CHAPTER 24 - RED
CHAPTER
Red
“YOU NEED WRIST straps.” I lay out the reinforced supports, which I hope will give Arianna’s damaged wrists the strength she’ll need. “Guns have powerful recoils - even small ones.”
“I want a big gun, not that. I need something like a sawn-off!”
I want to laugh, but I’m too tired. My back is so stiff from standing in the same position on guard outside Arianna’s bedroom last night that the act of laughing might well snap my spine in two.
But that she didn’t have another nightmare is all the incentive I need to continue being there. On top of that, with the mood she’s in, laughing won’t go down too well. “Sawn-offs aren’t what I’d suggest for this. They’re too cumbersome.”
This plan isn’t what I’d suggest either. In fact, it’s the opposite. I grit my teeth. Whether I want it or not is of little consequence. If I don’t do this, Arianna will walk, and unless she knows what she’s doing, which she doesn’t, she’ll achieve nothing but problems.
I shudder. Without instruction, the only thing she’ll achieve is being overpowered and taken again. Or shot dead. Neither of those things can I allow.
I pretend to ignore her scrutiny, but it’s difficult as her eyes burn wherever they rest. I’d do anything to go back to how we were before this shit kicked off - the one day we had together before the world became flat and the embryos of hope were destroyed before they had a chance at life.
“You don’t believe I can do this, do you?”
Her voice is accusing. She’s also correct, but I won’t admit that.
I’m counting on her finding this whole thing impossible and a bad idea.
Very soon she’ll realize her obsession with doing the job herself is impossible.
When that happens, I can get on with my job: protecting her and killing those bastards myself.
“What I think...” I place the wrist support over her bandage and tighten it as much as I can without hurting her, “is that you need to have this on before doing anything!”
My fingers linger. I can’t help myself. Arianna withstands my touch only as long as the last strap is secured before pointedly moving away.
Deflecting from my hurt at her actions, I nod to the target I’ve fixed to the cellar wall. “The lighting isn’t the best, but...”
“I might have to shoot them in the dark. It depends what options I get on the day, so it’s best to cover worst-case scenarios.” Arianna helps herself to the pistol I’ve placed on an old wooden cabinet, her eyes filling with disdain. “This is tiny!”
“It will kill, so that’s all you need worry about. Those cunts won’t wait while you fish parts of a shotgun out of your handbag and smile while you assemble it!”
“Yeah, maybe, but I’d like them to!” she laughs.
I find myself smiling at the first hint of anything other than anger coming from Arianna, but as I turn to face her with the smile still on my lips, her face reverts to stone.
“Shall we just get on with it?” she snaps, then frowns. “You were right about my father,” she continues matter-of-factly. “I should have listened.”
I hide my surprise at her admission. There’s part of me that would relish sneering and saying, “I told you so”, but that side of me where Arianna is concerned no longer exists. “Whether I was right or not is of little consequence now.”
Arianna watches me with cold, hard eyes showing little resemblance to the woman I married.
The violet light which enthralled me so much has dulled.
I hate Emiliano Galvatore and his bastard son for removing that, let alone everything else.
But shining violet eyes or not, she’s still the woman I want more than anything.
I just wish she felt the same about me.
Since hearing her intention to leave once these killings are carried out, granting us both our “freedom”, reclaiming her as mine looks unlikely. That won’t deter me from trying, though. I don’t want freedom. Not from her.
“Don’t you realize that I need to stop this before my sister becomes their next...”
Her voice trails off and she swallows, collecting herself - desperate not to show how much what has happened has affected her.
Of course it’s fucking affected her! How could it not?
I just wish she’d talk to me; tell me exactly what that bastard did. Although it might kill me hearing the facts I already know, then I could help somehow.
Maybe?
I could at least do or say something to dilute her pain by taking it on myself.
“I have to kill them before the wedding,” Arianna continues, her eyes flashing momentarily with panic before masking it. “There’s only a week before it happens!”
“I’m well aware of that,” I mutter.
“Then if you’re aware of the necessity and urgency, why are we not getting on with it?”
I haven’t done anything about providing her with the means to call her sister either, and she hasn’t asked again.
