Page 34 of Sweet Union
He grunts and falls to the side. Luca sits up, staring at me with an awed expression. He gets up and comes to me. “Nat. Hey. It’s ok. Give me the gun.”
I don’t even realize that I’m shaking. “Luca?”
He offers me a sweet smile. “I’m here. You’re ok. I’m ok.” He gently takes the gun from me and pockets it before pulling me into a tight hug. “He’s dead now. We’re free of him.”
“Luca,” I sob into his chest, clinging to him.
“I heard something in the basement!” a man’s voice shouts from upstairs.
“Shit,” Luca mutters. “The police are here. They got your dad.”
“My dad’s alive.”
“He is. But the police caught him. He’ll be fine, though. Your dad is the most powerful man in New York. Nothing will be able to contain him. But we need to get out of here before we’re caught standing over a dead body.”
“Is there a way out?”
The only available place to go is a tiny window high up on the wall. Luca breaks the glass and lifts me up to help me outside. It’s a tight fit, but I manage. I turn around to help Luca. He grabs my hand, and I start pulling him out.
We make it out just before the police make it into the basement.
Luca grabs my hand, and we run off down the street, away from the sirens, gunshots, and dead bodies.
* * *
After takinga cab back to the city, we reach my parents’ house in less than an hour. I’m still riled up from killing Romeo, but I don’t feel bad about it. I’ve killed before. Romeo deserved to die after what he put us through. He routinely tried to kill us. It was either him or us.
Mom rips the door open after we knock. “You’re alive.” She pulls me into deep hug. “God, honey. I was so worried.”
“I know, Mom.” I squeeze her back. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” She pulls back to let us both inside. “Where’s your father?”
“He was arrested,” Luca tells her. “He did it so I could save Nat.”
Mom nods once. “He’ll be ok. He’s been in worse positions than that. He owns half the police. What happened with Romeo?”
“I killed him.”
Mom blinks. “Youkilled him?”
“I did.”
“And it was impressive,” Luca says. “She saved my life.”
I can tell it’s hard on Mom to accept that I’ve done dark things, but she’s trying. “Of course, she did. You two will always try to save each other.”
We settle in on the couch, waiting for news about my dad.
After a few hours, the door opens, and Dad comes walking through.
“Dad.” I run over to him, throwing my arms around him. He grunts in pain but hugs me back. “You’re ok.”
“I’m ok.” We hold each other for a moment before we let go. “And you’re ok.”
“I am. Thanks to Luca.”
“Thanks to yourself,” Luca says, walking over. “She killed Romeo.”
