Page 6 of Ruthless Vow

“Sabina,” Leo says, his tone one of command. “You will stay calm. You will let this happen. And you and Damian will live.”

For a villain, he sounds like a goddamned hero. Like Captain America, if he were the filthy rich boss of a Mafia syndicate.

His words twist my heart. He’s willing to do anything to save his sister, his brother, even die. We have that in common.

Sofia.

I will do what I have to do in order to keep her safe.

I take the pistol one of the men holds out to me. The fingers of my right hand wrap firmly around the handle, my index finger resting alongside the trigger guard. My left hand wraps around my right, my thumbs stacked atop each other. I set my feet shoulder-width apart, my left foot slightly forward, my knees slightly bent as I anticipate the recoil of the shot.

I’ve trained for this moment. I’ve practiced this shot hundreds of times in hundreds of different ways. With a shotgun. With a pistol. Even one of my aunt’s preferred moves, where she taught me to aim and shoot without ever even pulling the pistol from the pocket of my coat. She made sure I was trained for all eventualities.

Leo holds my gaze, his chin lifted. His jaw tense.

There is challenge in his eyes. A flicker of… I don’t know. His expression is something I can’t read.

He doesn’t flinch. He doesn’t look away. He doesn’t even blink.

“Do it,” he snarls.

The moment spins into eternity. His obsidian eyes are all I see.

My pulse pounds, too fast, too loud. My mouth is dry, my breathing rapid and shallow.

A lifetime of my father’s cruelty spins through my thoughts. A lifetime of my aunt’s disgust and disappointment.

Horror. Confusion. Guilt.

I’m flooded by a thousand emotions.

But one certainty claws its way forward.

I don’t want to do this. No matter his crimes, I don’t want to murder Leo Russo in front of the siblings who love him.

I don’t want to murder Leo Russo at all.

I can’t do this. Not even to save Sofia’s life.

With an anguished yell, I drop my arm.

I have failed. My father, my aunt, they were right about me. Always right. I am worthless.

Leo surges to his feet.

The blond gunman aims and shoots.

I stumble back with a cry as Leo’s body jerks and he spins off the edge of the swim platform, falling into the waves.

“We need to go!” the blond yells, grabbing my arm and dragging me to the waiting boat.

Sabina screams her brother’s name.

The dull thud of fists hitting flesh. Another gunshot. Yelling. The boat’s engine as we speed away.

The sounds are distant, muted by a cloud of terror.

I failed.

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