Page 74 of Little Rabbit

Then, just as he’s about to grab me, he’s gone. I shake my head to try and clear it, and my heart stops when I realize he’s on the ground, Gia over him as she fights him. He bucks her off and sends her flying, getting to his feet. No! I shake my head and stagger to my feet. No, he’ll kill her. I can see it on his face.

“I should have fucking killed you all those years ago, you worthless whore,” he gasps as he stalks toward Gia, who is scrambling back and into the bushes. “You are the very reason why there should be no women to taint our bloodline. You’re stupid. You’re worthless. And you whore yourself out at the first opportunity.”

“You’re the one who’s worthless, Lorenzo,” Gia gasps as she stares at him. “You never could do anything without your father’s approval, never having a thought of your own. You thought that by beating me, you were so much better. But all you did was prove you are no better than the rest. You’ll never be a Don, and you know it. You don’t have the brains or the connections. Face it, Lorenzo, you might be a De Luca, but you’re a worthless one.”

I want to scream at her to shut up, to stop taunting him, but I also realize she’s keeping his attention off me, and I’m getting closer. Just a few more feet.

“Shut the fuck up, cunt,” Lorenzo roars, incensed, as his voice echoes around us. He reaches her and goes to grab her, but I launch myself at him. Gia ducks and dodges as I send us falling into the bushes, my arm coming around his neck and squeezing tight, even as he screams from the thorns scraping along his face.

“Gia, run!” I scream at her desperately when I see that she’s trying to get close again.

“No! I’m done running.” Then she launches herself at Lorenzo, and we all fall to the ground. I manage, barely, to keep my grip on his neck, choking him as Gia punches him in the face. Any other time, I would laugh, but right now, I’m too focused on making sure this bastard passes the fuck out.

A shot splits the air and Gia screams, rolling, and I realize that Rafaele has gotten ahold of my gun and reloaded it. Shit. “Run, Gia!” I yell at her. She does, even as Rafaele continues to fire. I don’t hear her scream, so I have to pray that means he hasn’t hit her. But then I realize he’s not chasing her, as Lorenzo finally goes limp.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Lorenzo is heavy, his weight pinning me down. Rafaele comes to stand over me his gun aimed at my head. “This whole fucking thing is turning out to be more trouble than I need to concern myself with. So I’ll settle for killing you and leaving Caruso in shambles.”

I stare down the barrel of the gun, my mind desperately trying to figure out how I can dodge the bullet that’s about to come out of it, but I know that there is nothing I can do. Lorenzo is too heavy, and even if I manage to avoid the first, I won’t avoid the second.

“Alessio will kill you for this. And I’ll see you in hell and make you pay for any of the pain you gave him.”

His laugh is glacial. “You went and fell for a man that will never love you back, whore. Caruso might want to kill me, but he won’t succeed, and even if he does, I’ll know I took you away from him. And if I’m wrong and he loves you back, well, that will be just extra special, won’t it? I’d give you last words, but that’s an idiotic Hollywood concept, and I’m tired of hearing your worthless mouth.”

I brace, accepting my fate.

Suddenly, a vicious snarl fills the air, distracting him, and I could sob with relief as I buck Lorenzo off me with every ounce of strength I have left. From one of the pathways, I watch a black blur come running, amber eyes glowing in the light, and white teeth stained red. Rafaele whirls, firing at Hades, but mercifully the bullet goes wide, and I launch myself at Rafaele before he can try again. I knock him to the ground, staggering as I try to keep myself from falling with him, and Hades is on him.

Hades latches on to the arm with the gun, his massive jaws crunching down. Rafaele’s screams rent the air, and I’ve never heard anything sweeter. He drops the gun and I quickly pick it up, my entire body shaking. Rafaele’s other arm is useless, and no matter how much he twists, he can’t get the dog off. “Hades,” I gasp, “Out!”

Hades doesn’t let go right away. Instead, he savagely jerks on the arm, tossing his head both ways, and I’m sure that I hear bones snap before he finally releases his prize, teeth dripping with blood as he snarls into Rafaele’s face. Rafaele’s terror is satisfying, and that memory will be one that I’ll treasure for the rest of my life. “Good boy, Hades,” I rasp. “Good boy.”

