Page 106 of Savage Prince

“I think we've had enough talk,” I interrupt. Federico fumbles for his gun, cursing under his breath as his injured arm slows him down. I don't give him the chance to aim. With a swift move, I kick the weapon out of his reach, sending it sliding onto the floor.

Santiago lunges at me, his larger frame a weapon in its own right, but not as good as mine. I sidestep, using his momentum against him, and he stumbles past. Then I lunge again, and my knife finds its mark, a shallow cut across his thigh. He howls and staggers back, hitting the wall.

“You should have stayed down,imbecille.” I circle him, clutching the knife, my other eye on Federico as he tries to prop himself up against the wall. “No, it wouldn’t have mattered, I’m going to make this painful for you either way.”

Federico makes another grab for his gun, desperation etched into his features. I close the distance between us, my kick sending sharp pain up my leg but knocking the breath out of him. He collapses with a groan, clutching his side. I kick him again, this time going for his head. No mercy for anyone today. Not when Serena’s life is on the line. His head cracks against the wall, spattering blood across the pristine white. His body immediately stills.

Spinning back to Santi, I catch thebastardostaggering across my peripheral vision. I follow his line of sight to the gun sitting at the edge of the coffee table. I lunge for it at the same time he does, and we crash midair, the hit squeezing the breath from my lungs.

I pound into the floor with a smack, but somehow, I find the cool metal of the gun clenched in my fist. Santiago rushes me, reaching for the gun with his injured arm. Wrapping my fingers around his bicep, I squeeze, crushing the wound, and a stream of crimson pours out.

“Motherfucker!” he grits out as I stab my finger into the bullet wound again.

“I’m torn here, Santiago,” I hiss as I flip us over, so he’s flattened against the floor. I bring the knife’s blade to his throat, the gun clutched in my other hand. “I would like to fulfill my promise of a long, torturous death, but the other part of me justwants to kill you so I can get to Serena.” I hazard a quick glance over my shoulder to ensure she’s still where I last saw her.

“Fuck you,” he snarls.

“Not in this lifetime or any other,figlio di puttana.” I slowly drag the blade across his throat, leaving a thin line of crimson. “The only person I’ll be fucking is Serena Valentino. For the rest of my life, if she’ll allow it. So you know what? I guess I should be thanking you. Because if you hadn’t burned down my house and interfered with the kidnapping, I’m not sure we would have ended up here.”

I twist the knife, following a path down his throat, then carve into his chest. The pressure is light, only enough to sting but not enough to kill. Fuck, I really do want to draw out his torture. The monster I’ve kept locked up since Serena fell into my life is ravenous. Santiago hisses out a curse, squirming beneath me. “You betrayed her,testa di cazzo, then you tried to kill her, not once, not twice, but three times. And that is unforgiveable, a punishment worthy of the most gruesome death.”

“I hope you and Serena burn in hell,” he rasps.

“Antonio…” That whisper of an angelic voice has my head spinning over my shoulder.

“Serena!” My weight shifts, my entire body helpless but to move toward the sound of that melodic timbre. And I realize my mistake an instant too late.

With my attention diverted, Santiago rips the knife from my hand and jabs it into my thigh. I bite back a scream and level the barrel of the gun at his head and squeeze. The trigger jams, and he squirms out from beneath me, crawling across the floor on hands and knees. I spot Federico’s discarded gun under the coffee table a second before Santiago’s fingers curl around the grip.

Merda.

The next few seconds move in slow motion.

Serena’s cry echoes from behind me, and the pain in her voice is worse than the gunshot that I know is coming. Kneeling on the floor, Santiago points the gun at my chest. The air thickens, everything narrowing to this one moment. All my regrets, all my fears, all my mistakes rush to the surface. Then I see her face, Serena. Despite all the shit, she made the last few weeks worth it. With a sense of peace settling over me, I wait for the searing pain of the bullet.

“I love you, Serena,” I shout.

Piercing shots ring out in an angry symphony.Bang! Bang! Bang!

All the air siphons from my lungs, and I’m numb, ice running through my veins. Santiago slumps back, blood blossoming in rivulets across his chest. I run my hands over my own, searching for the warm crimson liquid, only there’s nothing.

I whirl around and meet a fearsome blue-eyed gaze peering over the barrel of a Beretta. Beneath the wild tumble of blonde hair, dried blood stains her forehead, but the hint of a smile curves the perfect bow of her lips.

“Serena…” I whisper as I crawl toward her.

She throws her arms around me, tugging me into her chest. “You’re okay,” she murmurs against my mouth.

“You saved me,tesoro.”

In more ways than I could ever imagine.

CHAPTER 52

IMPERFECTLY PERFECT

Serena

My head feels likes someone took a jackhammer to it, but I crush Antonio to my chest all the same, ignoring the throbbing ache in my temples. “You’re okay,” I repeat, more to convince myself than him. His lips brush mine, softly, but the gentle touch only lasts for an instant. He grips the back of my neck, and the sweet kiss becomes fiery and demanding, distracting from the ache across my skull to the one already developing between my legs.

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