Page 87 of Broken Princess

Aurora gasps and cries out, “What the fuck do you want, Max?”

This grabs his attention, and he pushes me back into the hold of his men.

“What do I want? What do I want?” He wanders around the room with a façade of nonchalance, twirling his dagger playfully. He looks as dangerous as he does maniacal.

“You know, honestly, there’s not a lot I’m wanting for right now. My wife is back from the dead, I just got one hell of a promotion, and my biggest problem is about to be executed. As days go, this is a pretty fucking good one. It literally couldn’t have worked out better if I planned it. All thanks to the monumental fuck-up that is you, my dear Enzo. I might as well have brought you in on this from the start. Fast-tracked every one of my plans, although you have halved my forces by kicking off a fucking civil war.”

With my arms held tightly behind my back, I cannot stop the right hook that batters my already fragile jaw.

“You were working with Manny against your father,” I spit out.

“Of course I was. Admittedly, we hadn’t planned on ousting Daddy dearest quite so soon, but as soon as Mateo made a move against him and he starting fucking about with my plans for the future, the timeline had to be adjusted. Honestly, I never actually planned on killing the old cunt.”

He walks over to Aurora and runs his hand down her face, between her breasts, and grips her hip violently. “But the minute he ordered your death, he sealed his fate. I never should have followed that order. I thought you were a necessary sacrifice in our master plan, but I was wrong. No one compares to you, principessa. They are all weak imitations, and I’m never letting you go again.”

I see the fear in her eyes, and I lurch forward only to be wrangled to the floor and held down.

“You’re a sick and depraved fuck, Max,” she growls, but he smiles back at her, eyes glazed appearing almost lost to his frantic glee at having her back. His joy fills me with dread.

I have to find some way to get her out of here. Fuck knows if there’s anyone left to help us. I don’t know if Sinclair and his team have left with Nico. My team’s dead. Benny’s is downstairs waiting on my signal to torch the place and I have no fucking clue how many others Manny took out before he got to me.

Fuck.

“You killed Isa,” she grinds out before spitting in his face and I hold my breath as she taunts the monster. I feel like my heart has been carved out. The monster I’ve hunted for years. The man who stole everything from my brother is the same monster who wants to take her from me—from us. He can’t have her.

With a depraved laugh that grates down my spine, “Finally figure that out, did you? My-my, that will only make this so much more fun going forward. How does it feel knowing you survived what that weak mongrel-fucking-whore couldn’t? She deserved everything she got for fucking that Moretti half-breed.” Max grabs Aurora by the throat. “I will punish you for betraying me. For seeking salvation with these worthless fucking half-breeds.”

He nods, and on his command, they level a barrage of kicks and punches at me before bringing me back up to my knees. Two men hold me as the others maintain a continuous assault, fists landing hard on my torso, kicks catching me across my back, making my kidneys howl in protest. After a few minutes, the first rib buckles. That’s when I let out the first cry, unable to hold back any longer. I lose track of time, trying desperately to maintain focus so that I can find any opportunity to get Aurora to safety.

I only realise the extent of my injuries when Aurora’s screams start to drown out sounds of the punches.

“Stop, please, stop!” Her terrified cries wrench me back into my body, and I wish they didn’t. There is only agony, and it cuts me to the bone as I know I won’t be able to help her. Max will kill me, and she’ll be condemned to a living-hell with him.

Blood swells in my mouth. I can’t swallow it quickly enough and it overflows from my lip, cascading down my chin and splashing on the floor below. It’s absorbed into the rug and obscures the intricate pattern.

As my eyes lose focus, the carpets motif fading in my vision, I hear gunfire and it snaps my gaze to the door.

I’m shoved to the floor as all the bodies behind me seek cover behind the sofa and high-back chairs. From the corner of my eye, I track Max and he drags Aurora with him behind a desk in the corner.

It’s chaos.

It takes every ounce of strength left in me to haul myself across the floor towards the desk. I can’t seek cover, but I look up and spot Stefano with a large team of men distracting them and drawing their fire. I realise this is my chance. I nod in Stefano’s direction and stand, turning and throwing myself over the desk at Max.

Every muscle in my body feels like it’s screaming in protest, but I have no choice but to continue. Landing on him, I reach straight for the gun but turn to Aurora, now thrown free of his grip as he scrambles to defend himself. I scream the only thing I can, hoping she does as I ask.

“Run.”

She reaches for the gun, trying to help me, but Max sees and tries to aim at her. My strength is fading fast. I need her safe. I need her gone. It doesn’t fucking matter what happens to me. I lurch to the side, forcing her out of our way.

“I said run! Fucking run, mia guerrierotta.” It’s a desperate roar, and I see the moment she understands. Her face pales and her brow furrows, sorrow etched into every anguished crease of her.

She is my little warrior, and I will sacrifice myself for her a thousand times over if it means she escapes Max De Luca.

Tears streak her face. She tips her chin in a nod and hauls herself over the desk, running for the door. Stefano’s men all start shooting, covering her escape, as she hurtles towards them and bursts out of the room and into their protection.

The sense of relief overwhelms me, and all my strength evaporates. Max finally overpowers me, pistol whipping and rolling me off him then leaving me in a heap on the ground. I try to pick myself up, but my limbs refuse to obey me.

In a last desperate attempt to help her, I scream over the din, “Get her the fuck out of here!”

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