Page 157 of Cruelest Contract
Tye tunnels his way over here first and we search for Sonny. He’s been clipped in the right arm. In typical resolute fashion, he ignores all the blood and insists the wound is nothing at all.
“We’ve still got those fires to deal with,” I say, although the shed has basically burned itself to the ground already.
“Shouldn’t we chase down the ones that got away?” Tye says.
“Trust me, they’ll be dealt with. Right now they’re realizing they bit off more than they can chew and they’re on enemy territory so-”
My sentence abruptly cuts off because the floodlights show a figure running from the house, then falling in the snow, then rising only to stagger for a few steps and fall again, shouting all the while.
“Holy shit,” Tye says in shock. “Is that who I think it is?”
Yes.But I don’t even take the time to answer my brother before I take off running.
38
CECILIA
“Ididn’t fucking do that!” Angelo yells and swings outraged eyes over to Gabe. “I was just looking for an exit out of this loony bin without getting shot by the fucking Tempestas. What the hell happened?”
“How the fuck should I know?” Gabe yells back.
Pushing back the waves of nausea over the sight of blood, I drop the gun and rush over to Cass, falling to my knees and immediately pressing two fingers to his neck. An agonizing handful of seconds passes before I find his pulse. Erratic, but it’s there. And he’s still breathing.
“He’s alive,” I say, but when I look at the damage to the back of his head, my stomach rolls. My medical knowledge is flimsy but I know the wound is extremely serious.
There’s a streak of blood on the rolling pin, still on the floor by Angelo’s foot.
“Shit, Gabriel,” Angelo says with new defeat. “You didn’t use your brain. After this, there’s no fucking way they’ll believe we didn’t blow up their damn ranch.”
Gabe slowly bends into a crouch and picks up the gun I dropped. “Is that right?” he says, frowning at the pistol in his hand.
“Hey!” Angelo claps his hands. “Snap out of it. Between the Tempesta maniacs and whoever the hell else has shown up, we’re dead if we stay.”
“No.” Gabe shakes his head and stands up. “They are.”
I place my hand on Cass’s forehead. His skin is clammy, his breathing labored. When I take my hand away, there’s blood on my fingers. “We need to do something,” I whisper and appeal to my brothers. “Please help him.”
A torrent of crackling noises penetrate from outside. Rapid gunfire is unmistakable once you’ve heard it up close. My head swims and terror constricts my throat.
Julian.
“It’ll all be over soon,” Gabe says and it’s unclear who he’s speaking to.
“Gabriel.” Angelo’s tone is sharp. “What have you done?”
“What you were supposed to do,” Gabriel replies.
“FUCK!” Angelo shouts. He tears at his hair and eyes Gabe with disbelief. “Tell me you weren’t fucking stupid enough to listen to that crazy old man.”
Gabe heaves a sigh that indicates he’s already tired of this conversation. “You know damn well you were given this chance first. You didn’t have the balls to take it.”
“I’m not fucking suicidal. And I know better than to believe the ramblings of some senile bastard with one foot in the grave. Now you call this shit off!”
Something deadly serious is happening between my brothers and I don’t understand it.
“It’s too late,” Gabriel shrugs.
“What about our sister?” Angelo yells. “She’s pregnant for fuck’s sake! Did you think of her at all before sending a pack of psychos to shoot up her house and blow shit up?”
