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“There’s no one else back here. No one to hear you two scream. If I want to correct my biggest mistake, right here, right now, I fucking will.”
The gun pops from my bra and is shoved into my hand just as he jumps forward, grabbing for my arm; I twist away, spinning against the wall. He catches Juliet instead, pulling her back against his chest and positioning his knife at her side.
My breath hitches as I right my footing, wheeling on them, and lift the gun I stole from him all those weeks ago. I aim at his face, and he laughs, his free hand gripping Juliet’s throat.
“Jesus, Caroline, maybe you’re not as smart as I thought. Go ahead and shoot me, see if you or your sister make it out of here unscathed.”
“Shoot him, Care.” Juliet widens her eyes at me.
A tremor makes its way through me; this is it. The plan I had all along, right here in my hands. Within reach, though not without a slight blunder messing everything up. I’m not sure how long it’d take him to stab her before my bullet reaches his brain, but something tells me this won’t end well, regardless.
Still, I’m frozen, hands stuck in place, the cold metal of the weapon bleeding into my skin. My index finger swipes across the trigger, and a bead of sweat pops out across my forehead as my pulse picks up.
I could do it; put an end to my nightmares. To the pull that I maintain with him, the one seeking his approval. Something I shouldn’t have had to work for in the first place.
Gritting my teeth, my finger flexes, itching for relief.
For freedom.
Dominic shrugs. “If you think you’re a good marksman, have at it. But you should know, I—”
He doesn’t complete the sentence, because in a flash, Elia’s standing behind him, pressing a pistol into the back of his neck. “Go ahead and finish that sentence, fucker. Give me something to think about after I paint the walls with your blood.”
Luca and Gia appear from the shadows, smacking the knife from my father’s hand and yanking Juliet from his grasp. I half-expect Elia to rescind our deal and shoot him right there, but he doesn’t.
And I can’t deny the disappointment that washes over me.
There’s a tremble in my body as Gia wrenches my father’s hands behind his back. Elia stands, glaring down at him, and I can’t seem to make my hands retreat. I’m stuck, solidified in this space, my heart set on ending my suffering once and for all.
Gia takes a baton from his waist, cracks it against the air so it elongates, and whips the back of my father’s kneecaps. He cries out, crumpling, and I close one eye, aiming at his chest.
“Mio amore?” Elia’s voice is low in my ear, concern lacing his words. I feel his hand at my hip, trying to draw me from the spell I’ve fallen into, but I shake him off.
“I need to do this,” I whisper, aware of several sets of eyes on me except the ones I want. Dominic stares at the ground, refusing to give me the satisfaction of even this.
“Caroline…” Elia starts, but I clench my jaw, steeling myself against him. “You don’t know what it’s like, what this does to you. Your soul might not recover.”
“My soul is already tattered.”
“Tattered, yes, but not destroyed. Not irreparable.”
I swallow against the fire in my throat. “Iwantthis. I deserve it.” Tears prick my eyes, blurring my vision, but I don’t falter. Can’t.Won’t.“Hehurtme. He let others hurt me.”
“I know.”
“No, you don’t. I never told you.”
“You didn’t have to. I found out anyway.” My husband sweeps the hair from my shoulder but doesn’t touch me otherwise. Doesn’t try to distract me with his touch, which would have me melting like chocolate on a summer day and abandoning all reason. “But he didn’t break you, remember? Everything you’ve done, every ounce of love and life you’ve poured into your existence, despite the evil he wrought on you, that’s your proof. You’re still here, thriving, in spite of it all. Don’t ruin everything you’ve worked to reclaim.”
My chest burns, my vision blurring.
“Hedidn’twin, baby. That’s all you and me.” His body heat ebbs into me, setting the cold, dark parts of me alight with warmth. “Don’t do this. Let me help you.”
A sob escapes Juliet and my gaze flickers to hers. She stands beside Luca, watching me with wide eyes. Eyes just like mine.
Eyes that my baby might inherit.
Or maybe he’ll look like his dad, dark and handsome. Perhaps he’ll be a fierce protector, loyal to the bone.
