Page 70 of The Don's Soulmate

"She’s not his wife,” Ettore roars, standing to defend me, his own gun now pointed at the head guard. “And everything about this concerns her.”

"Or what? You'll kill us all?" the man taunts, his laughter echoing through the forest.

"Trust me," Ettore growls, his eyes never leaving the man's face, "you don't want to find out."

Chapter 32

Ettore

I feel Carlotta's warm breath on the back of my neck, her body fighting to come by my side but I have one arm outstretched, shielding her, and the other with the gun pointed straight ahead.

The three guards before us have their own guns pointed at me, their eyes hard and merciless. I must protect her at all costs, and that means acting before backup arrives.

I don't hesitate, squeezing the trigger and dropping the middle guard with a clean headshot. I hear Carlotta scream, a loud, piercing sound. The others freeze in momentary shock, guns wavering, as they both jerk to stare at the man in the middle, now dead. My opportunity. I lash out with a sweeping roadhouse kick, knocking the pistol from one guard's grip. As he stumbles back, I pivot into a reverse spin, my heel spinning towards the other guard, landing a reverse spin kick square in his chest. Hisbody slams against a nearby tree, knocking him unconscious. He crumples without a sound.

Only one left standing now. The remaining guard gathers his wits, raising his gun with shaking hands. I rush him before he can fire, grabbing his wrist and twisting violently. He cries out, falling to his knees, the weapon falling uselessly away and I kick it far away.

I look back to see if Carlotta’s alright. She’s standing there frozen like a deer in the headlights, ashen white.

Her eyes flicker to something behind me. I turn, to see the guard standing now. He lunges at me, his eyes filled with rage.

"Come on, bastardo," I taunt, inviting him to make the first move. He takes the bait, throwing a wild punch in my direction. I duck, letting his fist sail past me before countering with a sharp jab to his midsection. He doubles over, gasping for air, but recovers quickly and retaliates with a powerful kick aimed at my head.

I narrowly dodge the blow, feeling the wind from his strike ruffle my hair.

"Give up," I laugh, landing another well-placed punch to his jaw. "You're outmatched."

"Never!" he spits, blood trickling down his chin. The two of us continue our brutal dance, fists flying, sweat dripping. But withevery blow I land, I can feel his strength waning, his desperation growing.

In the heat of battle, a desperate scream pierces the air - Carlotta's voice. I whip my head around to find her being dragged away by two more guards, a look of desperate fright on her face as her eyes scream at me to help. The sight fills me with an unparalleled fury, to see their dirty, wretched hands on her writhing, struggling body and I know that I need her by my side.

I can’t be ripped away from her.

"Carlotta!" I shout, channeling all my rage into one final strike. My fist connects with the guard's temple, and he crumples to the ground, unconscious.

"Let her go!" I roar, my vision tunneling as I barrel towards the men holding Carlotta. Her eyes meet mine; her hands fight to stretch out towards me. And suddenly, a memory gushes back. From before earth was as it is. We are whole, and my body is contorted in ways unnatural, my bones screeching as they rip from one another, my heart shattering into two and I feel that death would be a mercy and suddenly, I am not whole. There’s a ‘we’, something a called a woman and she is me, reaching out with her arms to be reunited, but a flash of lightening, and she’s gone. I’ve been looking for her, and now, these men threaten to take her away from me?

My soulmate.

The fire inside me blazes hotter, knowing that she is my everything.

"We’re taking her to Ugo!" One of the guards snarls, tightening his grip on Carlotta's arm.

"Touch her again, and I'll break your fingers," I threaten, advancing on them like a predator stalking its prey.

"Try it!" The other guard taunts, yanking Carlotta closer to him.

With a guttural growl, I surge forward and grab the first guard's wrist, twisting it until I hear the satisfying crack of bones breaking. His anguished scream is music to my ears as I release him, leaving him writhing on the forest floor. I bend down, grab his gun. The second guard hesitates, his eyes darting between me and the injured man.

“For touching her,” I say in a voice so cold, the forest must feel it. And then,bang.

He’s dead, the soil fused with his blood.

But there's no time to savor this small victory. Carlotta trembles beside me, her breathing ragged from fear. My heart clenches at the sight of her distress.

"Are you okay?" I ask, reaching out to gently brush her hair back from her face, before taking her into my arms.

"Y-yes," she stammers, clinging to my chest, tears dripping down her eyes. "I was so scared, Ettore. I thought they’d take me to him."

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