Page 160 of Dagger in the Sea

“And how do you know I won’t shoot you in the back right now?”

“You’re much smarter than that. That’s one of the reasons why I like you.” He turned and charged toward Adri, his gun tucked to his side.

I slid the safety and trained my weapon on the fucker holding Adri. She’d spotted Luca and stiffened. Her searching gaze found me with my gun aimed in her direction. She yelled out in Greek.

Good girl.

Startled, the guy struggling with Marko spotted Luca coming at him, and releasing Marko, stumbled forward, gun in hand.

“No!” Adri shouted, pulling and twisting in her distracted captor’s hold. Pivoting, she punched his throat. He staggered back on a howl, releasing her. The man with the gun jerked, facing Adri, arm raised, gun shaking.

I aimed.Crack.

He dropped in a heap, and Marko yelped. My weakened side shuddered with the force of the recoil and a dizzying rush flooded my veins.

Adriana rushed to her brother as the other man recovered from her punch, jacking up and lunging at her. Luca swiftly brought him down with a shot to the leg, his body rocking in a heap on the ground.

“Adri!” Luca darted toward Adriana and her brother, and I followed, holding my side.

Adriana scooped up the gun her brother’s kidnapper had dropped, and twisting around, aimed it at Luca. He jerked to a halt, raising his hands in the air. “Adri. It’s okay. It’s over.”

Her eyes were wild, glittering, feet rooted in the ground. No trace of fear, no shock. Only this ferocity. I tracked movement at her side. The guy Luca had shot in the leg moved, raised up, a gun in his hand.

“Ad—”

She pivoted, a flash of movement, and let loose a shot. The fuck flew back onto the ground howling. Her chest heaved as she lowered the gun. I darted to her, she remained stiff, her eyes on the fucker bleeding on the ground. I peeled the gun from her hand and held it out and Luca grabbed it.

“Kataraméne!”her voice seethed. Ancient curses howled in that one word. Luca kicked at the man she’d shot, and he grunted loudly in the dust.

“Listen,” I turned her around, cradling her face. “We don’t have much time,” I said, my voice firm. “Are you listening?”

“Yes,” she practically hissed. Her eyes leveled with mine. “Yes.”

“Luca—is the other one dead?” I said.

“Si,”he let out a heavy breath.“Lui è morto.”

“One dead kidnapper, and another one shot and bleeding,” I said.

“You are bleeding too—” Adri breathed. “Turo—” Her fierce eyes darted at Luca. “What happened, what—”

“It’s nothing, I’m fine.” My teeth scraped my lip, steadying myself. “The police would love a small victory in their ongoing battle with the anarchist underworld, and we should give it to them.”

“I’m sure they would be very grateful,” said Adri. “And Fokas needs a bite in the arse.”

“Yeah, he does,” I said. “This one’s alive, he can talk. I say we use him. We turn him in, blame him for shooting me, and the rest just as it happened.”

“Bene,”Luca agreed, wiping at his brow with the side of his hand.

“Adri? Do you understand? You were busy with Marko, but you saw him shoot me.” I pointed to the kidnapper who moaned on the ground, his leg bleeding, the other leg twisted.

“This is what you want?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

“Luca put your gun in his hand,” I said. “Take his so we can set this up for the police.”

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