“What are you talking about?” I glance at my uncle, but he’s already looking at me. Intuition prickles at the back of my neck.
“You just wouldn’t give me what I wanted,” Rio continues on the phone.
“Can we talk about this when you get here?” I swallow thickly. “I think I need backup.”
“I’m already here, Elena,” Rio says, “Look up.”
My head snaps up in time to see him level his gun in my direction. He doesn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.
“No!” I scream, managing to jump to the ground before the bullet hits. It shatters the glass above my head, but he doesn’t stop. The shots keep coming. Pain slices through my thighas a bullet lands, ripping through my skin and muscle. I cry out as I try to drag myself toward the front of the car. The bullets stop just as feet step in front of me.
I tilt my face toward the sky, to where my uncle glares down at me.
“A woman cannot lead the De Luca mafia, Elena,” He sighs sadly, “Such a shame it had to come to this.”
“You filth,” I spit onto his shoe, “You fucking traitor!”
Despite the pain, I get onto my hands and knees, blood running in rivers down my leg, dripping and congealing on the sandy dirt road.
A foot makes contact with my abdomen and kicks me over onto my back, stealing the air from my lungs. The sun blinds me for a second until my uncle shields it from my eyes. “It doesn’t have to end like this. Stop fighting.”
“You can have the throne over my dead fucking body,” I hiss, but I stay down. I know he’ll only kick me again, beat me bloody until he’s done having his fun. The sick bastard.
“That’s the idea, Elena,” He cocks his head, “I didn’t want to have to do it, but your boyfriend is apparently a shit shot.” He holds his hand out and the driver places a weapon in his palm.
“This is how you fight your wars, uncle?” I slowly reach for my gun, keeping my moves lightso they don’t stop me. “The coward’s way?”
His face twists, “I am not a fucking coward you little bitch!” His spit lands on my cheek just as his foot lands another blow to my ribs. I hiss through the pain, but it allows me enough movement to slide my hand up my dress. There’s three of them and one of me. All I need to do is get away, buy enough time to deal with this. If I can take one or all of them out, then I will, but that isn’t my goal.
Survive.
That is the only goal.
Rio betrayed me.
My right-hand fucking man.
My uncle is a rat. A coward. A fucking traitor.
I get a bloody grip on my gun and click off the safety just as he rises to his full height again. He moves to level the gun with my head, so I move quicker and fire blindly. It hits him in the arm.
He cries out in pain, falling away, and I scramble up, almost going down again when the pain in my leg flares to life. I cannot keep in the cry of agony as I use the car to keep my balance and start to run.
Rio remains still, eyes on me, not firing or even moving to lift his weapon, just watching. There is no emotion on his face, but then he lifts his hand and gives me a little finger wave.
I’m going to kill him first.
I duck around the car just as another shot is fired, missing me by only a couple of inches.
Run, Elena. Run!
So I do, the pain in my body second to the need to survive. Adrenaline gives me enough boost to cover the pain for now as I take off in a sprint, kicking off my heels in the process. Immediately the dirt and the grit bite into my soles, cutting up my feet. Shots ring out behind me, but I zig zag, praying they miss every time I hear the pop echo off the mountains.
One catches me on the arm, grazing my left shoulder, but for now, the pain is a dull afterthought.
Just keep running.
I head for the line of trees for cover, my uncle’s voice carrying behind me.
