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Her mother gasps, looking scandalized by her daughter’s words.
What did she expect?
She can barely be called a mother the way she treats Eva. It’s a fucking disgrace.
I clear my throat. “If you shoot me, you will have to deal with a catastrophic fallout.”
Jamie’s eyes narrow. “If you don’t give me back my daughter, I will have no choice.” He takes a step forward, making me tense. “You have a lot of power, Oak, but so do I.”
Archer walks through the door at that moment, startling Jamie and Angela, as he points the gun at him instead of me.
“What the fuck is going on here?”
He holds his hands up when he notices Jamie aiming the gun at him.
His distraction couldn’t have come at a better time as I lunge forward and snatch the gun right out of Jamie’s hand. The impact forces him to the floor as I point the gun right in his face. “Don’t fucking move,” I growl.
A gun cocks behind me, and I freeze, glancing over my shoulder.
Angela Carmichael is holding a tiny gun and pointing it at my back. “Put the gun down, Oak,” she orders.
I shake my head. “We’re at an impasse. I can shoot your husband in the face and not miss. The question is, will your shot kill me?”
Eva gasps. “No, Oak, don’t stoop to their level.”
I hate that she’s right. My father may have forced me to murder at a young age, but I have done nothing like that since I left Italy. I back up to see her better. If I pull the trigger, then I’m no better than her parents.
“Angela, put down your gun, and I will put down this one.” I signal to the gun.
“Mom, do as he says,” Eva pushes, which only seems to enrage her mother.
“You worthless little brat.” She slaps Eva across the face with her free hand, setting my blood on fire.
“Don’t touch my wife,” I growl, glaring at her. “Do you want me to shoot your husband?”
Eva backs away from her mother, hatred sparking in her eyes. “You are a pathetic excuse for a mother,” she murmurs.
Angela glares at her. “You are the worst daughter I could have asked for.” She points her finger at her. “I wish you had died in place of your brother.”
Eva’s face twists in anguish. She may hate her parents, but they can still hurt her, still twist the knife in her gut. Tears form in her eyes.
“Angela, I said put the gun down,” I repeat, keeping my voice calm. “Let’s talk about this like grown adults.”
“Grown adults!” she shrieks, clearly hysterical. “You are thirty-two years old, and you just married an eighteen-year-old.” Her eyes narrow. “You’re a sick fucking pervert who needs to be stopped in his tracks.”
“Shut up, mother,” Eva snarls, stepping toward her. “Put the gun down and stop being a fucking bitch.”
“How dare you speak to me like that?” She turns and aims the gun at Eva instead of me, making me see red. “I brought you into this fucking world, so I’ll be damned if I can’t take you out of it.” Her finger hovers over the trigger, the entire gun shaking in her hand.
“Angela, don’t be so foolish,” Jamie says, genuine fear in his eyes.
I can spot a loose cannon from a mile away, and Angela has it in her to kill her daughter, I’m sure of it. Before she has a chance, I rush for her, drawing her attention back to me. “I’ll die before you shoot my wife,” I growl.
A gunshot echoes as she pulls the trigger, aiming it back at me. Pain tears through my left shoulder as I fall to the floor in agony.
Two rounds go off a moment later, but I don’t know who shot them.
“Oak,” Eva calls, rushing to my side.
