Chapter 14
Raine
Pain lances through my ribs as Dante yanks me forward, his grip like iron around my arm. My wrists are bound behind me, the zip ties digging into my skin, cutting off circulation. Every breath is shallow, every movement a reminder of the bruises he’s left behind.
I taste blood.
Dante shoves me into the center of the room, where his men stand in a loose circle. Their eyes flick between him and me, some amused, some wary. They think this is already over.
It’s not.
Dante grips my jaw, forcing my face up to meet his gaze. "Still fighting, sweetheart? Haven’t you learned by now?"
I don’t answer. I hold his stare, refusing to give him the satisfaction of fear.
He scoffs and releases me with a shove, making me stumble. "Stay down this time. Maybe I’ll reconsider killing your sister in front of you."
Mia.
I whip my head around, scanning the room for her. She’s at the far end, hands bound, her terrified eyes locked onto mine. She doesn’t make a sound, but I see the way her chest heaves, the way she’s barely holding it together.
"You bastard—"
Dante slaps me before I can finish. The crack of his palm against my face rings out in the silence. My head snaps to the side, pain blooming across my cheek.
Then—
Gunfire.
The door blasts open, splintering under the force of a boot. Men flood in, and suddenly, the room is a cacophony of bullets, shouts, and the sickening thud of bodies hitting the ground. I drop to my knees, instinctively ducking, my heart slamming into my ribs.
Emmett.
He moves through the chaos like a storm, taking down Dante’s men with ruthless efficiency.
Two other men flank him, their guns spitting fire as they clear the room.
Another figure to the left fights with brutal precision, a wild grin flashing across his blood-splattered face as he takes a man down with ruthless efficiency.
Dante snarls beside me, yanking me up like a human shield. "Calloway!"
Emmett takes a step forward, gun still raised, but Dante shifts, dragging me tighter against him, his grip bruising. His smirk widens. "Or what? You’ll shoot me? Risk putting a bullet in your precious little runaway?"
Emmett’s entire body tightens, his breathing controlled, but I see the fury burning behind his eyes.
"I swear to God, Moreau—"
"You’re not in a position to swear anything, Calloway." Dante cocks the gun, pressing it harder against my temple. "Drop your weapon. Or she dies."
The sounds of the fight seem distant now, fading into a hum around us. It’s just me, Dante, and Emmett—stuck in this deadly standoff.
Emmett tightens his grip on his gun, muscles coiled like a predator ready to strike. He doesn’t drop it. Not this time.
"You’ve got one chance, Moreau," Emmett growls. "Let her go. Now."
Dante chuckles darkly. "And miss the opportunity to finally put you in the ground? No, Calloway. We settle this here. You and me."
Behind Emmett, I catch a flicker of movement—other men advancing, their weapons raised. The men who came in with Emmett.
"Stay out of this," Emmett mutters to them without looking back. "This is between me and him."
A tense beat of silence. Then one of them nods, stepping back.
Dante’s grip loosens just enough for me to yank free, stumbling forward.
Emmett grabs my wrist, pulling me behind him, shielding me as I gasp for breath. I’m safe.
Now, it’s just him and Dante.
Emmett tosses his gun to the ground. "Let’s finish this."
Dante grins. "I thought you’d never ask."
Then he lunges.
They crashed into crates, fists flying. Dante manages to slash Emmett with a blade from his belt. There was blood everywhere.
The metallic scent clogs my throat, my vision tunneling as I watch Dante press the gun under Emmett’s chin.
Emmett is on his knees, dazed, his face bruised and bleeding.
Dante stands over him, a king savoring his victory, his breath coming in slow, controlled inhales, like he has all the time in the world to finish this.
"Any last words, Calloway?" Dante sneers, tilting his head.
Emmett lifts his head, his gaze locking onto mine across the room. No fear. No panic. Just a promise.
I swallow back the scream clawing at my throat. My hands are shaking, but I squeeze Mia’s arm, grounding both of us. I can’t let this happen. I won’t.
Mia is beside me, trembling, clutching onto Asher’s arm. He brought her to me in the chaos, shielding her as the firefight raged on, but now we’re both frozen, helpless, as Dante prepares to pull the trigger.
I scan the floor, my heart slamming against my ribs. There—a gun.
A few feet away, half-hidden beneath the body of one of Dante’s men. So close.
But I have to move now.
Dante cocks the hammer.
"Don’t do this," Ryan warns, his voice tight. "You kill him, you don’t walk out of here."
Dante barely acknowledges him, keeping his eyes on Emmett. "That’s the idea."
Fuck. Fuck. FUCK.
My body moves before my brain catches up. I lunge, hitting the floor hard, my fingers scrambling against warm, slick blood as I close around the grip of the gun.
I roll onto my back, aim, and pull the trigger.
The shot rings out like an explosion.
Dante jerks, his body going rigid before he staggers, a dark stain blooming across his chest. His fingers twitch around the gun still pressed against Emmett’s head, and for one horrifying second, I think he’ll pull the trigger anyway.
Then he drops.
The impact echoes through the warehouse, louder than the gunfire, louder than the blood rushing in my ears. Dante is dead.
I can’t move. I can’t breathe. The gun is still locked in my grip, my arms shaking.
Then Emmett moves.
He shoves Dante’s body aside, pushing himself to his feet with a wince. He sways, but he finds me in the chaos, his eyes burning as they lock onto mine.
“Raine.”
I don’t know who moves first. Maybe both of us.
But a second later, I’m in his arms, my body colliding into his chest, the gun slipping from my fingers as I grip him instead. He’s bleeding, bruised, barely standing, but he’s here. He’s alive.
"It’s over," I whisper, barely able to say the words. "He’s gone."
Emmett exhales against my hair, his hands tight on my waist. "Not over yet, sweetheart. We still have to get the fuck out of here."
And as the distant wail of sirens starts to creep into the edges of my hearing, I know he’s right.