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She doesn't reply, but the next time she comes at me, one of her knives finds purchase, slashing across the top of my right shoulder. I gasp at the pain, but I also manage to catch that hand of hers. This takes her by surprise, and I don't hesitate before kicking her hard in the stomach, sending her back to the ground with a smack of her head that makes her swear.
I look up at the stalled Wild Seven car again. Whoever was killed at the wheel has apparently been moved because the honking has stopped, and now I see him. Ace. He's moving to the driver's seat with a chilling look at me. He doesn't seem bothered by his team's dead members, but I know he's not really a coward. He's only trying to escape becauseEvelyn must be in that car.
Confirming my terror, I hear my usually quiet child crying over the grunts and thuds of the men fighting to my right.
I need to get to her.
My momentary distraction is dangerous. Chloe has gotten back to her feet, and now a much longer, more serrated knife is in her hands as she gives me a wicked grin. But just as she steps toward me, another gunshot goes off, and I scream and jump away as blood sprays from her chest. She drops to the ground, twitching before going motionless.
My eyes flick up to find that Domenic has bested Jack, who also now lies dead. Somewhere far in the distance, I can hear police sirens, and I'm sure someone must have seen this from the busy road and called the cops. Behind me, Roulette grunts, and there's a loud thud on the ground. Big Luck's labored breathing is pained—he must be hurt.
But my mafioso doesn't falter. He's a mask of cold anger and determination as he shoots twice more, taking out the front two tires of the car that Ace just started to drive away in.
The Wild Seven's vehicle comes to a halt, and their leader is out less than a second later. Only now, he's holding a squirming Evelyn with the gun pointed to her head.
My blood turns to ice. I can't breathe. Never in my life have I felt this brand of pure, unadulterated fear.
And fury.
He can't hurt my daughter. No matter what it takes, I won't let him.
"I've heard that you Caputos are a force to be reckoned with. Impressive, I admit," my old boss drawls, glancing over at where Jack has bled out onto the asphalt. He tips his head as he listens to the wail of police sirens still far away. Then he smirks at Domenic, ignoring Evelyn's crying and tears as he hefts my struggling toddler up higher in his arm. "Tell you what. I'll cut you a new deal. Instead of giving this damned loud runt to the Gallos, I'll make it a simple ransom after all. Five million, or I pull the trigger."
Domenic isn't moving, but his aim remains trained on Ace's head. He looks so stoic and powerful, but I can see his fury bubbling under the surface. He might be the dangerous type, but he's not reckless. I can practically see him weighing his options in his head.
But I'm not about to wait. All he needs is an opening to end Ace without running the risk of that motherfucker shooting Evelyn. So I bolt toward Ace, running at him in a full sprint.
His face transforms into surprise, then anger, and he turns his gun on me. I feel like I'm watching all of this happen in slow motion, and all I can think is,thank Godhe isn't pointing that damn gun at my daughter anymore.
Another deafening gunshot rings through the air, but surprisingly, I don't feel any pain. That's when I realize Domenic fired first, right into Ace's head. More blood sprays, and the sight of it so close to my daughter makes me want to retch.
But I don't stop running. Soon, I'm grabbing Evelyn from the dead hacker's arms and pulling her close, listening to her terrified screams as she grabs at her ears.
Her face is bright red, and she's hysterical. Her eardrums must hurt after hearing all these gunshots. Did they hurt her? Is she in pain? God, she's going to need therapy. She'll need—
Domenic's arms wrap around Evelyn and me, and suddenly we're both in his protective embrace. It's like a shield just went up between us and the rest of the world, and my spiral of hysteria calms down enough for me to remember to breathe. Evelyn is still crying. Big Luck is still groaning where he's bleeding on the asphalt, the cops are still on their way, and we're surrounded by gore and dead bodies.
Yet somehow, my world is balancing in a way it hasn't before. I look up into Domenic's eyes through my blur of tears, but he's not looking at me. His awed,lovinggaze is on Evelyn as she makes grabby hands at her father for the first time, still crying but reaching for him. I hand her to him and watch as he murmurs sweet, soothing things to her in Italian, hushing her and kissing her forehead.
"She's beautiful,fiore di ciliegio."
I love that he calls mecherry blossom. Despite everything that's stood in our way, I love everything about Domenic. I squeeze his arm tightly and bury my face in his chest to listen to his heartbeat for a moment.
"I love you," I whisper.
His lips brush the side of my face before he kisses Evelyn again. She's calming down. I sense his hand touching me near where Chloe nicked me with her knife. It's not a deep wound and only stings, but he swears low at the blood there.
"I love you, Loren. For three years, I've thought about you. I've missed out on our daughter, and I plan to make up for lost time with the both of you." Then he hesitates. "I want to be a good parent. Besides you, the best parent, but you're already so perfect."
God, I can't get enough of this man. Who knew a mafioso could be so heartfelt and sweet?
"No," I murmur, standing on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. I offer a shaky, watery smile. "I'm a mess. And you're a mobster. So I doubt we'll ever beperfect, but maybe perfect is overrated. But I'm going to change a lot going forward. No more hacking, no more running, no more fucking up—"
His brows go up, and he glances at Evelyn. "Your mother needs to watch her mouth, doesn't she,tesoro?"
Sweetheart. I looked that one up after he called her that the other day.
I bite back a grimace even as a breathy laugh escapes me. "I'm allowed to swear after we all barely escape with our lives. Or—wait, have we escaped?" I look over my shoulder, concerned at the sirens getting closer. "We're in deep shi—trouble, aren't we?"
