Page 28 of Final Reckoning

We’re not holding hands anymore, but we’re pressed close together. Jade’s got her back to one of the counters. The warmth of Bree’s body is somehow comforting, even through my fear.

A noise comes from the front of the bakery and Santiago’s head swings that way. While he’s distracted, something slides under my top and into the back of my jeans. Cool metal meets my skin.

The gun.

Since all three of us know how to handle one, my sisters and I agreed to keep a gun under the counter, where only we knew about it. Jade must have slipped it out and passed it to Bree, who’s given it to me.

Unlike my twin, I was never fond of shooting, but I was a diligent student because Dad demanded it. At the moment, I’ll take any backup I can get.

Suddenly, Santiago leaps over to me and jams his gun against my head. The next instant, Matteo materializes from the shadows at the back of the kitchen.

I guess a man in Santiago’s line of work can’t last long without good survival instincts, but fuck. Couldn’t he have been half a second slower on the uptake?

Even with my life in imminent danger, my heart beats faster at the sight of Matteo. He’s cut his hair. It makes him look less like a biker and more like a cop ... which is probably the point.

His eyes come to me and they’re flat, expressionless, assessing cop eyes. But they linger on me a moment too long, and a muscle moves in his jaw before he looks away.

“Drop the gun,” Santiago demands.

“Not sure that’s a good idea,” Matteo says casually, as if he’s discussing which beer would go best with his pizza.

“I’ll blow her brains out!”

“But then I’ll blow your brains out, and all your fun will be over. Is that really what you want?” Santiago doesn’t answer. “Let the girls go. Your quarrel’s with me.”

“It’s with all of you,” he snaps.

“The girls have done nothing to you, not intentionally. I have.”

“Why?” Santiago says, and if he weren’t such a monster I could almost feel pity at the plaintive note in his voice. “Why have you betrayed me?”

I’ve never seen anyone communicate a shrug without actually moving his body before, but somehow Matteo pulls it off. “It was my job.”

Santiago’s rage is a physical force against my skin. “I’ll flay her to pieces while you watch.”

“Careful,” Matteo says, still in his languid, good-ol’-boy voice. “You scare those girls too much, and all three of them are gonna make like a bad soufflé.”

“What?” Santiago says.

“Right about now,” Matteo says, and I fall, dropping straight down but twisting to the side at the last moment to keep clear of my sisters, so I can get to the gun. Before I land, the crack of multiple gunshots rends the air, deafening me.

Matteo’s body crumples to the floor.

I aim my gun as Santiago points his at me.

We fire at the same time.

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