Page 151 of When She Tempts (The Fallen)
I lift my gun and point it at his head.
His eyes meet mine.
“Gio—”
The gunshot echoes through the air.
CHAPTER38
MARTINA
We holdour vigil in the living room.
I’m bundled up under a blanket on the couch, while Vale sits straight-backed on a chair, her eyes glued to the dark screen of the phone lying on the coffee table.
“There should be news soon,” she says as if to reassure herself.
“Dem will call you when it’s done.”
She sucks in her lips and shakes her head. “I should have gone with him.”
“You know he’d never have let you.”
“I’m just so stressed out. It feels like it’s been days since they left, not hours.”
I know exactly how she feels. Anxiety prickles beneath my skin as I worry about Giorgio. The moment Vale told me they left, some of my anger melted away.
Temporarily, remember?
Yeah, that’s what I’ve been telling myself. He’ll be on the hook again if he returns in one piece, but for now, I don’t have enough space left in my heart for anger. It’s filled with an anxious ache that won’t ease until they’re back.
I pat the spot on the couch beside me. “Come here.”
Vale glances over at me. “I can’t. I have too much nervous energy. I’m going to walk around.” She takes the phone with her and heads outside.
I’m tempted to follow her, but I decide not to in case she wants a moment to herself. Glancing around the room, I exhale a heavy breath. Then I reach behind the pillow and pull out the remaining two letters.
My mind goes to the place I’ve been trying to avoid.
What if Giorgio gets hurt? What if he dies?
An unimaginable sorrow permeates my chest. Flashes of our last encounter on the patio stream through my memory, this time colored in an even harsher light.
We weren’t good to each other that night.
It feels like a terrible end to something that was beautiful at one point.
He was my first kiss, my first love.
Was or is?
Even despite what happened, I can’t lie to myself.
I want to see him again.
I take one of the envelopes and tear it open.
Dear Martina,
