Page 73 of Forsaken Promises

“Dom!” Sofia cries out, her eyes wide with fear as she tries to make a run toward me, but Luca grabs her around the waist and pulls her back.

The thought of Luca touching her, forcing himself on her, using her as a pawn in this fucked up game… it’s enough to make my vision turn red. Enough to make the beast inside me break free with a roar of pure, unadulterated fury.

I don’t even remember drawing my gun, don’t remember taking aim, don’t remember pulling the trigger over and over again.

All I know is I have to get to Sofia.

“Let her go, Luca!” I cry out as I charge toward Sofia and him.

As my gun blazes and my heart pounds with fury, I realize that the chapel is far from empty. Luca’s men pour out from every shadowed corner and hidden alcove, their weapons drawn.

But I don’t care. I don’t hesitate, don’t falter for even a second. Because all that matters is getting to Sofia, to save her from this fucking psycho.

I move like a force of nature that can’t be stopped. My body is a weapon, honed by years of training and hardened by the realities of the world I was born into.

I duck and weave through the hail of gunfire, my reflexes sharp and my instincts razor-keen. I take down Luca’s men easily, leaving a trail of broken bodies in my wake.

From the corner of my eye, I see my own men fanning out through the chapel, engaging Luca’s soldiers in a fierce and bloody battle. The air is thick with gunfire and the coppery tang of blood, the sounds of grunts and screams and shattering bone echoing off the vaulted ceilings.

But I don’t allow myself to get distracted, don’t allow the chaos and the battle to pull me away from what matters most. And that’s Sofia.

“Help me, Dom!” she screams.

Whirling around, I catch a glimpse of her, her white dress a siren’s call. Luca has his arm around her waist, dragging her toward a side door that no doubt leads to some hidden escape route.

But I’ll be damned if I let him slip away with Sofia.

I let out a roar of pure, unadulterated rage, the sound tearing from my throat. I surge forward, my blood singing with the thrill of the hunt.

I easily plow through Luca's men, my fists and feet and elbows striking with a savage, relentless fury. I feel bones shatter beneath my hands, feel the warm, sticky splash of blood on my skin.

But I don’t care. I don’t feel the pain of the blows that land on my own body, don’t register the sting of the bullets that graze my skin. All I feel is the all-consuming need to get to Sofia and bring her back to me.

One of Luca’s men suddenly appears in front of me, a hulking brute of a man with rippling muscles and cold, dead eyes.

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” I snarl. “Get the fuck out of my way.”

The man smiles viciously. “You’re going to die.”

I scoff. “Unlikely.”

He lunges at me with a speed that belies his size, his fists swinging. I duck, feeling the wind pass by my hair from the force of his punch.

“Is that all you got?” I taunt, smirking as the man bellows his fury.

We trade blows, our bodies moving in a brutal, bloody dance of death. I lash out, my fist making connection with his nose. I feel the crunch of bone beneath my knuckles. The man howls and rears back before he punches me as well. A gush of blood rains down my face as an explosion of pain nearly takes me down.

But I don’t let the pain slow me, don’t let the sting of this fucker’s punches deter me from my goal. Because every second I waste on this asshole is another second that Luca has to slip away with Sofia.

And that is not acceptable.

I can see her struggling against Luca’s grip, her bound hands clawing at his face and her legs kicking at him desperately.

“Sofia!” I cry out, trying to press forward to get to her.

But this fucker won’t let me pass. He comes at me with a renewed fury, his fists up.

I take a blow to the ribs that steals the breath from my lungs, another to the jaw that snaps my head back and sets my ears ringing. But I refuse to let it stop me. Fuck the pain or the dizziness. It means nothing to the pain of knowing Sofia could be taken away from me forever.

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