Fury overwhelms me. “She’s not righteous, you son of a bitch. She’s just right! There’s a big difference.”
Nino whirls, aiming his gun at my face.
As Cat bucks like crazy, I zigzag down the hallway, becoming a difficult target for Nino.
A bullet shatters the recessed lighting as I leap over Cat and plow into her brother.
He releases his chokehold to block my attack.
When we hit the stairs, his gun goes flying, clattering across the floor.
I land partly on Cat and shift my legs so she can crawl out from under me.
Finding the necessary leverage, I pin Nino with my leg and punch him. After spending half the afternoon chained to a rafter, I’m raring to go.
I could kill him with my bare hands. Maybe I will.
Cat grabs my right arm from behind, hooking it in both of hers.
I spin. “Get out of here!”
“Please don’t kill him, Connor!” She’s choking on her words.
Even now, even after all he’s done, a tiny part of her believes in her soulless brother.
I hate seeing her grieve his worthless ass.
Unfortunately, Nino only needed this one moment of distraction to shove me off and scramble up the stairs like a lizard scales a wall. On his hands and knees, he rushes into the bell tower.
Unless he’s Spider-Man or has a helicopter in his pocket, he’s not going anywhere.
I gather Cat into my arms, squeezing her against my chest. “Fuck, Cat. I was so scared I lost you.”
She clings to me, tiny puncture points of pain radiating into my body from every place her arms put pressure. I breathe through the agony so I can kiss her.
She gasps against my mouth before returning the kiss with heat.
I rear back, laughing. “I love you so much.”
She cups my cheek.. “Me too.”
That’s still not an“I love you,”but we’ll deal with her fear of the “L” word after we deal with her brother.
Cat bites her lip. “You were right about Nino. About everything, Connor.”
I tuck a strand of flyaway hair behind her ear. “Don’t beat yourself up. Nino’s behavior is unnatural, and you were too close to the situation to see it.”
I kiss her with even more force this time, my tongue intertwining with hers. She tastes amazing. I suck air through my nose to bask in her scent. I could do this forever.
She retreats, noticing my beat-up face for the first time. A smear of blood now stains her own nose, and I use my thumb to swipe it off.
She sighs. “I have to handle Nino my way, okay? I can’t step into the spotlight…if you don’t move aside so I can take center stage.”
“You’re right.” I peer into her thoughtful eyes. “But you just took hold of your family, which has grown substantially in the last few hours. They are yours now, as am I. They love you, as do I. And we can’t lose you.You’re too important.”
As soon as my words sink in, her eyes brim with tears.
When she blinks, they spill down her cheeks. “I feel like killing my brother would dishonor my father. That can’t be how I take control.”
