Chapter 104

Aurora POV

The sound of gunfire is deafening.

It’s not like in the movies where it’s a few quick cracks and it’s over. Reality is sharp cracks that reverberate through the air, each one punctuated by shouts and the crash of overturned tables. The metallic stench of blood already clinging to my throat as it drifts from the front of the restaurant towards us.

I’m curled up under the table with my knees pressed tight to my chest, both of my hands trembling so badly I can barely keep them from rattling against the floor.

This was supposed to be a plan.

A controlled strike.

That bad thing is plans don’t actually account for the way fear claws at your insides when the bullets start actually flying.

Oh God. None of us are walking out of here, are we?

I can’t breathe.

I press myself tighter against the floor under the table as the sounds grow louder and someone’s scream is cut off midway. My nails dig crescent moons into my palms while Dominic’s voice echoes in my head as he tells me to stay down.

I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment.

Don’t think about it.

“Luca, with me.” Dominic says before storming past the partition sectioning our table off from the rest.

Luca’s footsteps pound after him and then more gunfire erupts.

From here, I can hear Dominic barking orders over the gunfire, his voice cold and controlled, terrifyingly calm for a man staring down a small army of killers trying to end his life

A sudden burst of shots close by makes me flinch violently, my shoulder slamming into the underside of the table. I bite back a cry, heart pounding against my ribs so hard it hurts.

The burner phone clutched in my hand suddenly reminds me of what I was supposed to be doing once the fighting started. My hands fumble to grip it as I swipe a finger over the screen and unlock it.

I scroll to Gianna’s contact, hesitating for only a second before tapping on it. She’s going to hate me for putting her in this position with no warning ahead of time but I don’t have time to explain. he thought of Romero crashing into her room without warning… she’ll panic.

She might scream or try and fight back… I can’t let her get herself hurt.

The line rings once.

Twice.

Three times.

I force myself to peek out from under the table.

The partition has so many holes blasted through it that I can see clearly into the dining room. It’s a total war zone. Alek’s men are still swarming through the entrance like ants, their guns flashing as they fire indiscriminately.

But Dominic—

He’s a true force of nature.

He moves like he was born for this, precise and brutal. His gun spits fire with every squeeze of the trigger and bodies drop in his wake. His jaw is tight, there’s no hesitation in him when he swaps out the clip for the fresh one tucked in his pocket.

There is no mercy to him cutting people down one by one.

It’s horrifying and… fuck, God help me, it’s hot as hell.

Luca isn’t far behind him, covering his flank with lethal efficiency. They work in tandem, Luca sweeping left and Dominic right. Both clear the room with surgical precision while blood spatters across them both with each new victim cut down by their gun fire.

He’s going to be a terrifying boss when he finally takes over his family’s syndicate.

The phone clicks.

“Hello?”

“Gianna! It’s me—”

“Aurora!” Gianna’s voice is high and frantic. “There’s something going on! All of a sudden I started hearing shouting outside the door. When I went to look, it sounded like the mansion’s being overrun! There’s gunfire. I thought I heard—”

I interrupt her rambling. “Gianna, listen to me. You need to stay calm, okay? Dominic’s sending his second to get you out.”

“What?” she snaps. “What the fuck do you mean his second? Aurora—oh god. What the hell did he do to you? Don’t tell me this is his doing. I thought you were feeding Alek information about his—”

“Gianna, listen to me. You need to stay calm. They’re going to come through the window to get you so you stay out of the line of fire. Romero, Dominic’s second, will be the one retrieving you. Don’t fight him. He’s going to pull you out and bring you to the hotel me and you were staying at when we first got to Mexico.”

“What the hell is going on! I thought you and Alek were working together to take out Dominic? Holy shit, are you… did you double cross?”

I squeeze my eyes shut. “Please, just… just go with Dominic’s second. He’s going to get you out safely. I swear I’ll explain everything once we’re together again.”

She’s silent for a heartbeat, but I can hear her breathing hard, like she’s pacing. “You switched sides again. Oh my god, this can’t be real. Goddammit, Aurora, how could you… fuck!”

I press my fist to my mouth to keep from screaming. “I’m sorry. I’ll explain when we see each other again, I swear.”

The line explodes with a crash, followed by Gianna’s scream.

“Gianna?” I shout, clutching the phone tighter. There’s a scuffle on the other end as another scream rips out of her.

“Get off me! Aurora!”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper as her scream cuts off.

Romero’s calm voice replaces her when he picks up the phone. “Aurora.”

“Don’t hurt her.” I plead.

He lets out a soft snort. “I won’t.”

Then the line goes dead.

I stare at the phone, my stomach lurching violently. She’s going to hate me. She’ll never forgive me for this.

Through the chaos, I catch flashes of Dominic again as he continues to cut down Alek’s men. His face is carved into something ruthless and unyielding.

God, he’s beautiful.

I should get to somewhere else safer than being stuck under this table. Lord only knows someone will get the stupid idea to slip past him while he and Luca are keeping each other’s back’s safe.

Moving slowly, so as not to draw too much attention, I slip out from underneath the table. I barely have time to register anything before rough hands seize my arm and yank me away from it, causing me to stumble.

I scream when I turn and see a masked man behind me and kick wildly as I’m dragged across the floor, my phone skidding out of my hand and out of reach.

“Dominic!” I cry out.

The man’s grip on me is iron, his breath hot against my ear as he snarls something in Russian. I twist, catching a glimpse of Dominic’s face across the room.

His expression is murderous when he finally looks back to see me.

That’s the last thing I see before I’m pulled through another back entrance.