Page 166 of Dark Romeo

She strode towards me. Despite the figures I knew must be hiding in the darkness, watching from their safe hiding places, I felt like she and I were alone.

“Jules?”

“Shut up,” she hissed. She grabbed my arm and spun me, digging her gun into my back. She pulled my gun from my hand and I let her. But she didn’t cuff me. “Move.”

She steered me towards the car. I squinted as we got closer to the harsh glare of the headlights. That must be Espinoza in the driver’s seat. Why wasn’t he getting out to help her? Where were the other police?

Julianna nudged me with her gun. “Get in the back.”

I stared around us. No other cops. No other cars. “Where are the other police?”

She cursed under her breath.

“Jesus Christ, Roman,” I heard a male voice mutter from the darkness, “do you ever just do what you’re told?” That voice, I knew that voice.

The figure stepped out of the driver’s seat. That wasn’t Espinoza. I squinted harder.

I blinked hard at him. “Merc? What are you doing here?”

“Saving your ungrateful ass.” Merc glanced around us nervously. “Now hurry up and get in the damn car.”

When had he started working for the police? Was he…undercover? Had he been hiding this from me all this time? But where are the other cops?

“What are you—?” I broke off when the realization slammed into me. Merc wasn’t working for the cops. This hadn’t been a police raid. Mercutio must have gone to Julianna, told her about the duel I had stupidly instigated and somehow convinced her to help him. They had concocted a plan to save me. She had stood in the line of fire for me. He had driven a car straight through the middle of the Veronesis for me.

My head spun. What if she had been hurt? Shot? Or killed because of me? What if the Veronesis had shot at Mercutio driving the car instead of fleeing? I would have never forgiven myself. I’d rather I’d died at Dante’s hand than have them risk their lives in such a reckless way.

I spun around towards Julianna, causing her to let go of my arm behind my back. I was so angry I wanted to smash my fist into a wall. She had risked her life saving mine. Why? Why would she come here?

“I never asked for your help,” I growled.

Her face fell but any guilt I might have felt was crushed under the tempest of my rage. They shot at her. Dante and his men fucking shot. At. Her.

They weren’t here for me to vent my murderous rage.

Mercutio. Mercutio had forced her to come. How? He must have blackmailed her. The idiot would do anything for me. Even taint his precious morals to save my unworthy ass.

“You,” I spun towards Mercutio, fists curled tightly, ready to take out my anger on him. “You brought her here.”

“Get in the car,” Julianna grabbed my arm, forcing my attention back to her. Her touch burned me right to my blackened soul. She slid her gun into her holster. “We can argue about this later.”

Later. Later would be the smart thing to do. But my anger was raging now. It needed a target. Like fast-flowing lava will cut a path down the side of the mountain, my rage would not be denied its path to hell.

I grabbed her shoulders, shaking her. She could have died. She could have been hurt, drummed through me like a war chant. “Why did you come?”

Her face cracked. She didn’t think I wanted her here. She didn’t think I was happy to see her. She didn’t know that it had been her face I wanted to see more than anything when I thought I was going to die.

She recklessly put herself into danger for me. She wasn’t supposed to risk her life for me. I was supposed to do that for her. What use was I otherwise?

She pushed at my arms, trying to unlock my grasp, but my hands just tightened on her. I was vaguely aware that I was holding on to her just a little too tightly. “Why the fuck did you come here?” I repeated.

“What the fuck do you think you were doing challenging Dante Veronesi to a duel?” Something between a sob and a cry tore out of her. “You could have been killed. What would that do to Nonna, to Mercutio, to me?”

“You?”

“Yes, asshole.” Her voice broke as she beat my chest with her fists. “To me.”

To her.

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