Page 138 of I Will Revel in Glory (Death by Daybreak MC 3)
She’s good though.
Better than Gaz, that’s for sure.
Giulia manages to keep the gun, and then shoves at me with both hands; I’m forced to either let her pin me to the back door or maneuver around her. Doesn’t give me a chance to grab my own gun, but I sidestep her and then reach back, grabbing at her face and shoving the back of her head hard against the door.
I yank the Magnum from my clutch and toss the purse aside, but Giulia is already in the process of aiming at me with her own gun. I am not about to get shot again, so I turn to run the short distance down the hall, slipping in the blood at the last minute and going down hard.
It’s a fortunate mistake as Giulia’s first shot flies right over my head, and I scramble around the corner toward the kitchen. The guys should be storming through that back door at any moment. Doesn’t matter if it’s locked. They’ll find a way in.
I only need to buy time.
I burst into the kitchen covered in blood, thankful that it’s still under construction and empty of employees. We don’t need any rando bystanders caught in the crossfire.
Giulia follows me inside. Whether because she suspected that I’d go in the opposite direction or because she’s a maniac, I don’t know. All I know is that she’s firing her gun at me, and I’m diving behind one of the steel counters like a kid in Jurassic Park, scrambling around the corner of the counter as I hear footsteps.
“You cunt,” she hisses, her breath panting and frantic. Maybe she actually loved Cosimo Balotelli? Who knows? I don’t particularly care. I hope she did. I hope his death hits her like a freight train to the chest the way Queenie’s death did me. “I should’ve given you to my men to play with and then jammed the heel of my stiletto into your eye socket.”
Creative.
I give her props for that even as I aim my own weapon around one of the counters. Unfortunately, I don’t see her anywhere.
“We’re on our way, Gidge. Hold tight.” It’s Crown. I think he’s been talking to me for several minutes now, but the buzz of the adrenaline chased away his words. I feel strength surge through me at the sound of his voice, and then I’m crawling in the opposite direction on all fours to peer around that end of the counter.
Nothing.
I still my breathing as best as I can and wait, listening for any possible sound. Footsteps. Panting breaths. Clinking silverware.
I start to wonder if Giulia hasn’t left the room already.
There’s a prickle on the back of my neck. A gunshot goes off as I throw myself instinctually around the corner. The bullet buries itself into the wall two feet from where I was crouching. I stand up then slide over the counter on my belly, looking down to see if I can’t see her.
Damn it.
I drop back down and put my back to the counter, listening for movement.
Figures the don’s wife would be a badass.
Fuck.
All I can hear is my heart beating, and the chatter from the other side of my earpiece.
From the sound of it, the boys have run into trouble on their way in from the woods.
Shit, shit, double, triple shit.
I shove up to my feet and start to run, weaving through the convoluted shape of the kitchen and hoping that Giulia is having as much trouble getting a clear shot on me as I am her. Also, thank fuck that I wore flats instead of heels. Trust me, this outfit would’ve looked a million times hotter with a pair of black stilettos, but I would’ve had to kick them off already in order to haul ass.
Giulia surprises me by knocking into me just as I reach the swinging doors, and we both go down hard, scrambling at one another for a chance to fire off an easy shot. She pulls the trigger on me, and a bullet buries itself into the floor.
She’s got a silencer on her weapon, but it’s still loud, and I’m having trouble hearing Crown’s voice as he yells at me. The heel of my hand comes up, slamming into Giulia’s face as she tries to fire another shot.
Another miss.
I end up dropping the Magnum so that I can grab both of Giulia’s wrists, shoving the aim of her own weapon away from my face. She resists, her teeth gritted, angry tears streaming down her face but failing to smear any of that careful liner or mascara she’s wearing. Must be pretty expensive stuff. Even the blood of her lover hasn’t managed to wash any of it away.
Because I’m club, because I’m just a dirty animal, I allow Giulia to lower her hands just enough that I can lift my head up and bite down on her wrist hard enough to draw blood. She lets out a violent exhale in place of a scream, but I’ve disrupted her grip enough that she drops her own gun.
