Chapter 16 - Fire on the Water
The fog was thick enough to chew on, illuminated by the harsh orange flares of automatic muzzle flash.
I spun the steering wheel hard, slamming the heavy SUV sideways directly between Leo Bellini and the main fuel tanks, cutting off his line of sight. The metal shuddered as two rounds ricocheted off the armored door panels with ear-splitting clangs.
I kicked open the driver's door, staying low behind the heavy engine block.
"Leo!" I yelled over the roar of the wind off the lake. "Drop the detonator! Luca has every exit covered!"
Leo turned, his face pale and twisted with manic rage. "You ruined everything, you little bitch! Vanessa was supposed to be the queen of this city! We were supposed to own everything!"
He raised a submachine gun, aiming straight for my windshield.
A single shot echoed from the catwalks thirty feet above us.
Leo’s eyes went wide. The detonator slipped from his limp fingers, clattering onto the wet asphalt, before he crumpled to his knees and collapsed into the snow.
Luca dropped down from the iron ladder with predatory grace, his rifle slung over his shoulder. In three long strides, he crossed the pavement, grabbed me by the shoulders, and pulled me violently against his chest. I could feel the pounding of his heart through his tactical vest, heavy and frantic.
"I told you to stay at the estate," he breathed against my hair, his voice rough with an emotion he rarely ever showed.
"If I stayed, you wouldn't have a pier left to defend," I whispered, resting my forehead against his collarbone, breathing in the scent of gunpowder and winter rain.
May you like
Luca pulled back just enough to look down into my eyes. His hands framed my face, his thumbs gently wiping away a streak of rain and engine soot from my cheek.
"I don't give a damn about the pier, Elena," he said, his dark eyes burning with fierce intensity. "Don't you ever risk your life for concrete and steel again."
