Page 108 of Violent Attraction

But as I looked into Emilio’s eyes, that’s not what I saw.

There was no remorse and no regret swimming in his dark eyes. All I saw was evil and corruption floating around.

I kept my eyes on him as I watched him spit out the blood and fall to his knees.

That’s when the chaos started.

People were screaming and yelling for a doctor. Invitees were running out of the church not wanting to have anything to do with what just happened.

Someone had yelled that the police had arrived and that they were the ones that shot Emilio. That caused even more panic.

Even as I was getting pulled away from someone, my eyes stayed on Emilio as his family carried him of to possibly save him.

The vision of him bloody and evil eyes is the only thing that I see even minutes later while I’m tucked away safely in the bridal suite.

I hear my brother talking, saying words to reassure both my sister and Serena, but I can’t pinpoint the actual words that he is saying. All I know is that they are both crying, not because Emilio was shot but because of how close to death they were.

At some point I must have zoned out because I didn’t hear the door open or notice that we had a new person in the room. I don’t realize it until he is crunched down in front of me, taking my blood-stained hand in his.

“Bella.” he says my name in the softest tone, that you wouldn’t even expect coming from a man of his stature.

He called Bella, not bella. I hate it when he doesn’t call me bella.

All other noise in the room goes silent. They are probably waiting for me to say something.

“Isabella. You’re okay.” He raises the hand that isn’t holding mine and caresses my cheek. “You’re okay. You’re safe.”

Am I though?

I look down at my hands again and remember the blood.

“My hands are all bloody.” Their red stains are large and look like it’s going to take a lot of soap for it to come off.

“They are, but the blood isn’t yours,” he gives my hands a squeeze. “Did you hear me, Isabella? The blood isn’t yours.”

“It’s Emilio’s,” I state looking up from my hands and staring at the door. “It’s his blood.”

“Yes, it is.”

I look back at the man in front of me and look into his eyes. The remorse that wasn’t in Emilio’s eyes is in his. It’s not very strong, but it’s there.

This is what he meant when he told me to trust him.

He said that he and Leo were working on something, and he told me to trust him.

This is what they were going to do.

This is why I needed to trust him.

Before I can say anything or even ask if he was the one that shot Emilio, Camila speaks.

“What the hell happened out there?” her voice is shaky and she sounds terrified.

Before anyone could answer her, the door to the suite busts open and my father comes barreling in.

He’s angry and he’s looking right at me.

No, it’s not me his eyes are concentrating on. It’s on the man that is crouched down in front of me. The man that shot down my future husband to stop the wedding and protect me.

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