Page 74 of Matteo

He moved in fast, attacking me with everything he had landing blow after blow and slamming me into the walls. The drywall cracked as soon as my back connected with it.

My teeth rattled in my skull as my head bounced against the wall behind me. Before I knew it, he had me in a chokehold.

He whispered into my ear, growling. “This is the part where you beg for your life or cry for your mother.”

His hold was tight as hell and I clawed at the arm around my neck, desperate to pull air into my starving lungs.

“Beg me!” He whispered again.

I refused to give him the satisfaction, but I was definitely about out of oxygen.

“Hey!” A voice called out of nowhere, sounding like music to my ears.

Rain had appeared at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes wide and filled with fear. Her entire body seemed to be trembling as she clutched the railing. Xander must’ve been in awe of her, because his grip had started to loosen.

Xander’s movement froze, and I could feel his head lifting, looking up. “Oh look, that pretty little

thing has come to me.”

“Please,” Rain stared at the two of us, a tremble rippling through her voice. I could sense her fear, so rich it threatened to drown me. “Please don’t hurt him.”

Hesitation hit Xander for just a moment, and I found an opening. It was all I needed, an opening.

Pulling air into my lungs, I pulled back and slammed my elbow into his gut. He doubled over. The wind knocked out of him. I swung my leg up and connected solidly with his face as he stumbled again and tried to regain his balance.

“Catch!” I heard Rain say.

Instinctively, I turned at her words and a gun landed in my hands.

I pulled back on the slide, the echo of gunfire ricocheting through the room as a bullet whizzed through the air. Everything seemed to be in slow motion, but happening instantaneously at the same time. My Corsican was still in the driver’s seat of my mind, but it seemed as if we were truly in sync, moving as one.

My sensitive ears picked up the sound of a bullet meeting flesh. It sounded like a meat cleaver pounding into a piece of steak, tenderizing it to perfection.

Xander let out a howl of pain, and realization covered his face.

Before I could blink, he was gone, running out of the back door. I realized the alarm hadn’t gone off at any point.

He’s gone,my Corsican hissed.And I’m exhausted…

I blinked again and I knew he’d slipped into the background of my mind, or wherever it was he went when he wasn’t talking shit to me.

“Fuck,” I murmured.

Rain’s breathing alerted me to the fact that she was still there. “Shit, are you okay?”

“We’re fine,” I walked over to her, ignoring how sore my body felt, wanting to reassure her.

“Who was that and why did he have your face?”

Taking a deep breath, I pulled her face up to meet my own. “A very bad man.”

She rolled her eyes. “And clearly I just saved your ass…”

“I had it handled,” I assured her.

She shook her head, a smile pulling onto her features.

“But where did you get this gun?” I looked down at the silver Desert Eagle that looked as if it’d been recently cleaned.

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