I start to fall?—
—and strong arms catch me.
I’m pulled against a solid chest, familiar in a way that steals the breath I have left. I hear shouting now, chaos erupting around us, but all of it feels distant, muffled.
“Rose.”
His voice cuts through everything.
Matteo.
22
MATTEO
The room erupts the second I step inside.
Glass shatters. Screams tear through silk and marble. My men fan out fast, controlled, lethal, turning a wedding into a battlefield in the span of a breath. I don’t stop to admire the work.
Rose is falling.
I cross the distance in three strides and catch her before the floor can claim her, her body light and terrifyingly slack in my arms. Her skin is cold. Damp. Too pale against the white of the dress.
“Rose.”
Her eyes flutter. She’s breathing, but shallow. Wrong.
I swear and move her behind the altar, shielding her with my body as bullets crack and ricochet around us. I lay her down carefully, like if I’m gentle enough the world might pause.
“Stay,” I tell her, though I don’t know if she hears me. “Stay right here.”
I turn back to the chaos.
Anton is still on his feet.
He’s pale now, sweat darkening his collar, but there’s enough fury left in him to make him dangerous. He fires wildly, eyes locked on me like I’m the last thing he’ll ever see.
“You stole her,” he spits.
“No,” I calmly disagree. “She chose me.”
He lunges. We trade blows in close quarters—his strength fading, his movements sloppy now, the poison already winning. He clips my jaw. I put a fist into his ribs and feel something give.
“Brooklyn belongs to me,” he snarls, voice slurring just enough to betray him. “She always was.”
“No.” I advance, steady, gun raised. “She wasn’t.”
“Who the fuck do you think you are?”
“My name is Matteo Moretti. I am one of the five Dons of New York City.” My eyes narrow, my finger steady on the trigger. “And Brooklyn ismine.”
I put a bullet between his eyes.
Anton Pavlov drops where he stands, the sound of his body hitting the marble swallowed by the noise of the room finally going still.
I don’t look at him again.
I’m already on my knees beside the altar, hands shaking as I gather Rose back into my arms. She’s even paler now, lashes dark against her skin, lips parted slightly.
