Page 98 of Don't Let Go

The blonde pushed away from Paolo and ran back into the house. Paolo’s laugh boomed louder. He waved a hand at me like he was doing a magic trick. “You don’t have the balls.”

“You don’t think so? After everything you’ve done? I was able to swallow my pride and turn the other cheek. You couldn’t help yourself, could you?”

He snarled, taking a step closer. “What was that, bitch?”

I pulled back the hammer, and he froze in place. “I broke up with you after smashing a wine bottle against your worthless skull. Tyler stole your team and you got yourself kicked off. I know you were gunning for us, and you hit Lizzy instead!”

Tyler and Chloe were on my tail. “Don’t do this!” Chloe screamed.

“Please, Rory. Lizzy wouldn’t want this,” Tyler said, stopping a few feet from me.

“Don’t you get it?” I whipped my head around to look at Tyler and pointed my gun at Paolo’s chest. “Paolo has something to do with your parents’ deaths! I know you had a hand in it.”

Paolo shoved his hands into his front pockets and shrugged his shoulders. “For the record, I was aiming at you, bitch. Hitting Lizzy was a bonus.”

I closed the distance between us, shoving the gun into Paolo’s chest. “What about Tyler’s parents?”

Paolo spat on the ground and leaned his head close to mine. “What would I know? Maybe a little birdie asked someone to smoke them. Maybe no one did.” He gave Tyler a wink.

“What are you talking about?” Tyler shouted.

Paolo rolled his eyes. “You never saw the police report?” He chuckled, leaning into the barrel of my gun. “Maybe you should take a look or ask your new girlfriend here.”

“Bastard,” I spat.

“Tyler, no!” Chloe screamed.

I glanced over my shoulder to see Chloe grabbing Tyler’s arm as he tried to tackle Paolo. A warm hand covered mine, trying to pry the gun away. I was coiled into Paolo’s chest as we wrestled for the gun. My finger was still on the trigger. As he tried to bend my wrist to point the barrel at my face, the gun went off, deafening me.

Someone gasped and fell to the ground. Both Paolo and I looked to see Vincenzo lying in a pool of blood with a bullet wound in his neck.

“You whore!” Paolo seethed. His eyes were black as night.

I grabbed the gun and jumped to my feet. Chloe came to my side, pulling me away. “People are coming outside. We need to go now!”

I licked my lips and used my second hand to steady the gun. “A life for a life,” I said, squeezing the trigger.

“No!” Tyler screamed, hitting my arm and messing up my shot. Instead of hitting Paolo in the chest, I shot him in the knee.

Paolo kneeled in pain, pressing his hands on the wound blooming with blood. Spit flew from his mouth as he cursed. “Bitch, I will kill you slowly. You wait.”

I lifted the gun again. “No. I don’t think so.”

Tyler lowered my hand. “Rory, don’t—”

“You need to go!” Chloe stole my keys and handed them to Tyler. “Get her out of here. I will deal with the crowd and find a way to spin this.”

Tyler took the keys and then my arm. All I could do was watch as scarlet poured onto the cobblestone driveway. I allowed Tyler to tow me away and shove me into the passenger’s side of the car. Tyler ran around and started the Charger before flooring it toward the gate. The guards leaped out of the way as Tyler rammed the gate, causing my front bummer to fall off.

“My God, Aurora. Where was your head at?” he said, yanking on his hair.

I looked at my hands, they were trembling, and I still held the gun. I clicked on the safety and dropped it to the floorboard.

The ringing of the gun echoed in my ears. Tyler was talking, but I couldn’t hear him.

Vincenzo was dead, and Paolo was still alive. I wasn’t able to avenge Lizzy. I failed her once again.

I hung my head and muttered, “Now what?”

---