Page 125 of Powerful Deception

A person that is currently face down not ten feet away from me.

My dad has always kept guns in the house, he was a policeman after all, but he never made me shoot one. He taught me all the safety, all the proper hand placement and what to do, but never did I shoot one.

Now I have, and I’m freaking out.

“Arianna.” Dante’s voice makes its way through the ringing.

Slowly, I look from the body over to where he’s currently hovering over Gallo as he tries to get up.

“I just shot someone.” I state, still trying to digest what I just did.

“You did. I’m proud of you.” He states.

He’s proud of me.

He’s proud I shot someone.

I’m about to run over to him, when my body once again hits the floor. This time because Gallo’s second bodyguard, the one that was guarding the room door earlier.

His body slams into mine and once on the floor, he pins me down with his own body. All his weight on me, making it hard to move.

“Get off of me.” I try to thrash out of his hold but he won't budge.

“No, you little bitch. You’ve caused enough trouble.” The guard reaches for something hidden in his jacket.

I realize too late that it’s a gun and it’s pointed right at my face. It’s a handgun, and I’ve seen enough action movies to know that the barrel in the front is a silencer.

Within a second of the gun being pull, I close my eyes and say a silent prayer. A silent prayer that hopefully this man has really bad aim and misses. I pray that Evelyn takes care of Alessandra and Angel because no way me and Dante are both making it out of alive.

I should have told them that I loved them.

I should have held both of them in my arms before we left for the Gala and told them that I loved them as if they were my own. They wouldn’t know what my words meant, but I would. I would know that I told them that I loved them.

I should have also told Dante that I loved him. That my heart has never belonged to a man like it has belonged to him. That he has been and will be the only man that will ever hold my heart like this.

When the shot rings out, I let out a scream, waiting for the impact to hit me. For the bullet to hit me and for me to die without another thought.

But it doesn’t happen.

My eyes shoot open and I’m met with the eyes of Gallo's guard. They are wide and all life seems to be disappearing from them.

Soon, he’s falling on top of me, his whole body limp. Before I’m crushed by the man’s weight again, he’s being pulled off me by Dante.

As soon as there is enough distance between me and the dead guard, I scramble from under him and Dante lets the body fall to the ground.

Blood seeps on to the concrete and it should make me sick to see, but the more I watch it spread, the more I’m relieved that it wasn’t me.

What the actual hell has this night turned into? Is it even nighttime anymore?

“Are you okay?” Dante asks, crunching down to my eye level, one of his hands reaching out and gently touching my face.

It’s when his fingertips meet my skin that I step out of the out of body experience that I was just having.

Looking up, the first thing I see just how bad his face was swollen up but even through the swelling, I can still see the concern in his eyes.

This man is wheezing, bruised and bleeding, and he’s concerned about my well-being.

I don’t deserve him.

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