Page 512 of Hate Mates

I could hear his fist slam against the doorframe, as he ordered his men to stop me.

"Get her!" He didn’t care if the entire house witnessed what was happening, all he cared about was getting control of me.

I chanced a look over my shoulder and ran into the hard body of one of his men who was just exiting the passenger side of one of the vehicles that pulled up to the front of the home. He stumbled, clearly taken off guard by the collision. I didn’t waste a second. I grabbed his side piece—the gun tucked discreetly in his waistband—and yanked it free. His surprised yelp did little to slow me as I brought it up to his face.

“Don’t move,” I ordered, sounding more calm than I was. Most standard capacity magazines carry fifteen rounds—that’s fifteen chances for me to escape this hell hole.

A look of confusion crossed his features as his gaze flicked between me and Benicio.

I could hear Benicio’s voice, a mix of fury and control, bellowing orders behind me, but the sound of my racing heart began to drown him out. That was until I looked up, eyes locking with a familiar face.

Romy.

His gaze was hard and unreadable, but his eyes narrowed the moment he saw me—saw what I was holding. He didn’t flinch, didn’t hesitate. He brought up his own side piece toward me and his betrayal sliced through me like a serrated blade. I knewI should have killed him in his sleep before the wedding. I was such a fool.

“You’ve really done it now, haven’t you?” he said, his words sharp.

I gritted my teeth, trying to keep my composure, trying to figure out who I needed to shoot first, Romy or the guy in front of me.

“Stay out of my way, Romy,” I snapped.

He chuckled low in his throat, a dark, bitter sound. “You just couldn’t help yourself could you?”

Before I could throw a retort back, I saw his trigger finger move and ducked. He unloaded shot after shot as return fire came back. I slammed my hands over my ears, refusing to let my own side piece slip out of my grip.

I could feel the anger surging through my veins, the heat rising in my chest. The bastard was going to shoot me!

Chaos erupted as screams from inside Benicio's home spilled out into the night, the terrified shouts of his maids scrambling for cover.

“Get out of my way,” I repeated, as I weaved around them to make my escape. I had just stepped around the blacked-out vehicle when Romy just stepped forward, his gaze unwavering, like steel.

“You don’t get to run,” he said, voice low and dangerous. "Not now, not ever.”

Before I could raise my gun and shoot his face off, he twisted my arm and maneuvered me in a way that forced my submission and my gun over to him. “Be a good girl for once, and shut up before you get into any more trouble.”

“You assho—” My breath was forced out of my lungs as he threw me over his shoulder and began to run toward the trees, releasing a few more rounds in the direction of Benicio’s home. I almost fell off his shoulder when he abruptly turned and threw apunch to a man’s face with brass knuckles, knocking his bloody teeth out.

Another blacked-out car screeched to a stop, its windows rolling down to reveal a few of my father’s men, guns drawn, aiming behind us and picking up right where Romy had left off.

Was this all planned? Why did no one tell me this was going to happen?

After what felt like thirty minutes, the only sounds that followed us were the crunching of leaves, snapping of twigs, and Romy’s steady breathing.

“What is wrong with you?” I screeched after deciding we were far enough away from Benicio’s property.

A hard hand slapped my ass as he continued to slow to a jog.

“Put me down!”

“Amiira, there you go again, being a bossy little bitch,” he teased, his voice laced with mock sweetness. “A simple thank you would be appropriate.”

I could practically hear that damn smug smirk of his. I kicked and kneed him, frustrated, until he had no choice but to toss me off his shoulder, dropping me roughly to the ground.

Before I could throw a foot between his legs, he dropped his weight and pinned me down. I was tired of him reading my mind, tired of his stupid face, tired of this entire ordeal. I lost it and fought against him with all my strength. He blocked each slap with ease and forced my legs into submission under the weight of his.

We were both panting, so close to each other’s faces, I could feel his breath against my skin, both of us glaring at each other with nothing but disdain. Every inch of me screamed to push him away, the rage inside me burning hotter with each passing second.

“You really think you’ve got me figured out, don’t you?” I spat. “I should have shot you in the head first.”

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