Page 85 of Dare To Free Us

“I don’t think so,” she said, seeing my plan for herself. One hand reached behind her back and produced a small gun. I froze.

“If you shoot me and kill me, Shura will get nothing. My parents have plans in place. They can liquidate all their properties and holdings to dozens of sources in forty-eight hours.”

Her eyes narrowed, now that she didn’t have the upper hand she was getting pissed. “Or maybe I just shoot you for fun and help Shura build from scratch. It will take longer, but with Nico’s connections to the Irish and MC now, there will be little resistance.”

“That’s a bigif. Are you willing to piss Shura off like that?”

“I’m his sister, he won’t hurt me.”

The confidence in her voice made my heart sink. I was running out of reasons for her not to use the gun. Vasilisa slowly made her way around the table towards me. My heart was thudding like a war drum. I couldn’t just go with her and I couldn’t let her kill me.

A crazy idea popped in my head. It was a risk that could end me faster than save me but as usual was left with little choice. My hands turned clammy and sweat formed on my brow. No matter what, I was either going to make it out of there or die trying.

I waited as she rounded the corner of the table and drew near. Time slowed. The clicks of her heels were like a ticking clock on a bomb.

When her arm came within reach I moved. With all the speed I possessed I lunged froward, swatting the gun to the side and colliding with her chest.

We crashed to the floor in a tangle of arms and legs. I heard the gun hit the floor and slide away. A quick glance let me see it had stopped a few feet away.

Vasilisa screeched in rage, taking a handful of my hair, trying to tear it out by the roots. I swung my fists, doing my best to hit sensitive areas. I cried out as she wrenched my head back and hit me in the ribs. I was still slightly on top, so I chose to abandon my fists and take ahold of her head with both hands, then pounded it onto the floor. Once, twice, but her grip didn’t loosen.

Her fist collided with the side of my neck and my vision went blurry. I gasped for air but my throat was in massive pain and not working worth a damn. Vasilisa shoved me off and made a mad scramble for the gun.

Ignoring my inability to breathe I jumped on her back and crawled over the top of her. Our hands reached the gun at the same time. Our fingers fought for control, bodies rolling on the floor as our cries of desperation filled the room.

Please! Please!I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want my baby to die. I wanted a long future with Matteo where we grew old together and was willing to do anything to accomplish that. Even kill one psycho bitch.

Lifting my arm I jammed my elbow into her bicep. She cried out and yanked her arm back. It was all the time I needed to grip the gun in my hands and press the barrel to her head. I didn’t think, I just pulled the trigger.

BANG.

Blood exploded into the air, spraying across my face and chest. The room went quiet. Vasilisa’s body lay unseeing with a hole in the side of her forehead. Blood was pooling on the floor between us but I was so frozen in shock I couldn’t move away from it.

I’d never killed someone before, and even though the bitch deserved it my stomach still constricted. Jerking upright I spun away and dry heaved. Tears stung my eyes, not for what I’d done for the survival of my child and myself, but for everything in general.

The day was one that would haunt my nightmares forever. I felt numb to the bone as an exhaustion I’d never experienced drowned my soul. How long would the past few weeks haunt me? Follow me like a ghost until it stole my sanity and left me in brittle pieces?

Taking a deep breath I made myself not fall apart, gathered all the tattered pieces of myself in my chest and stuffed them down deep inside. I’d just killed someone and couldn’t afford to let my efforts go to waste by breaking down. There would be time for that later, when I was in Matteo’s arms.

Matteo!

I realized the gunshots had stopped. Whatever had been happening out there was over, but who was the victor? Jumping to my feet I held the gun without much confidence. I would be lucky to hit anything that wasn’t within two feet. Approaching the entryway to the dinning room I strained my ears to hear any sign that it was safe.

“Arianna!” A strangled voice called.

Was that Matteo? It was so distorted with pain and grit it was hard to tell.

“Arianna!” It called again, louder this time. My heart leapt.Matteo!Rushing around the corner I spied him down the hall, and ran.

“Matteo!” I screamed, dropping the gun to the floor. I could hear his sigh of relief and see it on his face as I raced to meet him.

Then my heart sank. Matteo stopped and slumped against the wall. There was blood covering every bit of him. His handsome face was a mess. Where his shirt hung open blood still slowly seeped from the cuts Shura had made. But the most alarming part was the deep red blooming under Matteo’s hand where he pressed it to the side of his stomach.

As I reached him, Matteo slid down the wall landing with a bump on the floor. My knees hit the hardwood beside him but I ignored the pain. I reached out to touch him but stopped myself, not knowing where I could without hurting him.

“Matteo,” I whispered. His face was turning ashen, sweat forming on his skin.

Matteo looked at me, smiling weakly. “Hey, Beautiful.” Then his cloudy eyes noticed the blood on my skin. “Are you hurt?” he rasped.

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