Chapter 44%
Before I could stop myself, I lunged forward, grabbing a fistful of her perfectly styled hair and yanking her head back. I forced her to look me in the eye.
“You disgusting, vile monster!“}]
Miranda winced but didn’t look away. Even in pain, she held her ground, still smirking, still taunting.
I spat in her face.
“I don’t need your deal,” I said, each word dripping with venom. “I’m going to take Penelope from you–whether you like it or not.” Miranda’s body shook, but not from fear. She was laughing.
Not a normal laugh. A slow, taunting, victorious laugh that sent a chill crawling up my spine.”
Then, in a voice that was barely above a whisper, she said something that made my blood freeze.
“You’re too late.”
I stilled.
“Because Rafael will be here any moment now.“}
As if on cue-
A deafening crash shook the warehouse as the heavy metal doors slammed open. I turned my head sharply, my pulse pounding in my ears.M
And there he was.
Rafael De Luca, standing in the doorway with thirty armed men at his back.
Rafael stepped forward, his sharp gaze sweeping across the warehouse before locking onto the car where Miranda was restrained. His expression was unreadable, but the tension in his stance told me exactly what he was here for.
“Where’s my fiancée?” he demanded.
I pushed the car door open and stepped out, moving slowly, deliberately. There was no need to rush. I wanted him to see me, to really take in the fact that I was standing in front of him, alive and very much in control.
“Oh, don’t worry, Rafael,” I said smoothly, tilting my head slightly. “She’s right there, safe and sound… for now.“”
His fingers twitched near his gun, and I could see the way his men subtly adjusted their stances, waiting for his signal. They didn’t trust me.”
Good.
Before anyone could move, a gunshot shattered the silence.
The bullet sliced through the air toward me, but I had already anticipated it. I twisted to the side, dodging by mere inches, the sharp sting of the near miss grazing my senses. My heart pounded, but I didn’t falter. I didn’t show fear.}]
“Trigger–happy, are we?” I taunted as I ducked behind a stack of crates, slipping a small device from my pocket. My thumb hovered over the activation button as I let my voice carry through the warehouse. “That’s not very smart, Rafael.”
A beat of silence followed.
Then, without hesitation, I pressed the button.”
The bomb timer ticked down faster.”
Tick. Tick. Tick.E
I could feel the tension shift as Rafael’s men exchanged uncertain glances, waiting for their leader to react, expecting him to panic.}}
But he didn’t.
Not even a flicker of worry crossed his face.”
That was when it hit me.
He didn’t come here to save Miranda. He came here to kill me.”
“She was always disposable to you, wasn’t she?” I asked, gripping my gun tighter as I peeked through the gaps between the crates. “You never planned to save her,”
Rafael let out a slow exhale, his expression devoid of emotion. “You should have stayed hidden, Valeria.“M
And just like that, the gunfire erupted again.”
I barely managed to dodge as bullets rained down, splintering the crates around me. My pulse raced as I sprinted toward another cover, my mind calculating every possible escape route.#
Then, before I could be completely cornered-
The warehouse doors burst open 8
Gunfire erupted from the entrance as Darius stormed in with his men.
But he wasn’t alone E
Lorenzo was right behind him, flanked by a dozen highly trained assassins. I didn’t recognize them, but their efficiency was undeniable as they moved with deadly precision, taking down Rafael’s men one by one.
Chaos exploded.
The air filled with the deafening sound of gunfire and the sharp, metallic scent of blood. Bodies dropped to the ground as bullets found their targets, and the entire warehouse descended into a battleground.
I didn’t hesitate. I raised my gun and fired at the nearest enemy, hitting him straight in the chest. Another one lunged toward me, but I twisted, delivering a swift kick to his ribs before finishing him off with a shot to the head.}
“Darius!” I shouted over the chaos, my breath coming in sharp bursts.}
His sharp gaze immediately locked onto me.§
He didn’t hesitate.D
With precise movements, he cut through the battlefield, dodging bullets and taking down opponents with lethal efficiency. His speed was inhuman, his strikes calculated, deadly. Within seconds, he was in front of me, his strong grip wrapping around my wrist as he scanned me for any injuries.
“Are you hurt?” His voice was sharp, urgent.§
I wiped a streak of blood from my cheek, smirking. “Not enough to slow me down.“}]
His jaw clenched, but there was no time for an argument. “We need to move. Now.”
A few feet away, Lorenzo was providing cover, his movements fluid as he took down another one of Rafael’s men. But before he could fire again->
A gunshot rang out.
Lorenzo’s body jerked as blood splattered across the cold concrete floor.
Iturned just in time to see Rafael lowering his gun, smirking.
Lorenzo staggered, a hand pressing against the wound in his side. But even as blood seeped between his fingers, his grip on his weapon tightened. With a furious growl, he lifted his gun and fired back, hitting one of Rafael’s men straight between the eyes.
He didn’t fall. But I could see he was losing blood–fast.}
I wanted to move toward him, to help him, but before I could take a step-
“Valeria, move!” Darius yanked me toward him, shielding me as more bullets rained down in our direction.
Behind us, Miranda’s screams filied the warehouse, her voice raw with desperation.
“NO! No, no, no! Get me out of here! Rafael, you bastard, help me!” She thrashed violently in the backseat, but no one even spared her a glance.
No one gave a damn.”