Yet. I’m hoping she doesn’t because from what has been said about Maria Galvatore, if she speaks to Arianna, she’s far too obedient not to speak freely about it if questioned by her father.
There’s no way of knowing what information Arianna might innocently give her that could be used to fuck up the plan of taking Matteo and Luca down.
My other reason for not rushing to honor Arianna’s request is that her sister isn’t at risk. The situation will be dealt with long before her planned marriage to that wanker.
Arianna turns her attention to the pistol and holds it towards the target. Fuck’s sake, she’s doing it all wrong.
I’ll go through the motions of training her in what she wants, but the minute I receive confirmation of where those fuckers are hiding, I’ll take matters into my own hands. Sister or not, Maria isn’t at risk right now. Arianna is.
If not already, soon those cunts will discover where Arianna is, and I’m not waiting for that. I’m getting in first.
Taking a deep breath, I walk up behind her. “Hold it like this...” Reaching under her arm, I guide her hand into the correct position, waiting for her to flinch from my touch, but she doesn’t.
Seeing exactly how determined Arianna is to do this triggers a further wave of respect for this beautiful woman. Instead of praying for her failure in ability for this task, I should work with her. It’s the least I can do.
My fingers rest on hers above the trigger. “Now, keep your finger here, like this. Pull in just a tiny bit... Yeah, that’s it.”
My face is inches away from the back of her head, and the urge to bury my nose in her silky raven hair and inhale her scent gets stronger. I curse the aching in my groin. Having my hard cock jammed up against the small of her back won’t be what she wants right now.
“Is this right?” she asks, turning slightly.
“Yeah, baby, that’s exactly right.” I immediately berate myself as she tenses at my words. I didn’t mean to be so familiar; it... it just came out. It felt natural.
The sudden buzz of my mobile gives me the excuse to move away, which I’m glad about. I need to pull myself together. “Bear with me for a second.”
Ignoring her impatient huffing, I pull my mobile from my pocket and open the received text:
[Cal – 10:40 23 Nov]
Think I have location
Will no 4 certain shortly
My heart jolts with anticipation. Cal, you fucking star!
Cal and his men have been searching high and low, putting every possible feeler out and trawling around the city waiting for a lead, the same way I’d do if I wasn’t holed up here. If Cal has Matteo and Luca’s location, then I can move. I’ll go straight for them and...
“For God’s sake! Are you doing this or not?” Arianna eyes my phone in disdain. “Surely this is more important than your fucking phone?”
“Yeah,” I mutter. If only she knew just how important this is to me.
Gritting my teeth, I move back into place behind her. With my hand on hers, I align the gun with the target. “Right, now look through that bit... Yeah, there. Try to hit somewhere within the circle. It doesn’t matter where. We all have to start somewhere.”
Arianna hesitates.
“Go on, you’re fine. Squeeze the trigger.” Fuck! I wish she was squeezing my balls and running her tongue along my...
It’s me who jerks when the gun fires, not her. Christ, Red, concentrate, you prick!
Quickly moving to the target, I’m surprised to see that Arianna has hit the third inner ring. “Not bad!” I admit. “You need to adjust the angle now. There’s always an offset to a barrel.”
“What do you mean?”
Jesus, how hot does she look holding a gun with that questionable frown on her face? No lipstick to smudge either...
“I mean...” I slide back in behind Arianna and reposition the gun. “You need to judge the offset depending on what you aim for and how much it fires off. Where exactly were you aiming?”
“For the middle bit, of course! Where the fuck else would I choose?”
“Arianna!” I growl, my fingers still on hers. “Have you forgotten that I don’t like women using bad language?”
“Only as much as you’ve forgotten that I have more reason than most to use it now,” she quips. “Just explain what you mean about the barrel offset and then I might get somewhere!”
Frowning, I see the sheer resolve on her face. “You’re determined to do this, aren’t you?”
Arianna cocks her head at me like I’ve had a piece of my brain surgically removed. “You have no idea how much!”
Taking the gun, I reset it and pass it back to her, starting to realize how much she actually does need to do this herself.