Page 137 of Savage Enemy

‘I love you,’ I mouthed to her.

My last words to her.

I braced myself for the bullet’s impact, waiting for the pain or darkness or whatever the fuck dying brought with it.

The shot fired.

Blood covered my back, the side of my face.

The metallic scent of death filled the air.

I looked at my hands, still gripping my weapon.

The blood didn’t belong to me.

CHAPTER 28

VAL

My heartbeat stopped as Saul’s head exploded, time moving in slow motion as his body fell, and fell, and fell until finally thudding against the wooden floorboards behind Stefano.

Marco appeared then, standing less than thirty feet away, his gun raised, a small plume of smoke rising and dissipating, his hands still wrapped around the grip.

For a long moment, no one said anything. All gunfire and shouting in the front of the house stopped, the complete silence broken only by the ringing in my ears.

Nausea overwhelmed me. Bile filled my mouth.

Stefano turned his head to see who had taken out Saul while keeping his pistol aimed in my direction. He’d never lowered his arms once, refusing to miss any clear shot at Aris he might get.

Stefano jerked his chin forward, directing Marco to move, then he quickly locked on to my gaze again.

“Marco, lower your weapon and walk over to me slowly.”

My legs grew weak. The room spun around me.

Aris screamed, and the situation erupted into chaos.

“What the fuck did you do!”

He lurched forward, crashing against my backside, his hand dropping from my hair. His full attention shifted to Marco, so I took the only chance I might get.

‘Drop in three,’ Stefano mouthed, and I nodded.

One… two…

I jammed an elbow into Aris’s stomach and dropped to the floor at his feet, ducking my face between my legs, protecting my head with both arms.

Marco might’ve planned to kill Aris next—I didn’t know—but given the situation and Stefano’s position, my older brother wouldn’t have the chance. And I was glad for it. If not me, it should’ve been my son’s father who made sure Aris didn’t live through the night.

Stefano took the shot.

My ears rang louder.

Hot liquid rained down over me.

My twin’s blood.

His body crumpled onto the floor next to me.

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