Page 205 of Salvatore

My throat threatens to close over. “Lorenzo?”

He doesn’t move. Doesn’t blink.

“Lorenzo.” I shake his shoulders.

There’s nothing. No reaction. No response.

“Is he dead?” Ivy’s soft sniffle cuts through the static, dragging me back into the moment. “God, Salvatore, what have they done?”

I close my eyes a beat. A pained acknowledgement. A silent farewell. Then I scramble across the floor to her. “I need to get you out of here.”

“There’s nowhere we can go. They’ll kill me.”

I grab my cell from her trembling hands and dial Remy’s number. There’s no answer. I dial Matthew’s next and get the same response.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

“Tell me what to do?” she begs.

I type a message to my brothers.

Salvatore

Code black. Need you here ASAP.

Next is the building manager, who hasn’t acknowledged my earlier message.

Salvatore

Tell me you have this place on lockdown.

The three dots of his impending reply pop up on screen as gunshots carry from outside the penthouse.

Ivy’s wide eyes lock on mine, her terror cutting me deep.

“It’s going to be okay.” I swipe my blood-stained hands on my pants, fighting the tremor in my fingers. “Trust me.”

Her attention snaps toward the hall, her breaths increasing.

“Lorenzo’s guards are out there. They’ll handle the threat.” I grab her chin, forcing her gaze back to mine. “You’re going to listen to me, okay?” My pulse pounds everywhere—ears, temples, throat. “I’ll protect you with my life.”

“That’s what I’m worried about.” Her voice breaks. “Youcan’tdie on me, Salvatore.Please.”

“Lorenzo has a panic room.” I guide her to her feet, keeping her head low as we cross the office. “I need you to stay there until this blows over.”

I steer her toward the bookcase in the corner, my fingers reaching for the second shelf and the worn spine of a leather-bound ledger slightly out of sync with the hardback fiction titles surrounding it. I tug it forward and the entire case jolts with a soft hiss, sliding aside to reveal the reinforced steel door behind it. “Nobody can get to you once you’re inside.”

She stares at me as I enter the PIN code into the control panel. “Will you stay with me?”

“No, but I’ll come get you as soon as I can.” I grasp the back of her neck as the reinforced door slides open and smash my mouth to hers, stealing a kiss that tastes like forever but feels like the end.

She clings to me, her sob echoing against my lips as more gunfire carries from outside. “I don’t want to be in there without you.”

“There are monitors inside. If anyone gets into the apartment you’ll see.” I pull back, peeling her hands off of me with gentle fingers. “Don’t come out unless you know it’s safe.”

“Wait.” She grabs for me, frantic, desperate. “What happens if there are too many of them?”

“Don’t come out until you know it’s safe,” I repeat.

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