Page 124 of Whispers in the Dark
Lethal and venomous.
“Alina!” I hear for the first time escaping between Mauro’s lips right before chaos ensues.
Chapter thirty-two
Mauro
The beast within me takes over as fury ruthlessly routes through my veins. I narrow my sights on Kazimir, my legs striding with power across the open field.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spot a guard raising his gun, but before he has a chance to press down on the trigger, I raise mine and shoot, not needing to watch to know the bullet hit him in the head.
Another guard charges forward with his weapon drawn, but Alex beats me to it, hitting him directly between the eyes. His body slumps to the ground, his gun still clutched in his fingers.
Emil jumps out from the side of the SUV, but I shoot, causing him to cower behind the vehicle.
“Mauro,” Alina sobs.
My eyes lock on hers, and I see the fear coating her face as a fierce shiver rocks through her entire body.
Kazimir turns and, upon seeing me, grins. He holds out a hand, indicating for the guards to lower their weapons.
“If it isn’t the big bad Mauro Alarie come to save his bride.” He slowly claps his hands, taking a step in my direction. Blood dribbles down his wrist, droplets splattering on the cement ground. The crazy motherfucker is acting like a bullet didn’t just pierce the center of his palm. “I’m curious, though. What’s your plan? Because it seems to me, you’re outnumbered.”
As if to prove a point, Alex sends a bullet directly into the neck of the guard closest to Kazimir. He drops to the ground as he chokes on his own blood, gasping for air.
“Ah, so I see you’re not alone.” Kazimir appears impressed. “And I take it from the shot that would be your brother Alex hiding in those woods.” Keeping an eye on me, he reaches for the knife on Alina’s lap and pats her cheek, spreading blood over her flawless skin. “The grown-ups need to play now.” He grips the knife with force, running his thumb over the sharp edge. Fortunately for him, it looks like Alex hit his nondominant hand. “What do you say, Mauro? How about a little hand-to-hand combat?” He tucks the knife in his back pocket and raises both palms as if to show he means it. “No tricks. You win, you get to take her. But if I win, I do.” His malicious grin widens, and I see the terror in Alina’s eyes grow heavy. “Oh, and one other thing, we fight to the death.”
To the death.
I stare at him, wishing I could shoot him right in his beating cold heart.
But he’s right, Alex and I are outnumbered, and if I shoot him, it most likely means leaving Alina in the hands of monsters.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Emil asks, hesitantly stepping closer and not seeming too pleased at this notion.
“Something that should have been done a long time ago,” Kazimir responds, his eyes focused on me.
“You’re fucking crazy! You know that, right?” Emil shakes his head and turns toward the plane. Probably getting his big brother to put an end to this nonsense.
I keep my gun tightly in my clutch, weighing the odds against me. Rubbing my hand across my jaw, I discreetly eye his physique. He appears more built in his arms, probably spending too much time in the gym, forgetting about his legs, which I could use to my advantage.
But then I look at Alina.
I can’t play with her life in my hands.
Even if the odds of me beating this motherfucker are high.
Just as I’m about to shake my head, he tilts his chin in the direction of one of his guards, who steps toward the parked SUV and drags out Gregory. The poor man is unconscious, taped around his mouth, hands, and ankles. This man was loyal to my family for over half his life, and the sight of him like this leaves my trigger finger itching to pull back.
“Dad,” Alina cries out, panicking as she watches her father being dropped to the ground. Her eyes dart to Kazimir. “Please don’t hurt him. He doesn’t have any part in this. He doesn’t understand what’s going on!”
Kazimir stares down at her. “How naïve are you?”
She swallows hard, her brows cinching together.
“Your father is the reason we haven’t been able to get our hands on the land. It’s been under his authority this whole time until he could finally hand it over to you, per our dear whore of a mother’s request in her will.” His brow arches. “Who the fuck do you think had been keeping us from taking it over?”
Alina’s lips part as she looks over at Gregory, processing this information. “But he couldn’t…”
