11. Olivia
Olivia
“ I mpressive. I didn't think you actually had it in you. To pull that trigger.” Nova's breath brushes over my ear. “Now, drop the gun,” he adds. “Don't be silly. I'll slit your throat much quicker than you can take a breath.”
My hands tremble as his knife cuts through my flesh and I'm forced to drop the gun.
“Let her go!” Marco bellows, struggling to stand, a hand on his wound.
“Now isn't the time to play hero, Marco,” Nova says to him, pulling me closer himself.
Immediately, I see my brothers barging into the room with guns aimed at my captor.
“Nova!” Matteo's deep voice echoes through the walls, his eyes blazing with fury.
“Ahh, the entire squad is here,” Nova says, tightening his grip around the knife to my neck.
“Drop your weapon,” Lorenzo warns him, his gun aimed at Nova.
“Right after you drop yours,” he replies, his blade piercing my skin.
“Gimme one good reason I shouldn't put a bullet through your head right now,” Angelo says through gritted teeth.
“Do that and she's dead,” Nova says, his knife cutting deeper into my flesh.
“It's over. You've lost. We've raided your server room and your entire network of blackmail is destroyed,” Matteo says.
“Maybe.” Nova shrugs. “But tell me this, Don Bellanti. Do you really believe that she has been working with me this entire time?” he asks, planting a seed of doubt in my brother's heart.
My eyes shift to Matteo, and our gazes meet in a fleeting moment. I can see the hesitation—it's glaring as day that he's actually considering the possibility.
It breaks my heart that he entertains such an allegation against me even for a fraction of a second.
Nova smirks, seeing the doubt in my brother's eyes. “That's right, I didn't think so,” he brags.
I wince at the pain as his knife cuts much deeper than before. Just then, a gunshot rings out and I freeze. My breath hitched in my throat.
Silence falls for a moment, and it's like time itself stands still.
I'm still trying to process what happened when I feel Nova's grip loosen around me, and soon, his body thuds to the floor.
It was Marco—he fired the gun.
I'm not sure how he armed himself with one, but I'm grateful that he did. Free from my captor, I sprint toward Marco, my heart racing in my chest.
Matteo tries to hold me but I shove him away. “Don't touch me. How could you even consider that I'd betray my blood?” I glare at him.
As he's about to respond, another gunfire interrupts our conversation, prompting me to look in the direction it was fired.
Marco finishes Nova off with another bullet. This time he'd gone for his head. Apparently, the first shot only wounded Nova, and he'd tried to reach for a discarded gun on the floor.
Now, he is dead. For real this time.
I run into Marco's embrace, my hands flying around his neck.
“Are you okay?” he asks, his voice dripping with concern.
I nod, my eyes filled with tears. “Your wound.” My eyes dart to his bleeding abdomen.
“I’ll live,” he says, framing my face in his hands.
Marco reaches for my lips and seals them with a tender, passionate kiss. I can hear my brothers grumbling. But I don't give a shit and soon, their voices fade into the background.
At that moment, nothing else matters but me and Marco.