The click of a safety behind me has me rounding, just in time to see a now conscious Lorenzo holding a gun of his own up and aiming it at us. Or rather, at Hades. I don’t think, I just squeeze the trigger, and I watch as Lorenzo falls. His gun goes off, but the shot goes so wide that it doesn’t hit us. My cousin stares unseeing at the sky from the bullet that I put in the middle of his forehead. I’ll never know if I aimed for there, or if it was pure luck, but either way, I’m okay with it.

“Sienna!” I turn slowly and see Alessio emerging from the path at a full run, Rori behind him. There’s no sign of Sofia or Nico, so I have to hope that they found Gia. Alessio’s face is thunderous, and he doesn’t stop until he’s reached me, pulling me into him. Rori quickly takes the gun from me before turning to Hades, who is still keeping Rafaele on the ground.

“Move, and I tell him to go for your throat,” Rori threatens the Don.

Any other time, I’d laugh, but instead, I cling to Alessio, my entire body shaking with relief. “I have you, coniglietto,” Alessio assures me, scooping me up into his arms, one hand coming up into my hair and the other wrapping around me tight when I tangle my legs around him and bury my face in his neck. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,” he chants as he holds me.

I’m too in shock to cry, but emotion grips me and I can’t reply. I just hold on to him as tightly as I can, trying to catch my breath. He continues to murmur in my ear, but I don’t pay any attention, too relieved he’s alive, and that I’m alive. God, I’ve never felt so relieved before.

Finally, I manage to pull my face away from his neck, and desperately take his mouth. I need him. Need the connection. Need him to ground me. He kisses me back, seeming to know what I need, until he finally pulls away and murmurs, “You’re safe now, cuore mia. You’re safe. I have you.”

“Gia?” I gasp out.

“Nico found her, she’s safe too. Sofia is with them.” I slump against him in relief. Thank God.

“I hate to break this up,” Rori says drily, “but we need to decide what we’re going to do with this asshole.”

Alessio turns, and his gaze goes cold as he looks down at the still prone Rafaele. Then he looks back at me. “I’m going to set you down now, but we’ll pick this up once I’ve dealt with this.” Then he sets me gently on my feet, and nods at Rori, who calls Hades to her. Hades moves to her, but he still lets out a warning growl. I step back, my entire body buzzing with relief that this is over. I also purposely don’t look at the body lying only feet away from me. I’ll process that later.

Alessio moves to crouch over Rafaele, and even from here I can see the smile on his face is sharp, anticipatory even. “You know, Rafaele, it’s a shame you had to grow up to be such a cunt. Do you remember when we were kids and we used to challenge each other at all kinds of different competitions? Do you remember how I beat you at all of them? And then you vowed you would beat me and take everything from me when we were adults? Yet, here you are, a failure once again; this time, bested by my woman and her friend. Because no matter how hard you try, you will never succeed, and today, your failure finally caught up with you. It’s a shame your father isn’t going to have a body to bury.” He pulls his gun.

“Fuck you, Alessio,” Rafaele grits out. “You’d risk a war over a useless whore?”

“I’d risk everything for the only woman that matters to me in this world,” Alessio replies darkly. “But there won’t be a war. You see, your father knows what a worthless piece of shit you are, and he can die in peace knowing you aren’t destroying the legacy he created. I am going to marry that woman, and I’m going to enjoy you watching me from hell, seeing your failure every day for the rest of eternity.” He reaches out and grips the knife still in his shoulder, twisting it. Rafaele’s face turns ashen, and a scream of agony is pulled from him. Then Alessio stands up, aims his gun, and says, “I told Sienna that any man who touched her would die, and I’d kill them with a smile on my face. You dared to hurt her, to stalk her. To make her fear for her own life.” He fires a bullet, straight into Rafaele’s groin. The sound that Rafaele makes is almost inhuman. Then he fires a shot into his gut. “I’m going to kill you, but it’s going to be slow and painful. For every second that you made her fear, you’re going to feel that pain tenfold. I’ll see you in hell, Parisi.” Then he fires one more bullet into his throat and steps back.

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