Page 32 of The Bodyguard's Vow

Trying to reason with a man like Douglas was pointless—that was why Opal had no choice but to fake her own death to get away from him. But if I could buy myself even one additional minute, it might be enough for Domenico to save me. “I won’t be any good to you if I’m dead.”

“Killing you sends just about the same message to your brother as taking you.” He twisted his wrist, using a sideways gun grip that should only ever be seen in the movies because it was too flashy. Which wasn’t too much of a surprise since the man chose the same gun that Clint Eastwood used in the movies mypapàused to watch when I was little—a Smith & Wesson Model 29. “And I worked too damn hard to get to you just to walk away without making sure he pays for stealing Opal from me.”

I wished I could depend on the reduced accuracy of his gun’s sights not being aligned, but I wasn’t willing to bet my life on him missing his shot. Or that the added recoil from hisstupid hold on the gun would prevent him from getting another one off if he did miss. I couldn’t make any reckless moves. Complimenting him seemed like the safest bet. “Rafa definitely underestimated you. He thought sending me to this safe house would keep me out of reach.”

Douglas’s chest puffed out. “I brought more than enough men to keep your guard distracted while I put my time on a heist crew to good use. That part of my past is buried deep since I was never arrested for any of our jobs, so nobody knows to watch out for the skills I picked up back then. Like getting through the most complicated of security systems if I’m given enough time…which my men did.”

It was a bad sign that he was sharing secrets with me. It meant that he didn’t intend for me to have the opportunity to spill them to anyone else. Luckily, my patience paid off when I spotted Domenico’s shadow creeping up behind Douglas. Determined to keep the creep’s attention on me, I murmured, “I’d much rather not die anytime soon. I have too much to live for.”

“Then get up and leave with me. Right now,” Douglas demanded.

Domenico pointed his gun at him and growled, “That’s not going to happen.”

Most people would have lowered their gun at Domenico’s demand. His tone promised death, and his grip on his Beretta didn’t waver. But Douglas wasn’t a rational man. He kept his pistol pointed at me while twisting his neck the slightest bit so that he could glare at Domenico.

“She’s coming with me,” he insisted.

“Over my dead body,” Domenico snarled.

Douglas shifted his gaze back to me. “No, over hers.”

“If you so much as harm a hair on her head, I will make your death a slow and torturous one,” Domenico threatened. “Inthe end, you’ll be begging for mercy. Something I don’t possess. Making it that much easier to do it all over again just to ensure you’ve paid for your mistake.” Domenico shrugged carelessly. “Or because I just like the idea of your pain. Either way, you’ll suffer long and hard.”

I wasn’t sure if I was horrified or turned on by the emotionless, deadly man protecting me, who so easily tossed around the idea of torturing and killing someone. Maybe it was because I’d been raised as a part of The Family, but any dismay had been railroaded by desire as I’d watched my man work. Seeing him in his element, a deadly, fiercely loyal, sexy-as-hell Mafia enforcer…it was doing all the right things to my body at the completely wrong time.

Douglas moved the gun slightly lower before raising it again as though he was trying to decide the best place to shoot me. “You’re not in charge here. I am.”

My sexy thoughts dissipated when I saw Douglas’s hand shaking and felt the absolute evil that seemed to ooze from his every pore.

Domenico’s plan was apparently the opposite of mine while I was waiting for him because he had no problem making reckless moves—like taunting Douglas. “You’re not in charge of shit when there’s a zero percent chance of you getting out of here alive.”

I never doubted Domenico would protect me, but fear for his life suddenly crept in.

Douglas sneered. “At least I’ll go down knowing I took Rafa’s sister out with me.”

Domenico’s nostrils flared, and I knew he was holding back what he wanted to say—that I was more than just Rafa’s sister…I was Domenico’s woman. But that information would probably only make Douglas more likely to pull the trigger, so he stuck with the same kind of goading. “With your stupid-as-fuck gripon that gun, you probably couldn’t hit the side of a barn while standing a measly five yards away.”

“Or I could just fucking shoot you between the eyes right now. That would shut you the hell up.”

While Douglas’s gun shifted between us, Domenico moved quickly, stepping in front of me so that I was blocked from the line of fire.

“Move!” Douglas screamed. “Or I’ll drop both of you out with one bullet.”

Under most circumstances, I would think his threat ridiculous, except his gun was famously dubbed "the most powerful handgun in the world” by Dirty Harry for a reason.

“Take your best shot,” Domenico snarled.

I was horrified by the suggestion because although I was wearing a bulletproof vest, he hadn’t put one on. Time seemed to move in slow motion as Douglas pulled the trigger, the bullet piercing through Domenico and exiting through his back. It slammed into my vest, knocking the wind out of me as we crashed to the floor.

As I struggled to take a breath, panic gripped me because I couldn’t get to Domenico. I was only vaguely aware of my brother and several of his men storming into the room to take Douglas down. My vision was focused entirely on Domenico, who had rolled onto his back and was clutching the bullet wound beneath his rib cage, blood already pooling beneath his body.

I crawled closer to him and pressed my hands over his, hoping to staunch some of the bleeding. “Hang on, Mico. I can’t lose you.”

“Not…going…anywhere,” he struggled to whisper.

“You better not.” I sniffled. “I love you too much. I won’t let you go.”

There was a brief flare of triumph in his eyes before they drifted shut and he lost consciousness. Strong arms dragged me away from Domenico as I screamed.

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