Gun shots.
My head snapped forward.
Screaming.
I had to be fucking hallucinating again.
My wife.
That was my wife.
My old man put a hand to my chest to keep me in place.
The lights came on again.
He put two fingers to his eyes and then pointed forward.
Don’t rush into something you can’t get out off and doom both of you. Think.
Emotion ruled me. I knew the sound of her voice. I knew the sound of the beating of my heart. It was fucking frantic.
We moved with caution but quickly.
A thick circle of men had herded her in. They were pushing in on her, and she was fighting. Screams pierced the air from above.
Livia.
She was fighting to get down the stairs.
To help Mia?
She was shouting at themtoMove! Let me go! My son’s life!
They weren’t listening. Her mother stood above, looking down, her eyes fixed and hard.
I broke into the thick circle of men like a wrecking ball. It took them off guard.
Guns blasted. The wolf snarled. Bodies dropped. Hand-to-hand combat.
Someone pulled my hair. I flung my head back, connecting with a face. I felt the blow and heard the crunch.
My wife was at the center of the madness.
Our eyes connected, but there was no time to stall. I gave her my gun and set her in front of me. I had to watch her back. But the men had moved, spread out, fighting or getting out of the way.
“Rio!”
I turned.
It was a second in time that I wanted to fucking freeze—rewind to seconds before, pushing her down.
By the time I had Mia positioned behind me, the bullet had already been discharged from the chamber. It hit my chest with enough power to knock me back. We both fell to the floor.
Cerise fell right after, her daughter’s hand’s shaking as she held the gun that tore a hole in the woman’s stomach. My old man stood behind her. He was about to take the shot himself.
“Must have been a good fucking threat.” My voice was light. My head, too.
“Rio.”
