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He pauses, his eyes never leaving mine. “In a way,” he says, “I didn’t either.”
That stops me in my tracks. I can’t imagine a man in thefamiglianot having a choice.
I’m about to ask him what he means when a series of sharp cracks ring out from inside the house, followed by screams.
Gunfire.
5
SERA
Pop.
Pop pop pop.
“Sera!”
Gunshots ringing in my ears, I whirl toward the mansion, gasping in horror as chaos erupts inside. Screams and shattering glass, followed by more shots. People emerge from the nearest exits, running for their lives.
My parents.Tina.My sister is in there. My throat closes around a scream.
“Sera!”
I kick off my heels and sprint toward the house. I’m barely halfway there when suddenly I’m off my feet. Bands of iron grab me around my chest and arms, and then I’m falling, my breath whooshing out of my lungs as I prepare to hit the grass.
But it’s not the grass that breaks my fall. Instead it’s a body. A hard, strong body. The possessor of the iron bands that are locked around me.
“Dammit, Sera,” he hisses, warm breath against my ear. “Are you insane?”
“My sister,” I wheeze, already struggling in his arms. “My parents! They’re all in there!”
“You go in there, you’ll be shot dead before you can get to any of them. Stay. Down!” Antony bites out, his grip locking more tightly around me as I try to thrash away from him.
“Let me go!” I whimper frantically. “I have to get — !”
“No!” Antony’s tone is final. I won’t get away from him without the fight of my life. I try to shift around in his arms, to get a clear shot of his groin, but he anticipates this move and rolls on top of me. Before I know it, I’m lying under him on my back. My arms are pinned over my head. His entire body covers me, as if he’s trying to be a human shield. The heat of him, the hardness of him, momentarily distracts me from my terror. His face is inches from mine, eyes wild as they search mine. His chest is heaving, jaw clenched in determination.
I’ve never been this close to a man before. In the danger, in the heat of this terrifying moment, I suddenly become wildly, acutely aware that our bodies are sewn together, seam to seam.
And that, pressed against me, is a prominent and growing erection.
For a split-second, I’m stunned. My lips part.
He has the decency to look away. He raises himself up just a little, rolls slightly away from me. And the sensation is gone.
“My father!” I whisper, terror-stricken. “Are they trying to kill my father? Is he dead? Oh my God…”
“Hey,” he says sharply. “We know nothing yet. Don’t panic, Sera. Keep it together.”
“How can I? My family might be bleeding out in there!” I start to panic, my breathing speeding up into shallow pants.
“Sera.” Antony’s coal eyes lock onto mine. His voice goes unexpectedly gentle, quiet. His expression softens. “I know you’re afraid. I understand. But you can’t go running in there crazy like this. You’ll be a target.”
“Help me, Antony,” I whimper, feeling completely out of control. “I have to get to my family.”
He says nothing for a second. The silence around us is deafening; the gunfire has stopped.
Antony glances at the house, and I see he has realized it, too.
