Page 17 of The Queen's Vow (Ruthless Games 2)

EIGHT

SEBASTIEN

The unmistakable soundof a gunshot rang out and in the split second I lurched around, I watched Rebecca’s body slump to the ground.

“Becca!” I yelled, running that way at top speed.

Vale had his gun drawn on a man standing there. The guy’s hands dangled at his sides still holding his weapon while Gil dropped to the grass to check on Becca.

Giancarlo pounded the asphalt two steps behind me. and Anthony, the maniac, sprinted past me like he was a doped-up Russian athlete.

“You bastard!” Anthony screamed, rushing the gunman. Pulling his knife, he pushed Vale out of the way.

“No!” Giancarlo tackled him. “We need him alive. Don’t kill him!”

My stomach turned over, seeing Rebecca’s face covered in blood.

Pointing my Beretta, I said to the gunman, “Who sent you, motherfucker? I’m going to kill you. It’s best to meet your maker with a clear conscious.”

Vale got to his feet and stood shoulder to shoulder with me, his weapon aimed at the guy’s head. “Say the word, Daria. I got the kill shot.”

The man stood there with a blank face, and he was completely unremarkable. Nothing distinctive about him at all. The perfect hitman. I couldn’t even describe this prick.

“Becca!” Giancarlo yelled. “Come on, baby. I need you to open your eyes.”

A loud bang from the cars speeding away shattered my nerves, I was so wound up. Just a damn car backfiring, but it sounded like another gunman lurked nearby. Vale looked away, even pointed his gun in that direction, fearing an ambush.

The gunman brought up his gun up to finish Becca off like he was a robot.

Cursing, I unloaded my magazine into him. He got off one shot that hit the tree behind me. “Fuck!” I screamed. I didn’t want the fucker dead, not until he’d told us who’d hired him. But I had no choice. I had to shoot him.

“Damn it,” Vale yelled. “I should have just taken the shot. Why am I listening to you?”

Maybe because I was worried about Becca and not thinking straight. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I paced with the gun still warm in my hand. I wanted to be there with Becca in the grass, but wouldn’t touch her with all this rage humming in my nerves.

Anthony didn’t have a problem turning off his fury. “Angel, sit up.” He propped her up against him.

“Your forehead is just cut, Becca.” Giancarlo tended to her, using a handkerchief to wipe the blood. “Just a nick. The bullet didn’t hit you. So what—”

“Here.” Vale walked over with a sharp hunk of granite covered in blood splatter.

I looked down. The headstone next to Giovanni’s grave marker was missing a piece in the corner from the gunman’s frighteningly close, but thankfully missed shot at Becca.

“Does she need stitches?” Anthony asked Gian.

“No.” Gian looked around. “Did all the cars leave?”

“Yeah,” Gil said, holding his gun, scanning the perimeter. “I don’t think the others saw anything.”

Crouching down to grip Becca’s hand, I said, “Hey, honey.”

“Um, we got a problem,” Gian said dryly.

“You think?” I watched Becca try to focus, her jaw tipped open to breathe, but not much else from shock and she was still bleeding.

“Besides a very bloody, but fairly minor headwound.” Gian grabbed me and spun me around.

“Oh, fuck.” I stared at two groundskeepers huddled behind a statue a few gravesites down. “Anthony.” I nudged my head that way.

With Gil helping Becca to stand, Anthony looked that way. “Oh...shit.”

“Give me that.” Giancarlo grabbed my Beretta. We were all operating on visceral adrenaline. Gian may very well kill these guys.

“Gian, stop,” I called out to him.

“I got this.” He stormed up to the groundskeepers. “Up. Both of you. Hands in the air. I’m not gonna shoot you.”

The men stood, but one kept a shovel in his hand.

“Drop it, man. Seriously. You won’t even come close to swinging it.”

The man gripped it, but threw it to the ground.

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