Page 64 of Falling for the Enemy

That’s all he takes, me fighting him tooth and nail, before my blurred gaze lands on two men. My bull, who just slammed a switchblade into an Italian’s chest, and a man who has yet to see me.

Tucked within the shadows and mostly concealed by darkness, the latter’s only discernible features are his towering height, muscular build, and gleaming, cinnamon-colored eyes.

I recognize him immediately.

Heart leaping into my throat, sudden relief bursts behind my sternum, and without thinking, I call out for the kingpin who started as my enemy but has inexplicably—and quickly— become something much more.

“Alejandro!”

My alarmed voice echoes off the concrete as more of La Famiglia’s soldiers, none of which I accounted for, spill into the warehouse from the back hallways and from behind closed doors.

Casper’s gaze snaps to mine.

Despite the dire situation we find ourselves in, an emotion I can’t read floods his eyes. If I didn’t know better, I’d think it’s hurt that swims in his stormy blue depths.

Such feelings may be the last thing I expect from him, but I understand his pain. Especially since it's the first time I've chosen another protector over him. Call it a hunch if you wish, but I have a feeling it won’t be the last.

Not with Alejandro in my life.

The kingpin turns, his stare finding me as he steps from the darkness, his breathtaking face coming into full view. Briefly, I wonder what he’s doing here, along with how he knew where to find me.

But I find I care little about the particulars.

With death reaching for me, its greedy hands seeking to drag me to the depths of Hell long before I’m ready, he’s my dark knight, the merciless villain that I know with every shred of my blackened soul will risk his life to save mine.

Just as I will risk mine to save his.

There’s no use in hiding behind faux hatred, veiled threats, or errant promises of retribution any longer. Not when my bloodthirsty demons and avenging angels alike scream for me to wake up and realize that Alejandro has the potential to become the very thing Capone pretended to be but never truly was.

Mine.

“Krasavchik!” I scream at him. “Kill—”

Vincent stumbles backward, his hold on me disappearing when a bullet slams into his shoulder, cutting through his flesh and splicing bone.

“Manzana, get down!”

I don’t get the chance to obey.

Not before a second explosion occurs, this time to my right, stunning me. A repeat of minutes before, my hearing dulls, and my vision falters. With my world tilting on its axis, I drop to my knees, upper body swaying with every pulse of my erratic heart.

I fight to hold on, but I’m too weak.

Nevertheless, even as darkness rushes forward, ready to sweep me into unconsciousness, one of the few places I fear, I glimpse a man running headlong for me.

With haste, his exaggerated strides quickly eat up the diminishing space that exists between us, separating my demons from the ones he bears, their match no longer deniable.

Smiling at the sight, I take a shallow breath.

It’s my last before the blackness takes me.

EIGHTEEN

Alejandro

I have a crucial decision to make.

With Stefano and three of his men having just disappeared through an open side door, seemingly unnoticed by anyone but me, I can either chase after the cabrón, interrupting his retreat and halting his escape, or I can finish saving Manzana.

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