AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But Malcolm hadn’t come this far with a madman like Primo because he was crazy. No, he’d used Primo’s madness, had calculated that it gave him an advantage in building an empire of his own, one he could take over after Primo’s inevitabledemise.
Malcolm didn’t care about Primo. He didn’t even really care what happened to Aria. She was just a piece on hischessboard.
Adisposableone.
“You know it’s true,” he said to Malcolm. “Do you want to die for this crazybastard?”
Damian had to hand it to him: Malcolm’s expression was unreadable, not a trace of indecision on his narrow face. Damian kept talking, forcing his voice to remain dispassionate, the voice of a negotiator rather than a man under threat of losing the woman heloved.
“No one is coming to save you,” Damian said. “At this very minute, every operation you run is under assault. You can either live or you can die here. The choice is yours. Everything else has already beendecided.”
“Why are you listening to him?” Primo screeched. “You work for me. You do what I say,remember?”
Malcolm gave Aria a shove and started backing forthedoor.
Aria stumbled toward Damian. He forced himself not to look at her face and check her for injury. He shoved her behind himinstead.
Then everything fellapart.
* * *
Damian had triedto shield her behind his body, but she could see enough to know that Primo was raising his weapon. She saw the barrel of it swing up, linger on her face behind Damian’s shoulder, and pivot toDamian.
She caught movement in the loft andrememberedCole.
He would shoot Primo but it wouldn’t be fast enough. Primo’s hand was tightening on the gun in his hand, but that wasn’t the part thatscaredher.
It washisface.
A moment before it had been contorted in rage at Malcolm, but as he turned the weapon on Damian, there was nothing but peace in his face. He knew he would die. He didn’t care. That he’d chosen to kill Damian instead of her hardlymattered.
He might as well killthemboth.
If you’d died, I would havediedtoo.
She only had a second. Not long enough to draw her weapon, but long enough to step out from behind Damian, pivot in front of him as the almost silent thud of the weapons held by Damian and Cole mingled with the roar of Primo’sweapon.
She was surprised by the faint sting in her chest. It was so subtle she wondered if the bullet had grazed her, if it might have missed herentirely.
The floor rose up to meet her, warmth seeping throughherbody.
She lifted a hand to her chest. She would be okay. It didn’t evenhurtmuch.
“No…” Damian’s voice came from far away. “Call a fucking ambulance. Call a fucking ambulance rightnow,Cole!”
He sounded scared. She wanted to tell him not to worry. To tell him that she wasn’t in any pain and if he could just get her back to the house in the country she would rest for a few hours and be fine. Tomorrow she would work in the greenhouse, start planting seeds forspring.
Everything wouldbefine.
She opened her mouth to say it all but the words wouldn’t come. She felt her body lifted, looked up to see Damian hunched over her, felt his hands around hershoulders.
She tried to reach up and smooth the fear on his face, but she couldn’t make her arms work. Couldn’t makeanythingwork.
“Don’t you fucking do this, Aria,” he murmured, rocking her. “Don’t you do it. If you die, I die too.Remember?”
Something wet was falling on her face. She thought she might be crying but when she looked up she realized they weren’t her tearsatall.
They wereDamian’s.
She willed herself to speak but the darkness was closing in, a soft vibration building through her body as it overtook her. She was tired. So verytired.
She would sleep for awhile. Just fora while.
