Damon remains still, quiet. The silence permeates the room and becomes thicker and thicker until I'm practically choking on it.
I'm gambling my life at this point.
I'm betting that he does love me. And I'm betting that he won't shoot me because of that fact.
“If you ever felt anything for me at all, you won’t do this,” I plead with him.
The door from the kitchen opens, and one of the servers stops in his tracks, the bottle of champagne he was carrying drops to the floor, glass shattering and expensive liquid splashing everywhere.
The man runs back into the kitchen, yelling in Italian for help.
"You've run out of time, Arlo," my father sneers from behind me.
"Victoria," Damon pleads,his face intense, his eyes studying mine, and I watch as a myriad of emotions cross over his features.
"My men will be in here any second, and you will be dead…just like the rest of the Rossis."
My father's words have an effect on him. The gun, which had been unstable just moments before, is now eerily still. "I'm sorry," he whispers to me before the gun goes off.
The bullet rips through my thigh, the force of it knocking me off balance. With fire running wild in my nervous system, my injured leg gives out and I fall backwards, hitting the back of my head against the stone mantle in front of the fireplace. I collapse onto the floor, hard, in a broken heap.
My ears ring and my vision blurs as I look up to see Damon pointing the gun at my father. No longer able to keep my eyes open, they flutter closed.
And then I hear two more shots ring out just as I lose consciousness.
CHAPTER 29
DAMON
WHEN I SEE her beautiful head hit the floor, I turn my attention to her father, who has a look of pure shock on his face. He didn't think I'd have the guts. Too bad for him that he clearly underestimated me and the lengths I would go for my revenge.
I quickly squeeze off two more shots into the man who has haunted my dreams for the past thirteen years and destroyed my fucking family. Two in the chest. Right into the black hole where his heart should be.
I'm ready to go for the final kill shot, but he falls to the floor in a heap alongside his daughter. I wanted to look him in the eyes as I took his life, but I don't have enough time now.
The server saw what was happening. I’m sure he already alerted the guards. And now with the gunshots they just heard…
They're coming for me.
I take a step back, but pause. Victoria is motionless on the floor, unconscious with a crimson bloom spreading over the hem of her light blue dress. The diamond in her engagement ring glitters in the light, and I can't seem to tear my eyes away from it.
Victoria wasn't part of the end game. She wasn't supposed to get hurt…physically, but she wouldn't move out of the fucking way.
I did what I had to do,I tell myself.
I purposely shot Victoria in the thigh. I was intentionally not trying to mortally wound her.
But the bullet could have struck a major artery.
She could bleed to death before they can get her the help she needs.
So many scenarios are swimming through my mind.
But there's only one ending to this twisted fairy tale — the dark knight has to leave the princess behind and flee like a coward, leaving her to possibly die alongside her bastard of a father.
And so that's exactly what I do.
Running from the room, I go through the kitchen. The chef is stunned and wide-eyed as I go rushing past him. I find the back door and push through it, rounding the side of the house to the front where my SUV is parked. I slow my steps and crouch as I practically crawl to the driver's side door.
