Page 79 of Bossy Ex's Brother

And that was when I acted.

Faster than he could say boo, I pointed and fired off, hitting him square in the head, not giving a damn when he dropped down. The chaos started then, but I didn’t let it slow me, crashing through the windows and charging toward her.

I shot at anyone who stood in my way. The whole room was a cacophony of shattering glass, bullets, and screams, but I didn’t let any of that distract me. She was the goal. I threw myself in front of her to protect her from any bullets and continued firing at anyone who pointed at us.

I felt a few bullets slam into me, but I didn’t move. Pain exploded through my body, but even as my body jolted, I refused to go down. I wouldn’t let myself fall until she was safe. I continued firing off, fighting the weakness in my legs, powered by sheer adrenaline.

And then, eventually, I saw that my men and Filippo’s men had Carlo’s men surrounded. Filippo pointed a gun at hisbrother’s head and fired with a pained grimace. He fell to the floor. It was over.

I turned then to reach for Jane, but my body fell limply to the floor.

“Luca!” I heard her scream. Her face swam into view, blocking out the ceiling.

She was sobbing.

“I’m sorry,” I said as she shook her head rapidly.

“Don’t die on me. I’m still mad at you, you lying bastard.”

My vision was growing hazier, and my body looser. I needed to say it before I died. “I love you.”

Her face crumpled up even more. “Don’t die. Please don’t die.”

“I love you so much, babe.”

Her eyes were hysterical. I saw Brandon move into the periphery of my vision, grabbing her. She fought against his hold, fighting for me.

“Stop,” Brandon was saying. “We need to stop the bleeding.”

But she wasn’t listening. She was fighting him like a maniac. “Luca, don’t you dare die on me!”

“I won’t, baby,” I promised. I would give her the world if she asked, and if my woman wanted me to live, then that was exactly what I was going to do. “I won’t.”

EPILOGUE

JANE

Eight months later

“Do you have everything?” I asked Felix as he packed his bag.

“Yes, Mom,” he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “I have everything.”

“Don’t sass me, young man,” I mocked, but I smiled. He came over and kissed me on the forehead.

“Stop worrying so much,” he said. “It’s not my first time going off to college, you know?”

“I know, but….” Truly I couldn’t explain why I was so nervous. Maybe it was the fact that he was going to be in another state. Or just that after those wild few months we’d had, everything made me nervous these days.

After the kidnapping and daring rescue by Luca, I was something of a wreck. I nearly lost my mind after Luca passed out bleeding on the floor, but I managed to hold on to my sanity by a thread after I saw how much Beth was freaking out. Then I pulled myself together, going to her even as Brandon worked to stop Luca’s bleeding. I calmed her down as she sobbed, assuring her that everything would be okay, even though I had no clue ifit would be. If Luca died, I didn’t know what I would do, and I didn’t know if I would ever be okay again.

He loved me. He told me he loved me before he passed out. He’d used his body to shield me so none of the bullets touched us.

He’d sacrificed his life for me.

And despite everything else, I loved him.

Brandon told me we couldn’t call the police. Instead, Beth and I climbed into the black van at the edge of the forest and rushed with them to the hospital. I prayed Luca would be okay, even as they placed an oxygen mask over his face. We went to the same hospital Luca and I went to, and they asked for Dr. Colson. Brandon was adamant that I didn’t call the police. So did Lorenzo, who I belatedly realized was still there.

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