Page 72 of Desire and Revenge

Suddenly, Sebastian’s hand wraps around my throat and he begins to choke the life out of me. I struggle against his hold, clawing at his hands.

“Nero,” I try to whisper.I love you.

From the corner of my eye, I see Sebastian raise his gun and aim it straight at the bleeding man.

God please, God please. I’d give anything. Anything at all. Nero can’t die. Not here, not now.

“It’s over, Castello.” His voice is full of delight.

From across the way, I see Nero’s dark gaze drop down to the center of my chest, I follow his eyes down to where there’s a red dot on the center of my chest that’s slowly crawling up.

I look back at him and see his mouth curl up into a small smile.

Just then, a bullet wheezes past me.

CHAPTER 23

Nero

Everything seems to be happening in slow motion, from the moment Sebastian pointed the gun at Sofia to those three words echoing in my mind.

I love her.

I’ve never felt so terrified, so utterly helpless, as when she looked at me, tears streaming down her face, blood drying on her skin.

It felt like the end. The end of whatever this is—this fragile, thrilling, confusing thing between Sofia and me. All I could do was pray for her, hoping he would at least grant her a quick death. One pull of the trigger, and she wouldn’t even feel it.

Then that red dot appeared.

The gunshot that rends through the air throws the entire dock into chaos.

Sebastian lets out a bloodcurdling scream as the bullet blasts the gun from his hands, his fingers flying off in a rain of blood. One of the soldiers near me spins around in confusion, and I seize his gun in one swift motion.

I manage to take out one before the sniper downs the rest. Ahead of me and in the middle of everything stands Sofia, as beautiful as ever, blood stained, and pale as a ghost.

“Sofia!” I shout, my voice hoarse, and her eyes finally meet mine. But she doesn’t move.

Shit, she’s in shock.

“You bastard! You just don’t die, do you?” Sebastian roars, reaching for another gun on the ground with his uninjured hand.

His eyes are wild and furious, and I realize at that moment that he plans on not missing this time around. He plans on going for my heart, and we both know who holds it. The green-eyed woman standing right beside him.

I aim at him and pull the trigger, but all I hear is a hollow click. The gun’s empty.

“Sebastian, no!” I’m sprinting toward them as fast as my battered body allows. “Sofia, Sofia!”

She turns as he gets closer, his twisted smile growing as he lifts the gun in his trembling left hand. Even with his bad aim, from that distance, he can’t miss.

“Catch, Castello!” Amato, who has been watching this deadly drama unfold, calls out. He tosses a gun in my direction just as I launch myself at Sofia.

Sebastian fires.

I slam into Sofia, crashing into her with brutal force, and at the last second, I twist, taking the full impact of the fall.

“Ugh,” I grunt, the rough ground tearing at my shoulders and elbows, but none of it matters. None of it, because she’s safe.

I raise my hand and aim straight at Sebastian.

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