But that wasn’t what my heart told me. I’d always listened to my head, but as I took the gun from the guard, I knew it was time to listen to my heart.
I extended my arm, stepping over Veev’s decaying body, and growled, “Time’s up, old man.”
His body tensed, his arms moving as he slipped himself back into his slacks. Aida sat up straighter, the hope in her eyes shining as bright as the morning sun. He turned, slowly and carefully, as if he knew his fate had been sealed.
The guard shuffled next to me, not moving from my side. I’d taken from him, yet his loyalty had him standing with me.
Paolo’s gaze met mine, his eyes shuttering all of his emotions down in a millisecond. He opened his mouth, but I was done with him talking.
“I promised myself I would torture you.” I paused, taking another step toward him. “But knowing you’re no longer breathing is enough.” I squeezed the trigger, the bullet flying through the air and ripping straight through his head. He stood, his body swaying to the side, his life draining from his eyes. His body was trying to fight, but it was too late. He was done.
His body slumped forward, crashing to the ground, right on top of Veev. I pointed the gun down at him, firing off another two rounds into his head to make sure I’d finished the job. I wasn’t taking chances, not now.
“Lorenzo,” Aida gasped out.
I snapped my attention her way and darted forward, diving for her. The guard picked up the knife and ran behind her. “It’s okay, baby.” I pressed my hand to her face, trying to smile at her. “I got you now.” She nodded, wincing as the binds broke free. She inhaled a breath, pushing through the pain as I reached for her dress and held it up, covering her as much as I could. “I love you,” I confessed, unable to keep it in a moment longer. I’d waited to tell her, trying to find the right time, but I knew that there never was a right time. I’d nearly missed my moment with her, but I’d spend the rest of my life making sure I’d never miss a single opportunity to tell her how I felt.
She choked out a sob, her legs now free, and reached for me. “I love you too, Lorenzo.” Her arms wrapped around my neck. “So damn much.”
CHAPTER 21
AIDA
I held on to him, too afraid to let go. We were finally free, but that didn’t mean we were out of the woods yet. We were still in the warehouse, trapped inside, not knowing what was on the other side of the door.
“Don’t let go,” Lorenzo said, wrapping his arm around me and boosting me higher. He turned us so he could face the soldier who had helped us get free. A soldier who had watched Paolo torture us over and over again. “How many soldiers?” Lorenzo barked, his arms moving. Metal clinking told me he was checking how many bullets he had in his gun.
“Five,” the soldier stammered. “Three in the hall and two outside.”
I felt Lorenzo nod, and for a brief second, I closed my eyes. Hope built within me as he started to move across the warehouse, but when the door opened, and bullets flew our way, it diminished, a flame being snuffed out.
Lorenzo dipped us behind a corner, shots still coming our way, and grasped the side of my face. “Can you walk?”
I stared into his dark eyes, wincing as I moved, but knew that if he had to carry me, there was no way we’d both get out of here alive. It was time to be brave, time to put all of my pent-up anger at what we’d been through to use. “I’ll try.”
He nodded, planted a kiss on my lips, and took a breath. “Hold on to me. Don’t let go.” He paused. “Ever.” He was talking about more than in this moment, and all I wanted was to tell him that I had no intention of letting go, but instead, I dropped my legs from around him, my bare feet touching the cool concrete floor. “Ready?”
“Ready.” I grasped on to his pants, staying close but giving him enough room to make his shots. He fired off the gun three times, then smacked his back into the wall.
“Three down,” he huffed out, bringing the gun higher and pulling the clip out. “Two bullets left.”
My breaths came faster. There were still two soldiers left, and from the way he’d shot the three in here, I knew he had good aim, but that didn’t mean he’d be able to use his last two shots just as well.
Lorenzo’s chest heaved as he took a breath, and with one last look at me, he grabbed my hand and ran across the warehouse. I wasn’t sure where we were heading, and I didn’t think Lorenzo knew either, but there was only one hallway with one door at the end. A stream of light cascaded from the edge of it; a beacon calling to us.
He didn’t let go of me as he moved toward it, keeping his back to the wall, and I was right there next to him, not willing to be apart from him. He slammed his palm down on the door, then waited.
“What—”
The metal door flung open, and as soon as the first soldier stepped inside, Lorenzo let off one shot, hitting him right between the eyes.
“Fuck!” a deep voice shouted, but Lorenzo was lightning quick, twisting his body around the half-open door and letting off his final shot. The sound of a body hitting the ground had my shoulders slumping, and I knew then, we were free. We were finally free.
My head spun as I leaned my shoulder against the scratchy brick wall. All of the fight was leaving my body, my brain trying to shut down, but I couldn’t let it, not yet, not until we were away from here. I blinked several times, trying to clear the blurriness from my eyes as Lorenzo dipped outside, then darted back in.
“Stay with me, baby.” He bent, his one arm coming beneath my thighs and his other at the base of my back. He was trying not to touch the wounds on my back, but what he didn’t know was that every single time I moved, they burned like a hot poker was thrusting inside of me. “We’re nearly there,” he whispered, running toward the door.
I gasped as the air slapped off my bare back. “It hurts,” I groaned, finally feeling like I could tell him. I’d tried my hardest to keep up a front, but when it was just him and me, I could let the barriers down.
“Keys,” Lorenzo barked, and I opened my eyes, seeing the soldier again. His gaze met mine, his pale face telling me that he wasn’t sure whether he was going to live or die.
“I…”
“Keys. Now,” Lorenzo gritted out, moving his hand off the base of my back.
The soldier placed them in his palm and took several steps back. “What…what happens now?” the soldier asked.
“Now, you run.” Lorenzo straightened up, and I knew without looking at him that he meant business. “You get a one-time pass for helping us out of there.” He paused, his chest heaving. “But if I see you in the city again, I won’t hesitate to kill you for becoming his soldier.”
“I…I…”
Lorenzo spun around, and I was glad we didn’t have to stand and listen to him any longer. I was grateful he’d helped us, but he’d also stood in that warehouse and watched as Paolo tried to break us down and break us apart.
I gripped Lorenzo tighter as he ran across the yard, not knowing where he was going, but when he halted, I saw the edge of a car. “Lie on your front,” he told me, yanking open the back door. I felt the tears building as he maneuvered me into the back of the car and bit down on my bottom lip to stop them from falling. The car smelled like raw meat, but I didn’t care because this was our only way out of here.