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There. problem solved.
Of course, Dante will probably still come after me for killing Erik. He and Erik have a lucrative thing going on. Dante will be pissed when he loses out on power if Erik is gone. But that’s a problem for another day.
In the meantime, I wait for Sal to arrive.
I know he wants me dead. I know a man like him will not be able to resist coming to me.
It takes hours but I eventually hear footsteps on the front porch. He doesn’t open the door. I keep my gun ready.
Then his footsteps recede.
What the fuck is he doing?
It takes a few seconds but then I hear him near the back of the house.
I spin around just in time as Sal fires off his gun. A bullet zips by my head but I duck behind the couch just in time.
Sal is in the doorway to the living room, having come in through the back door. I knew he’d play dirty.
“You really thought you could kill me?” Sal asks. “You thought I’d be stupid enough to come through the front door? I’m disappointed, Finn. I expected better of you.” He fires multiple rounds into the couch, preventing me from even moving. Sal is a good shot. If I make a run for it, he’ll kill me.
So, I just have to kill him first.
The second there’s a break in the shooting, I peek my head up and aim my gun at him. The bullet lands in his shoulder but doesn’t knock him back, Sal only gives me a savage grin as he fires his gun once more.
I duck back down. His footsteps get closer and closer. Fucker thinks he can corner me back here. Well think the fuck again.
The moment Sal reaches the couch, I jump over it and kick him in the chest, sending him sprawling to the ground. He only fires at me some more but I manage to run out of the way and avoid getting hit. I turn my gun back onto him but my shot misses as he scoots back.
I pull my trigger once more… and find that I’m out of bullets.
Sal’s smile is savage as he pulls his own trigger.
And nothing comes out.
“Looks like we’re in the same predicament,” I say, tossing my gun to the side as I run at him. Sal does the same, limping as he runs, and we meet in the middle of the room. Our bodies crash into each other and we fall to the ground.
We punch and kick and scratch as each other as we roll around. One of us is going to win. It’s going to be me of course. I will not let this fucker win just so he can get his hands back on Aria.
“How’s your wife?” Sal asks, landing a solid punch to my cheek. That’s going to bruise. “Does she miss me? I sure do miss my little plaything.”
“How’s your dick?”
“What?”
“I’m going to cut it right off you when I kill you.” I hit him in the nose and he jerks back. “Or maybe I’ll torture you first. Cut off your dick and feed it to you and then kill you.” I get on top of him and rain punches down onto his face.
What I’m not expecting for is for Sal to have a knife.
He goes to plunge it into my side but I roll off of him just in time. He swipes at me and I have no choice but to back up. He manages to cut my arm, leaving a trail of blood behind as I run around the room. Fucker. I don’t have a knife. I only had my gun. I’m off my fucking game because of Aria and I don’t like that one bit.
Sal is savage as he lunges at me with his knife. It almost gets me. If he stabs me in the stomach, I’m a goner. I’ll never get to save Aria. I’ll never get to see my mom again. I’ll never get to make amends with Aiden.
Fuck. I don’t want to die here.
Taking Sal down is going to be harder than I thought.
I’m a prideful man and I hate admitting defeat but right now, I know in my gut that I’m not going to win this fight. And if I want the chance to save Aria, I need to leave and get back to her before Sal can find her again.