Morons. Becoming dangerous ones, at that.
“Shut the fuck up, all of you.” Elon walks toward me until the barrel of the gun is pressed up against my stomach.
Yeah, that’s right. Keep your eyes on me, not her.
“You think you’re some kind of hero?”
I can’t help the grunt that escapes as he jabs the barrel into my ribs, cruel satisfaction on his features as he takes in Victoria’s tears.
He circles me, thrilled to be the center of attention. He thinks the more terror he evokes, the bigger of a man he is, and those men are dangerous. “You think you can walk in here, take what’s mine, and get away with it?”
“I was never yours.” Worry and fear lace her voice, but she sets her jaw and glares, my fierce protector. As much as I appreciate her strength, I’m afraid it’ll end up getting her hurt. “I was never anyone’s. Until I met Simon.”
Shit, that makes him angry, while my heart swells within my chest.
His finger twitches on the trigger. “You’ll always be mine, until I decide otherwise.”
A rush of blood roars in my ears, my fingers clenching into a fist at my side. I force myself to remain still, keeping my expression neutral.
“Let her go inside,” I say, my voice steady despite the raging storm within. “This is between you and me.”
Elon’s disturbed laugh causes the enrapt audience to give him a wider berth, but nobody dares to step in. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? To play the noble protector?”
He lifts the gun higher, the barrel pressing firmly against my forehead. “I don’t think so. You made me look weak, and now you’re gonna pay for it.”
“You think this makes you strong?” I ask. “What now? You’re going to shoot me in front of all these people? In front of her? You’ll spend the rest of your life in jail.”
“Guess I’ll take my chances,” he says, the cocking of the hammer extra loud in the stunned silence.
Victoria thrashes harder against Alex’s hold, determined but not strong enough to get him to budge, thank God.
“Let him go.” Her voice breaks. “Please, Elon. I’ll do anything.”
“Aww, that’s more like it,” he says, a power-hungry gleam in his eye. “Why don’t you strip in front of us, and maybe I’ll consider it.”
As I take in the sheer terror on her face, a fresh wave of anger pulses through my veins. I’ve survived too much to let this bastard be the one to take me down. And I sure as hell won’t let Victoria suffer at his hands ever again.
She’s so brave, trembling hands reaching for the zipper of her dress, ready to do it if that’s what it takes. “Only if you let Simon go. Do we have a deal?”
His attention lingers on her, just for an extra fraction of a second, but it’s enough.
I lunge, grabbing his wrist with both hands and twisting hard.
Years of sparring with Luis and learning to defend myself kick in.
I wrench Elon’s arm downward, and he snarls, trying to shove me back but I’m faster. I slam my elbow into his jaw, and it jerks him backward.
Unfortunately, he’s still holding onto the gun.
As he lifts it again, I duck my head and charge, taking us both to the ground.
The gun goes off, the deafening crack splitting the night, and everything within me goes absolutely still at Victoria’s blood-curdling scream.
Victoria
The world tilts as the gunshot splits the night air, my scream ripping through my throat before I can stop it. My body locks up, my breath trapped somewhere in my chest. The scent of gunpowder lingers in the cold air around us.
Simon glances at me, completely panicked. I blink at him, doing a quick scan from head-to-toe, but he doesn’t seem to be bleeding.
Elon takes advantage, driving an uppercut to Simon’s chin, and I tug at the giant arms acting as my restraints.
Simon recovers with a dazed shake of his head, catching hold of Elon’s wrist as he lifts the gun again. He slams his elbow into the asshole’s nose, sending him sprawling to the ground.
Bleeding and doing a crab crawl backward, Elon doesn’t look so sure of himself anymore. “You think this is over? You have no idea who you’re messing with.”
“Neither do you,” Simon says in a deadly tone, picking up the gun. He ejects the bullets before tossing it out of reach with a clatter. “You don’t get to threaten her ever again.”
Police sirens wail in the distance, drawing closer.
Elon and his henchmen freeze and go pale as tires screech, red and blue lights flashing as a police cruiser pulls up.
Everyone except their bleeding leader scatters like cockroaches, as a middle-aged cop climbs out of the car and sizes up the scene. “What’s going on here?”
Simon keeps his hands visible, his posture amendable and controlled. At the loosening of Alex’s grip, I step forward with the details of what happened.
Much to my great relief, the officer brings out his handcuffs and places Elon under arrest.
At long last, the man I thought I’d lost for a terrifying moment turns to me, and I sprint down the steps and leap into his arms, clinging on extra tightly.
I bury my head in his neck, inhaling his familiar cologne and double-checking his pulse-steady and encouragingly strong. I lose it anyway, tears spilling down my cheeks and leaving my voice raw. “Oh God, Simon. I thought I’d lost you.”
His arms encircle me instantly, anchoring me to him. “I’m right here,” he says, wiping my tears and pressing a kiss to my temple. “It’s okay. You’re okay, and that’s all that matters.”
Guilt rushes up, replacing all my worry. “I’m so sorry, Simon. This is all my fault.”
He tightens his grip on me, tucking my head beneath his chin. “No, Victoria. Don’t you dare blame yourself for what these people did.” He pulls back and locks eyes with me, spreading his arms wide. “Look at me. I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?” I ask, and he nods.
“Everything’s fine now.”
Consoled by his demonstration and words, I nestle up against his side. Then I give his solid chest an affectionate pat. “You didn’t even flinch.”
His huff of laughter stirs the hair at my temple, and buoys my steps-he’s okay, we’re okay.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.