Matteo freezes, head tilting like a predator scenting prey. “Did you hear that?”
I nod acutely aware of how exposed I am, how vulnerable. My knife is somewhere on the floor where I dropped it during our encounter. The sound comes again, longer this time, a pained moan that ends in a gurgle.
“Someone’s hurt,” I whisper, clumsily buttoning the jacket.
Matteo’s hand disappears inside his waistband, emerging with a matte-black handgun I didn’t even know he was carrying. Where the hell did he even hide it when… nope. It doesn’t matter right now.
“Stay behind me,” he orders, voice dropping to that flat, cold register I recognize as his business tone.
“Like hell,” I mutter, spotting my knife and scooping it up. It feels inadequate compared to his gun, but it’s better than nothing.
Matteo’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t argue, just nods once. “Close, then. Very close.”
We move together toward the source of the sound, around the stage and into the shadowed area behind it. The backstage is a maze of equipment, props, and curtains, black on black on black, making every shadow look like a potential threat.
The moaning grows louder, more distinct. A woman’s voice, I think, though pain has twisted it into something barely human.
When we round a stack of speakers, the scene that greets us stops my heart mid-beat.
Three bodies lie sprawled across the floor in spreading pools of blood that look black in the low light.
Vito, Matteo’s ever-present shadow, lies face down, the back of his head a ruined mess of bone and brain matter. Next to him is Kayla, the redhead from the bar, her eyes open and glassy, throat slashed with such force that her head is nearly severed.
And then there’s Gia, the only one still moving. She’s on her side, clutching her stomach where dark blood seeps between her fingers, staining her dancer’s outfit. Her breathing comes in wet, rattling gasps, each one a desperate fight for life.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” I breathe, the words barely audible.
Matteo’s posture changes instantly, his body tensing like a drawn bowstring. He scans the room, gun raised, every sense on alert. “Check Kayla,” he instructs, voice tight with controlled fury. “I’ll cover you.”
I drop to my knees beside Kayla’s body, trying not to look at her vacant eyes or the gaping wound in her neck. My fingers search for a pulse, though I know it’s useless—no one survives having their throat cut like that.
Gia’s eyes find mine, wide with fear and pain. Her lips move, forming words I can’t hear. I lean closer, drawn by some instinct I can’t name.
“Who did this?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady. “Gia, who hurt you?”
“F…” Her mouth opens, blood bubbling at the corners as she tries to speak. I lean closer, straining to hear the whisper. “Fi… Fin…”
“We’ll find them,” I reassure her. “Shh, it’s fine, Gia. You don’t need to speak now.”
“Fi…” she tries again, and I can only nod as numbness threatens to set in.
I might have just delivered an epic speech of not being Piper, but this is too much. The smell is disgusting, and the sight is one I’ll never be able to unsee. I need some fresh air. I need…
My thoughts scatter as Matteo roars my name, the sound tearing through the silence like a physical force.
“Mat—” Before I can finish saying his name, I feel his hands on my shoulders, shoving me sideways with such violence that I can’t catch myself.
My body flies through the air, weightless for a fraction of a second before the wall rushes up to meet me. Pain explodes through my skull as it connects with concrete, white-hot and blinding.
Stars burst behind my eyes, my vision tunneling to pinpricks of light in an expanding darkness. Through the narrowing circle of consciousness, I see Matteo turning, gun raised, his body positioned where mine had been moments before.
There’s a flash of movement from the shadows which is followed by the pop from a gun being fired. I feel like I’m watching it in slow-mo when Matteo’s body jerks and he falls to his knees.
“No,” I try to scream, but my voice won’t work, the word trapped in my throat as darkness creeps in from all sides.
Chapter 33
Raven
