Page 109 of Last Shot

She couldn’t reconcile the two Greys. The one who’d confessed to killing a boy to save Luca Barbarani, and the one who’d jumped between her and a gun a mere two seconds after he’d said there was nothing between them.

‘Who is he?’ She could hear in Grey’s voice that the man was familiar to him too.

But Max didn’t have time to answer. ‘Frankie! Behind you!’

The youngest Barbarani had torn across the newly illuminated dining room floor, straight for Luca, who had been trying to pull Ariana La Marca towards the arched door. Forrest was yelling at them both.

But someone had followed Frankie, someone in another hood like the skinny moustache guy.

No. No. No.

‘Max!’

She ignored Grey’s yells – all she could think about was Frankie’s earnest face when she’d admonished her sister about the silkworms. She was so young. Too young to have lost her father. To have seen him die like that. Too young to die herself.

Max ploughed between Frankie and the hooded figure on her heels. But someone else got there first.

She heard a hollow sound like a whistle without the shriek as Vittoria Barbarani threw herself in front of her daughter.

At first, Max thought Vittoria hadn’t been hit. She braced herself for the sound to come again. But the figure had disappeared into the chaos of the night. Max thought she saw something under his hood as he darted away – something – but no, it couldn’t have been ...

Vittoria had slumped backwards, Frankie and Grey holding her under each arm.

‘No.’ Frankie shook her head. ‘No.’

‘Mum.’ Luca’s eyes were bright. ‘Mum, please. Don’t.’

‘Let’s go.’ That was Forrest, tugging at Ariana. His face was twisted down at Vittoria in a mix of fear and mild fascination.

‘Where’s she hit?’ Max splayed her hands across Vittoria’s body, searching for the stickiness of blood, for a wound she could plug. What she found made no sense.

‘Blow dart,’ Grey said, kneeling beside her, his fingers on the thin silver feathers sticking out of Vittoria’s thin chest.

‘Stay with us, Vittoria,’ Max said. ‘Stay awake.’

‘They hit the other guards with those,’ a small voice said. Max couldn’t place it, but when she looked up, she realised it was Ariana who’d spoken.

‘And how do you know that?’ Grey snapped. ‘Because your dad told you that’s what he was planning on doing?’

‘My dad didn’t do this.’ Ariana looked down at Vittoria with wet eyes.

‘Believable,’ Grey said.

Forrest stepped towards him. ‘Watch your mouth, Hawke.’

‘Get him out of here,’ Grey said – to who, Max wasn’t sure. ‘Or I’ll kill him myself.’

‘Let’s go,’ Ariana said through the thickness of tears. Did she believe Grey’s threat because she’d seen him throw the boy off the balcony at that party? Was Max the only one here who had been so blind to the truth about the Barbaranis’ Fixer?

Vittoria shuddered, and she clasped at the dart.

Grey tried to calm her. ‘Don’t take it out, just relax, signora. Everything’s going to be fine.’

You liar, Max thought.

‘Mum.’ Luca squeezed Vittoria’s hand, and Frankie took the other one. ‘Please.’

Vittoria’s eyes swept over her children before resting on Grey. ‘Listen,’ she croaked, ‘you’re not ...’ She coughed.

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