Page 31 of Devil's Embrace
Something shifted in Emory's expression—a flash of pure, maternal rage replacing the controlled fear.I saw the exact moment she made her decision, her gaze meeting mine for a fraction of a second.
"Three seconds to drop your weapons, Luca.Or we find out how much this asset is worth to you."
"Don't."I made a small gesture with my left hand—not to Mateo, but to Emory.Wait.
"One."
I let my hand drift toward my holstered pistol, as if preparing to surrender it.
"Two."
Behind Mateo, Marco appeared in the shadowed hallway entrance, rifle raised.I caught his eye and gave an imperceptible nod.
"Thr—"
Emory exploded into motion before Mateo could finish, driving her elbow into his throat with surprising force.The gun jerked away from Mina as he staggered back.In the same moment, Emory grabbed her daughter and lunged sideways, putting a marble column between them and the impending violence.
I drew and fired in one fluid motion, catching the nearest of Mateo's men in the chest before he could react.Marco's rifle cracked from the hallway, dropping another.The foyer erupted into chaos—the crash of gunfire, the splintering of wood as bullets found furniture instead of flesh, men shouting orders that were lost in the din.
I moved on instinct, diving behind an overturned table as return fire chewed into the marble where I'd been standing.From my new position, I could see Emory huddled with Mina behind the column, covering the child's body with her own.Their gazes met mine across the battlefield that had once been my home, and I gave Emory a single nod.Stay down.
More of my men poured in from the upper balconies and side entrances—Antonio leading a group from the eastern corridor, Vincent's second-in-command bringing men up from the basement levels.Bullets shattered windows and tore into antique furniture.The chandelier swayed dangerously overhead as stray rounds clipped its support chain.
I rolled to a new position, coming up firing.Two shots, two of Mateo's men down.Movement caught my eye—Mateo himself, using the confusion to edge toward where Emory and Mina hid.My world narrowed to a pinpoint focus.I broke cover, ignoring the bullets that whined past my head, and intercepted him with a tackle that sent us both crashing into a side table.
His silver gun skittered across the floor.I drove my fist into his face, felt cartilage give beneath my knuckles.He was strong for his age, bucking beneath me, fingers clawing for my eyes.I slammed his head against the floor once, twice, but he hooked a leg around mine and rolled us, reversing our positions.
"You could have had everything."Blood from his broken nose splattered on my face."Everything I built!"
His hands found my throat, squeezing with surprising strength.I brought my knee up hard between his legs.As he doubled over, I shoved him off, gasping for air.All around us, the battle raged—the sound of glass breaking, wood splintering, men shouting and dying.
I staggered to my feet, scanning for Emory and Mina.They'd moved from the column to behind a heavy sofa, still huddled together, still alive.Relief hit me so hard it almost knocked me back down.
That moment of distraction cost me.One of Mateo's men emerged from behind a doorway, rifle aimed at my chest.I twisted away as he fired, the bullet grazing my side instead of finding my heart.White-hot pain blazed across my ribs, but I pushed through it, raising my pistol and squeezing off three rounds.The man dropped, his rifle clattering uselessly beside him.
I pressed my hand to my side, felt the warm slickness of blood.Not serious.Not yet.I moved toward Emory and Mina, keeping low, using fallen furniture as cover.My eyes never left them—the way Emory shielded her daughter, the fierce protectiveness that mirrored my growing need to keep them safe.
A flash of movement to my right—another of Mateo's men taking aim at the sofa, at them.I didn't hesitate, didn't think.My pistol bucked in my hand, once, twice.The man crumpled, dead before he hit the ground.Emory's gaze found mine again across the chaos, wide with fear but also something else—recognition, perhaps, of what I was willing to do to protect them.
I reached them finally, sliding into cover beside them behind the sofa.Mina pressed her small face against her mother’s chest, her body shaking with silent sobs.Emory tightened her arm around her daughter when I appeared, then eased her hold once she recognized me.
"Are you hurt?"I asked, my voice rough from Mateo's stranglehold.
She shook her head, then gestured to a minor cut on Mina's arm."Just this.From the glass."
I brushed my fingers gently across the child's hair, surprised by my tenderness."Stay here.Don't move until I come for you."
"Luca."Emory's hand caught my wrist as I rose."Mateo—"
"Won't touch you again," I finished for her, the promise burning in my throat like a vow."Either of you."
I slipped back into the fray, every shot a promise, every dead man a step closer to fulfilling it.My men had pushed Mateo's remaining forces back toward the main entrance.Bodies littered the once-pristine marble floor.Blood spattered the pale walls.Through the destroyed windows, I could see more of my people securing the grounds, ensuring no one escaped to report back.
But Mateo himself was nowhere in sight.
I caught Antonio's eye across the room, mouthed the question:Where?
He jerked his chin toward the west corridor—toward my study.
