Page 63 of Make You Mine

Gunshots ring out from outside my window. Causing Junior’s attention to be pulled away, giving me the distraction I need. Shifting ever so slightly, my hand reaches for the fabric scissors on top of my desk. I then swing the sharp blade behind me, plunging it deep into his arm. His grip loosens on me as he hisses in pain. He stumbles back a step, allowing me to slide out from under him.

I dive for my bag, desperately searching for the pistol. My hand brushes against the smooth metal and wraps around it. I stand and aim at Junior. The weight of the gun feels familiar to me. My father and Micah would let me tag along to the gun range when I was younger. I guess they knew it would be naive to believe I would never have to shoot one in my lifetime. But I’ve never killed a man. I remember Micah telling me that every death creates a mark on your soul, and after a while, nothing can alleviate the stain they leave behind.

I steady my arm with new resolve. I’d take the darkest of souls before I let this monster touch me or anyone I love again.

Junior’s maniacal laugh sounds in the room as he raises his gun at me. “To think I’ll be collecting two more Castrovinci deaths before the day is through.”

Clamoring footsteps come from the stairs, and I pray it’s Luca coming to help me. Otherwise, I’ll have to deal with Junior’s men barging in on me murdering their boss. Too determined to care, my finger tightens around the trigger, and two shots ring out from the barrel of my gun, hitting Junior directly in his chest.

The shock in his expression is one I will live with for the rest of my life. He thought I was powerless, and with two shiny bullets, I’ve taken that power back. Trembling with adrenaline, I watch as his body crumples to the floor, his eyes still wide and staring at me in disbelief.

The pooling of Junior’s blood around his crumpled body is the last thing I see before the door is pushed open, and a sharp pain in my skull causes my world to go black.

Trent

There is no way to articulate the fear squeezing the breath from my lungs during the ride over to Santini’s compound.

“We are wasting precious fucking time,” I growl as we cautiously walk several blocks from where Leo dropped us off at. Thankfully, the Soldati, loyal to Micah and Nico, is guarding the gate and should be able to let us in.

I hate that we can’t just bust through the entrance. The voice in my head is constantly telling me to think logically. Even ifthat’s the last thing I want to do, I know one wrong move could put Ashley in danger. It’s taking all my restraint to not lose my shit.

Nico’s commanding voice breaks through the air. “Trent, we can’t go in there, guns blazing. That will get us nowhere and could likely get your girl killed.”

What if she’s already dead?

I suppress that debilitating thought. We were so reckless. The image of what he could be doing to her for punishment keeps flashing in my mind, making it even harder to keep my cool.

It becomes painfully obvious why Tony isn’t answering the phone when we approach the gate and find him lifeless on the ground, his gun beside him. I want to feel empathic, knowing it cost him his life, but all I can think of is what this means for Ashley.

The only ray of hope is that the gate is open and seemingly broken. My brother snatches the gun off the ground, checking the mag for ammo, but it looks like he emptied it during whatever went down.

I immediately take off up the concrete hill toward the mansion. Behind me, I hear Nico on the phone presumably updating Leo. “Bring the car up. The gate is clear for now.” There’s a brief pause before he continues. “Bishop and his crew should be here any minute. Debrief him and proceed with caution.”

The first thing I notice is the wide-open front door, but that’s not what paralyzes my movements.

Blood. So much blood.

It looks like a body was dragged through the front dooronto the concrete, then it stops suddenly. Most likely being moved into a vehicle.

Frantically, my pulse pounding in my ears, I pull my gun and run into the front door. Not giving a fuck about anything else at this point. The house is eerily quiet.

“Ashley… Ashley… Ash!” I scream, sprinting up the stairs, following the blood trail.

I completely lose it when it ends inside the open door to her sewing room. Dropping to my knees in her empty space, her signature scent and the smell of blood mix in the air makes my stomach heave with unease.

“Ashley, baby…answer me.” I don’t even know I’m crying until I hear my own voice break. I beg and plead for her to appear. My brother is at my side, trying to reassure me, but I think I’m in shock. My body doesn’t feel like it's in the room. His words sound distant, even though he is right beside me.

Slowly, I pick my hands up, looking at the bloodstain. My stomach wretches again at the sight. Pain lashes through me like nothing I’ve ever felt before.

Micah’s loud voice breaks through my sound barrier. “How the fuck did they disappear so quickly? And where the hell is Luca?” Disbelief and panic lace his tone.

“We wasted too much time being cautious,” I whisper. Anger and sadness war within me to the point it feels like I can’t breathe.

“This doesn’t make sense. She has to be alive. They wouldn’t have taken the body if not,” Nico says.

A sliver of hope floods into my veins at his words.Why would he take her if she wasn’t alive?

“Boss, you got a call, and you’re going to want to take this,” Leo shouts to Nico from somewhere behind me.

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