Page 102 of Depraved
My voice roars in a thunderous clap as the guy Antonio is holding his gun toward falls to the ground, from the bullet in his head. Antonio pivots towards the suits, and charges them, pointing his gun to lead the direction.
I catch something out of the corner of my eye, and my head swings to Declan, who’s wracked with panic as he starts to bolt. My mind goes silent as bullet after bullet pierces Declan’s chest, throwing his body back in quick jerks as he falls to the ground.
The men holding Sarah are frozen in place, but begin to tug her backward as I turn to face them. My gun swings in their direction, empty clicks sounding through the room as I close the distance.
“Nobody can help you now, not even God himself, because I’m not only taking your lives, I’m gonna keep your fucking souls.”
Antonio grabs the suit on her right by the head and tosses him back, pulling a screaming Sarah away from her biter as he does.
Gunshots begin to ring out around the room, creating a fervor. I launch onto the asshole who hurt her, ramming the butt of my gun down onto his face as I fall into a haze. My voice explodes out of my body as a guttural cry rips from my throat.
“You don’t ever touch her. You don’t ever fucking touch her!”
I hear his teeth crack as I pound his soft flesh into a mangled, bloody, deformed version of a face. I grab the sides of his head and pick it up, knocking it back onto the tiled surface, feeling the crack in his skull begin to give more and more.
Hands grab at me, pulling me back onto my ass, dragging me away as I try and get back to beat his lifeless body. I’m crazed, alive through death, unable to pull myself out.
Warm arms wrap around my neck, and a body presses against me. Her voice fills my ear.
“You came. I love you. It’s done. Dante, it’s done. I love you. Thank you.”
My hands scramble up her back, pulling her in closer as we sit in the middle of the floor locked in our embrace. My heart beats slower as she pulls me from the darkness I was sheathed in, allowing the devil inside of me to do his work.
Sarah pushes back to look at me, her eyes glistening as tears stream down her face, making streaks through a smudge of blood on her cheek.
My lips find hers, and I breathe her in before breaking our kiss. “You knew I’d come. There’s no version of us where I don’t show.”
“I know.”
She wraps her arms around me, and we don’t speak as I push off the ground, refusing to put her down. I stand, glaring around the room at the death and destruction, taking stock of my soldiers.
“Burn it to the ground,” I direct to Antonio, pulling Sarah even closer to me.
She buries her face into my neck as I walk us out. “Don’t look back. It was all a nightmare, and you’ll never have to be afraid again.”
ISHOOT UP FROM THEbed, gasping. My limbs are a sweaty, tangled mess gathered up in the sheets of the bed. With fear still pulsing through my veins, my hand reaches for my throat to calm myself, to remind me where I am. As my fingers skim the delicate necklace I demanded was given back to me the minute we arrived back in Chicago, I close my eyes. “I’m okay. It’s over.”
My breaths come out slow and long, and I wipe my hair from my forehead and steady my pulse, glancing around the room, wondering where Dante has gone. He hasn’t left me alone for the entire day we’ve been back.
Pushing to the edge of the bed, I place my feet on the floor, looking over my shoulder when I hear his deep laugh come from the living room of our hotel suite.
My shoulders fall thinking about Dante’s apartment. Everything was destroyed, burned to ash. I’m just thankful nobody was hurt. Most of the damage was contained to his apartment, but we’re still homeless. But we have Matteo. I’ve never been happier to see my friend.
I wiggle my toes on the carpet before I stand, walking to the chair and pulling on the luxurious hotel robe, tying it in the front. I follow the voices out of the door and see Dante with his men—Nico, Vincenzo, Matteo, and Antonio—all sitting on and around the couches.
They look happy. It’s strange to think that the men most fear have become the ones I’m the happiest to surround myself with.
Dante looks over to me tenderly, and I can see that my bruises still bother him. He would bring those bastards back to life just to kill them again for what was done to me.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your meeting. I just couldn’t sleep…”Alone. I couldn’t sleep without you.
Dante opens an arm, inviting me onto his lap. “You are never interrupting anything. Come sit.”
I pad over, the guys giving me nods and grins as I walk by. I return the smiles, even though it hurts, and crawl into Dante’s arms, pulling my legs up. He closes his arms around me and kisses the top of my head.
“Are you okay?”
I nod and put my head onto his shoulder as Antonio gives me a reassuring wink.
