Page 82 of Merciless King

“Will you take your lover’s gun and kill him?” Gabriel asks.

Piper’s eyes close tight.

“It won’t come to that,” I tell them both. I decide to go with a different tactic. "Listen to me, Gabriel. No one needs to get hurt here. Just put the knife down and we can talk about this like civilized men."

Gabriel lets out a harsh bark of laughter. "Civilized? That's rich coming from you, D'Amato. You and your fucking cousin barged into my home with guns and threats, and you expect me to be civilized?"

I grit my teeth, biting back the urge to tell him exactly what I think of his version of civilized behavior. But I need to keep him talking, need to buy more time.

"You're right." I force the words out through clenched teeth. "We shouldn't have come in here like this. But we were just trying to protect Piper and Elysse."

Gabriel's face twists into an ugly sneer. "They're not yours to protect. They're mine. My wife, my kid. And if you don't want to see just how far I'm willing to go to keep them, you'd better get the fuck out of my house right now."

I exchange a quick glance with Matteo, seeing the same helpless frustration in his eyes that I'm feeling. We're backed into a corner here.

“How about I lower my gun and you lower the knife?”

“How about you leave?”

I nod. “Sure. I’ll leave, but you need to lower the knife. Let Elysse go. Then I’ll be gone.” I wait a moment, then slowly, carefully, lower my gun, holding my other hand up in a gesture of surrender. "I'm putting my gun down. Now how about you lower that knife and we can end this peacefully?"

Gabriel's grip on the knife loosens slightly, the blade shifting away from Elysse's throat.

Elysse cries out, driving her heel back into Gabriel's groin. Gabriel howls in pain, releasing Elysse as he doubles over, covering his dick.

Elysse drops to the floor. Matteo is there in an instant, reaching her for her. But again, Gabriel lunges, grabbing her arm, wrenching her back toward him even as he's still doubled over in pain.

"You little brat," he snarls as he raises the knife. "You're going to pay for that." The knife flashes in the light as Gabriel raises it over Elysse, murder in his eyes. Terror fills me.

Piper screams in horror, the sound tearing through me like a physical blow. My heart stops in my chest as I realize I'm about to watch my daughter die right in front of me.

A gunshot suddenly echoes through the house, the sound deafening in the enclosed space. Another two follow. Time stops. Have I just lost everything?

31

PIPER

Aloud bang echoes through the house. I’m paralyzed with fear and confusion. We’re all looking around, even Gabriel. The two more shots ring, and Gabriel drops to the floor.

My ears are ringing from the sound. I can’t wrap my brain around what’s happening, but all I can think about is my daughter. I whip my head around, searching for her frantically.

I spot Elysse clinging to Matteo, her arms wrapped tightly around his waist as she buries her face against his stomach. He cradles her head protectively, shielding her eyes from the grisly sight of Gabriel's body.

I rush over to them, desperate to hold my daughter and know she's safe. I reach for her as two other men enter the house. They must be Elio’s men. I don’t care who they are or that they’ve killed Gabriel. Elysse is all that matters. Elysse and Elio.

I look for him. His eyes are on me and Elysse as he talks to one of the men while the other checks Gabriel.

It’s then I notice he has a police uniform on. He’s taking his mic and talking into it. "Dispatch, we have a hostage situation with shots fired. One suspect down. Need medical on scene ASAP."

The cop's gaze falls to Gabriel's lifeless body and the growing pool of blood surrounding his head. He approaches, leaning down to check for a pulse.

After a moment, he shakes his head and speaks into the radio again. "Suspect is deceased. Cancel medical."

I'm still reeling from the shock of everything that's happened when I feel strong arms wrap around me from behind. I tense for a split second before Elio's familiar scent envelops me and I relax into his embrace.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Elio's deep voice is laced with concern as he turns me to face him, his eyes scanning my body for any sign of injury.

I shake my head, my voice trembling as I respond. "No, I'm okay.”

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