Page 77 of Vow of Darkness
Aurora
Pain covers my body. Giovanni has cut me over and over again. Just small, light cuts. Enough to scar but not enough to cause serious damage. I’ve bled but not enough to die. It’s torture plain and simple.
He’s cut over my stomach and arms. My legs. Purposely avoiding any major arteries.
With the rag in my mouth, I still can’t scream. It’s been at least a day. It has to be. Giovanni left me alone for a while. I assumed it was because he had to go to bed.
But now he’s back with another knife in his hand and a determined expression on his face. “Do you know what I did to your husband’s family?” he asks in my ear, making me shiver. “I shot his father in the head. He was a nuisance to me. He was in my way. I wanted to be on top and Gabriel’s father was already there. I killed his pregnant mom just for fun. And now I’ll kill his wife for revenge for Gabriel trying to kill me. He duped me. I don’t know if you know that? I didn’t know who he was when he came into my life years later. The fucker played me for a fool and that cannot stand. You will die because of him.”
Giovanni raises his knife high. I close my eyes. This is it. I’ll never get to see my dad again. I’ll never get to see Gabriel again. I’ll never get the chance to fight for the ones I love.
I accepted my fate with Gabriel and I will accept my fate now. There’s no other choice. No more deals to be made.
But as soon as I accept my fate, I hear a loudboomfrom upstairs. Giovanni frowns and lowers his knife by his side. I breathe out in relief.
“What the fuck is that?” he snarls at his guard in the room with us. The sound of gunshots is loud in the air. Piercing. It hurts my ears.
Loud footsteps descend on the stairs and before I know it, a large group of men enter the room. Gabriel is at the front. Behind him is Leo and Rocco and other men I’ve never seen before.
Leo shoots Giovanni’s guard in the head without even blinking.
Gabriel stalks right over to Giovanni and punches him in the face. Giovanni falls to his knees.
“I hesitated to kill you last time,” Gabriel rasps out, pointing his gun at Giovanni’s head. “I won’t hesitate this time.”
“Aren’t you going to give me any last words?” Giovanni taunts.
“Not after you kidnapped my wife. Not after you killed my entire family. I was reckless a few weeks ago. You got under my skin. I attacked before I was ready. But I’m ready now.I have my team of men behind me. We killed all of your guards. I killed Ginevra. I killed anyone working for you. And now it’s time for you to die.”
“Please, Gabriel. Don’t do this. I helped raise you. I helped you become the man you are today. Don’t do this.”
“You took everything from me. I won’t let you take my wife. The one good thing I have in this world. She taught me to fight for the people you love and I’m doing exactly that. I could be a better man and let you go. Let my revenge go. But you would just keep coming back like a fucking cockroach. So you have to die, Giovanni. It’s the only way I can find peace.”
An ugly sneer crosses his face. “You’re pathetic.”
“And you’re going to die.” Gabriel calmly shoots Giovanni in the head. I gasp.
Gabriel turns to me and all the anger in his eyes evaporates and is replaced only by softness. “Aurora?” He unties me from the table and takes the rag out of my mouth. I don’t hesitate to throw my arms around him and hold on tight.
After a beat, Gabriel holds me back, just as tightly. It dawns on me that he’s showing vulnerability in front of all of his men but he’s doing it… for me.
Gabriel tightens his arms around me, silently telling me that he’ll never let me go. And for once, I’m glad for that.
Chapter Nineteen
G
abriel
Ipace around the hospital waiting room. Aurora was taken in to get stitches for some of her cuts. She told me to wait out here as she didn’t want me to see her hurt.
We both knew it would only make me more angry. Even though Giovanni is dead, I still can’t fully let my anger go. He hurt my wife and I can’t make him suffer for it because I killed him too fast. If I could go back in time, I’d torture him for days so he knew what the pain he caused me felt like.
But he had to die and Aurora is safe for that, which I’m grateful. It just pisses me off that I couldn’t protect her. That I couldn’t prevent her from getting cut. Fortunately, the cuts not that deep. Giovanni had been toying with her for the day I was out for my surgery. My chest still fucking hurts from where I was shot but I’m powering through. For Aurora’s sake.
Leo and Rocco approach me – Rocco with wariness in his eyes and Leo with pure anger.
“I’m glad that fucker is dead,” Leo snarls. “For all that he did to you. But I’m still pissed.”
