Page 20 of Condemned By Pain
They still for a heartbeat. The man I drenched in coffee steps closer. I pull the trigger.
At the same moment, a knock pounds against the door.
The shot misses. Recoil hits me. I’ve never practiced shooting, I just know how to pull a trigger. And with that one shot, they know it too.
He lunges, and I fire again. This time the bullet slices past his ear. He stops.
The others draw their guns and point them at me.
“Drop the gun,” one of them orders.
I don’t look at anyone else. My eyes stay locked on the man in front of me.
Blood roars in my ears. Black dots blur my vision, but I refuse to blink.
I take a step back—and the door crashes to the floor with a deafening thud.
Salvario
“Where is she?” I ask Silla as she sets down my breakfast.
“I sent her to take coffee to the guards. She hasn’t come back,” she replies evenly.
I frown. “When?”
She pauses. “Ten minutes ago.”
I’m out of my chair instantly, sprinting from the dining room.
There’s only one reason she would take this long.
I reach the guards’ lounge and knock on the door. At the same moment, a gunshot explodes from inside. I knock again, shove against it. Another shot rings out.
I step back and kick. The hinges give, and the door crashes down.
Inside, she stands four feet from Paolo, gun aimed at his head. Every other man has his weapon trained on her.
“What’s happening here?” I roar.
She turns to me. Her face drenched in panic and fear, tears streaking down her cheeks.
Rage surges through me, scorching my veins.
She doesn’t wait another second. She runs out of the room.
I draw my gun and step inside. They lower their weapons. I walk to the couch and sit.
Antonio enters, Luca and Dante behind him.
I look at each guard.
“What happened here?”
My gaze settles on Paolo.
He drops his head. “We were doing what you ordered, but she retaliated, and it led to this.”
My frown deepens, jaw ticking relentlessly.
