Page 88 of Read This Before the Villain falls in Love with You

"Shut up and tell me where to drive," I snap back, ignoring the hot sting in my arm.

Adrian glances up from his small screen while Enzo slides into the back seat beside Matteo, slamming the door. "The old stone farm outside town. A few cars by the trees and at least six guys waiting inside."

"Let me breach first," Enzo grunts, racking a shell into his shotgun with a sharp clack. "I haven't broken enough heads tonight."

"Matteo, you and Enzo take the back," I direct, foot heavy on the gas as rocks spray beneath the tires. "Adrian and I will walk through the front door."

Matteo checks his gun with a low chuckle. "I love taking the back door. Much better view."

Enzo sneers, his elbow digging into Matteo's shoulder. "Just stay behind me so you don't get shot, big cousin."

We speed through the winding dirt roads toward the last site. Bellini's weapons are gone, his bank accounts are smoked, and his safe houses are in ruins. Now all that matters is reaching the extraction point.

In the lead SUV, Adrian takes the wheel while Enzo and Matteo reload their weapons in the back. I check the GPS tracker we slipped into Nora's shoe before she left our estate.

Adrian watches the little screen on the dash. "Her dot is moving. Fast. Right down the main road."

Matteo laughs, leaning back in his seat. "She didn't wait. I knew she wouldn't sit there like a good little hostage."

My phone vibrates violently against my thigh. I pull it out and tap the speaker icon.

"Talk to me," I bark into the speaker.

"Boss, hear this?" the man yells over static. "Sara's whole compound is burning down. Guys are running around screaming."

I tighten my grip on the phone until the frame groans. "Where the hell is Nora?"

"She killed Sara Bellini," the scout gasps, breathless. "Sara talked shit about Sofia, and Nora went crazy. Took a car from the garage and smashed right through their front gate."

Matteo howls with laughter, slapping his knee. "Jesus Christ. Never let me make that girl angry."

"I told you she was dangerous," Enzo barks from the back, a fierce grin lighting up his bruised face. "She's got more balls than half our crew."

A fierce rush of pride hits my chest. I stare out at the mountain road ahead, my pulse racing.

"Take the dirt road on the right," I tell Adrian. "We meet her head-on before Bellini's men realize what hit them."

Adrian stomps on the gas, throwing the SUV into a tight slide around the ridge. Smoke from Bellini's ruined warehouses lights up the sky behind us.

Two headlights sweep across the tree line ahead. A stolen black sedan speeds down the gravel pass, kicking up dust as it swerves toward our convoy.

Both cars slam on the brakes, stopping bumper to bumper in the middle of the dark road.

The sedan door kicks open. Nora steps into our high beams, dark hair wild around her shoulders and a tire iron hanging from her bloody knuckles. Her dress is torn at the collar, dust streaking her throat, but she doesn't flinch against the glare.

I shove my door open before Adrian even cuts the engine. I cover the dirt between us in three long strides, kick the tire iron straight out of her grip, and yank her against my chest. Her breath hitches against my neck as my arms lock around her waist, dragging her off her feet. I crush my mouth down onto hers, hard and desperate, tasting copper, dust, and pure adrenaline.

A piercing, whistles splits the dark air from behind me. Matteo leans out the passenger window of the SUV, whooping at the top of his lungs while Enzo sticks two fingers in his mouth and lets out a deafening blast of his own, pounding the door frame with his fist.

Chapter 34

NORA

The metal gates slam shut behind us with a loud clang that rings down my back. The warm air smells like cut grass and lemons, but armed men stand every few steps with guns drawn, keeping my heart in my throat. Next to me, Luca walks in cold silence, while Adrian, Enzo, and Matteo flank us like walls of stone.

Luca presses his warm, heavy hand against my lower back to steady me as we climb the stone steps. "I've got you, Nora."

My knees wobble with every step. My hands feel like ice, the memory of Sara's snapped neck still haunts my mind, and I can barely look at the guards watching us pass.