distance. My throat hurts and that’s when I realize it’s me.
Axel moves in Freddie’s direction, his gun in his outstretched hand. Freddie pushes me forward. My foot hits the gun that Freddie dropped and it clatters away. I stumble forward and Axel swerves to the side and catches me. Seb bends to pick up the gun, then charges past us, following Luca and Massimo.
I stare up into Axel’s expressionless face. He’s glaring down at me, anger in his eyes.
"Axel?" I venture.
"You’re okay?" he says in that expressionless tone.
I nod.
"If anything had happened to you, I’d never have been able to forgive myself." He wipes my cheek and his hand comes away bloodied.
I press my palm to my face, rub at whatever is there.
"Are you hurt?" he asks.
"No," I swallow. My stomach churns. "I… I don’t think it’s my blood."
He drags the back of his hand across my cheek again and again. "He touched you," he says in a hard voice. "The bastard dared to put his hands on you. He held a gun to you." He lowers his hand. "I am going to kill him." He tries to brush past me, but I grab his arm.
"Don’t go. Please, Axel, don’t go." My voice wavers, and damn it, I don’t want to appear weak, but the thought of that monster’s blood tainting my skin…? Somehow, it feels worse than having him hold a gun to my temple. A trembling grips me.
"Sunshine?" Axel’s features seem to fade in and out.
My hands and feet feel so cold. It’s the adrenaline draining away, I realize, but I can’t stop my body from swaying. Dark specks flicker at the edges of my vision.
"Theresa," he calls as he grips my shoulders. The heat of his body flows over me and I lean into him.
"Axel," I whisper, "I… I lo—" Darkness overwhelms me.
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