Page 27 of The Players

Toni scowled and stepped toward them, one unsure step after another.

“You know what will happen if you so much as lay a finger on me,” Elena said.

Her voice was so cold, Carmen could basically see Toni shrivel from the ice in it. The next moment, his jaw set and Carmen knew she was in trouble. Luckily, she had another trick up her sleeve. Hiding behind Elena, she grabbed into her purse and pulled out her pepper spray.

The second Toni made a move toward her, she gave him the full load. Yelling and cursing, his hands went to his eyes. That was the moment she hit him right where it hurt—between his legs. It worked like a charm. Toni went down like a sack of potatoes.

Elena shook against her and clutched her hand. “Oh God…”

Carmen let go of Elena. “You didn’t have to do that, but thank you.” If Morelli was anything like Franco, she could only imagine what he would do to his wife if he ever found out she’d been protecting the enemy.

More shots were being fired from inside the club. In the distance, a siren sounded. Part of her wanted to run to Sy and Vince. She felt an odd pang in her heart at the thought of either of them getting shot.

In an act of courage, and desperation, she grabbed Elena’s hand and started running. The red light above the door showing an emergency exit was like a beacon in the shaded club.

She yelped when a looming figure holding a gun grabbed her arm. He was tall, blond, and wearing a black tee, with Army tags around his neck. His tight face resembled that of a Greek god statue; handsome and perfectly symmetrical. Where had she seen him before?

“Don’t take that exit.” He pointed to a set of doors. “Take the one from the kitchen.”

His eyes narrowed when he spotted Elena standing behind her. “Crap.”

“Shit, Damon,” sounded from the right. An exact replica of the man holding her arm joined them. “Not the time to save damsels in distress.” He hardly gave them a look. His gun was scanning the area behind them. “Incoming!”

Next thing Carmen knew, she was flung to the set of doors, Elena right on her heels. More gunshots followed.

Adrenaline pumped through her body as she burst through the double doors, right into a massacre.

The once pristine white kitchen was colored red by the scattered bodies of the kitchen staff. A flashback caught her by surprise.

White tiles.

Her bleeding out.

The cold floor.

Her vision swam and she grabbed onto a chair.

“Are you okay?”

The voice seemed to come from somewhere far away.

I can’t go down.

If I fall, the baby will get hurt.

He will kick me again.

Right in the stomach.

He always goes for my stomach.

“Oh, God. Are you okay?”

A sudden fire spread on to her cheek and Carmen blinked. Elena’s eyes, speckled with worry, were sizing her up.

“You slapped me.”

“I had to. This isn’t the time for a nervous breakdown.” Elena took a deep breath. “Believe me, I want to crumple and hide in a corner as well, but we can’t. I have a daughter to return to.”

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