Page 63 of Ruthless Truths

Our enemies don’t seem to be as well-trained, but they’re relentless. They continue to advance, their numbers seemingly endless even after the last dozen I’ve shot down since pushing forward. I grit my teeth, refusing to falter as Olivia’s face flashes in my mind, fueling my determination.

Jaxon joins me, standing by my side when I wish he’d stayed behind the wall, but I can’t be angry with his choice as we start to finally pull ahead, thinning their ranks with finally no new intruders joining them.

With only four men left to take down, I switch my mag one last time and pull the trigger just a few more times. But as I want to celebrate, pain sears through my right thigh, causing me to stumble forward, losing my footing.

“Fuck,” I snarl, trying to get back up, but Jaxon warns me to stay down as he takes down two more men on his own.

One quick glance down at my leg tells me all I need to know: I’m completely fucked if another wave of men comes through here.

Blood seeps through my pants, dripping onto the already tattered floor. Jaxon has his shirt off before I can think what to do next and is securing it around the wound.

“That needs to stay tight,” he warns. “If the bullet hit your femoral artery, having your house broken into is going to be the least of your worries before long.”

I fucking wish he was wrong, but I know he’s not. We’ve lost plenty of other men thanks to hits just like this one. If I have any intention of getting back to Olivia, I have to be smart with my next moves.

The pounding of more footsteps sounds behind us, and I twist with my gun pointed outward. Jaxon steps in front of me, doing the same, but it’s Markus who comes around the corner, allowing me to breathe a little easier.

“Shit,” he says, surveying the damages. “You two had the worst of it and the least help.”

“Are they all dead?” I ask, not caring about anything else. If we’re no longer under attack, I can release Olivia from the room and confirm she’s okay.

Markus nods. “As far as I can tell. We lost at least half a dozen of our men with even more injured. How do we want to start the clean up and get everyone help?” He eyes my arm and leg closer. “Especially you.”

I don’t have time for this. At least I don’t want to.

“Find Damon and follow whatever he says,” I reply, then reach for Jaxon who carefully helps me stand on my one good leg. “Get me to the elevator.”

I can tell Jaxon wants to argue and that Markus would prefer for me to get to a doctor first, but I’m not going anywhere else without Olivia.

28

OLIVIA

My knee can’t stop bouncing, and I’m certain my heart is about to burst right out of my chest. Sitting here, staring at the door, and then glancing at my phone every minute is bound to be the death of me.

I’m supposed to be safe in the apartment, but that doesn’t mean I can’t hear all the gunfire below or that I’m not losing my fucking mind, having no clue if Luca and his men are winning or losing in whatever battle is happening just underneath me.

I want to call him or even Justine, but I’m afraid the moment I use my phone and allow myself to be distracted is the one that someone will break through that steel door, ready to kill me.

Minutes tick painfully by, and my palm grows sweaty from holding the borrowed pistol, but I don’t release it. Not even when it begins to feel too heavy in my hands.

Today will not be my last day on this Earth. I’ll make fucking sure of that. My panic might be rising with the passing time, but so does my resolve.

This world, it’s utterly fucked up, but I’ve only just found it, and after the last couple of days with Luca, I’m no longer prepared to let it go. I fully intend to fight for what I want, and I don’t plan on losing.

Too much has already been taken from me. I refuse to let there be more. First, I lost my relationship with my father when he left, disappearing to wherever, then my teenage years from having to grow up so fast, and most recently my mother.

No longer will I be helpless. I can’t accept that as my fate. Not when I know I deserve so much more.

Maybe not a life filled with murder and lingering threats, but maybe it doesn’t always have to be this way. I won’t know unless I stick around.

Luca has managed to build Monroe Investments, something that seems to be more than successful. He couldn’t have done that if he was always on the hunt. At least, I hope not.

My fingers drum over my thigh as I try to relax for a second against the couch cushions, but the adrenaline caused by all the gunfire below won’t allow that to happen.

Just when I consider closing my eyes in an attempt at centering myself, I hear the beep of numbers being pushed on the door.

Panic begins to claw its way up my throat, but then I remind myself that Luca wouldn’t have given that code to anyone who couldn’t be trusted. Anyone else would be trying to break it down, hopefully getting electrocuted in the process.

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