Page 99 of Last Shot

‘The food not agree with you, Signore La Marca?’ Grey forced out, resisting the urge to grab the man by his thin neck and shove his enormous Roman nose into the wet patch of saliva on the floor.

‘You’ve got some nerve speaking first.’ Matteo’s growl was primal and chilling.

Grey leant back into the wall, quite literally cornered.

Matteo stepped forward – there was no more space between them. The man smelled like tobacco and Strega. ‘You brought a pig to my house, Greyson?’ Matteo’s voice was quiet but the deadliness of his words rippled through the space between them.

‘I would never do such a cruel thing to an innocent animal.’

‘My barman said you brought a cop.’

Fucking Raphael. How had he known?‘Yeah, well, I always thought Raphael was losing his touch. You know, if he was a horse I’d ...’ Grey pressed his fingers to his temple like a gun.

Matteo didn’t let up. ‘You were asking about Skinner.Police.On La Marca property. You know what this means, Hawke – you’re done. She’s done. She’s dead.’ Matteo licked his lips like he was already tasting Max’s blood.

Fuck. Fuck. Grey was going to be sick. Why hadn’t he told Max to use a fake name? Bringing police onto the La Marcas’ property was as good as signing both of their death warrants.

But would even a fake name have worked? It was impossible to believe Max was anything but a cop. A hot cop. The kind guys fantasise about pulling them over and handcuffing them and ...

Max.

As Matteo’s smile cut across his face like a wound, Grey caught a glimpse of his gold back teeth. The glint dropped something from the shelf of his memory – Edie R. What he’d read in the text wasn’t quite right – something at the gala – something he should remember ... What was it?

‘If you’ve done anything to her,’ Grey snarled, ‘if you’ve so much aslookedat her—’

‘Oh, Greyson. You’ve been in the middle of this war for so long, surely you’re not so naïve. Gio will be disappointed in you.’

Grey shoved Matteo aside – his adrenaline fuelled his escape, but Matteo didn’t try to stop him. Which could only mean one thing.

He was already too late.

Again.

‘Max!’ He stumbled down the hallway, pushing through the dignified guests, their faces blurring, their complaints raining against his back.

Think.But he couldn’t think. He couldn’t ... he had to ... he was too ...

No ...

No ...

He was going underwater, deeper, deeper. He couldn’t swim back up for air.

No.He couldn’t go back.Not now. No.He had to save her.

He pushed through doors. Matteo would have taken her somewhere private, somewhere quiet.

‘Max!’

The memories of his darkest moment were wrapping around him, trying to tug him down deeper, press him under.

No.He couldn’t go back. He had to stay here. He had to stay with her.

Fight it off. Fight it off.

I’m here, she’d said to him.I’m here.

Where? Where are you now?

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