Page 120 of Bellini Bound

The switch happened suddenly; he went from calm to frantic in an instant, shouting, “NO! This has gone on long enough!” And then my heart stopped when he lifted a gun, aimed directly at Enzo.

My husband raised both hands in a gesture of surrender. “Hey, let’s just take a breath and talk about this, okay?”

Crazed, wide eyes stared back at us, and the gun shook in Dad’s grasp. “Talk?” he spat. “You’re even stupider than I thought if you think you can use that silver-studded tongue of yours to get out of this. Not after you’ve put your hands on my daughter.”

“She’s my wife,” Enzo stated, keeping his voice even.

“Not after tonight, she won’t be!” Dad’s screamed words echoed off the high ceilings of the foyer.

Tears filled my eyes, and I begged, “Daddy, please don’t do this. I love him.”

“No, you don’t.” He shook his head violently. “You only think you do. It happens all the time when people are held prisoner. Developing feelings for your captor is a coping mechanism, not love.”

I tried to work my way out from behind Enzo, but he blocked each attempt. “Stay back,” he gritted out under his breath. “He’s not stable, so who knows what he’ll do.”

Did he think I couldn’t see that for myself? Sane people didn’t break into their daughter’s house in the middle of the night and point a gun at her husband.

“Logan,” Enzo tried again to reason with him. “For Allie, I’m fully prepared to let you walk out the door right now and pretend like this never happened.”

“I’d rather die than leave her here with you,” Dad sneered.

“You realize if you don’t put that gun down, that’s exactly what will happen. Think about it. At the sound of a gunshot, my men are going to burst in here, weapons drawn. Regardless of where your bullet lands, they won’t hesitate. They’re trained to shoot to kill when there’s a threat to me or Allie.”

High-pitched maniacal laughter came from my father. “This was always a suicide mission, Bellini. I’ve made peace with my imminent death, knowing Allie will be set free.”

The moonlight caught on the gleaming metal of Dad’s firearm, showcasing that his hand was trembling so badly that it would be a wonder if he didn’t pull the trigger by accident in his agitated state. And I knew Enzo well enough to have figured out he was keeping my father talking while he waited for an opportunity to reach for his own gun.

If I didn’t do something soon, this standoff was going to end in tragedy.

“Dad.” I stepped out into the open, drawing his attention to me.

Cursing under his breath at my direct disobedience, Enzo snagged my wrist to pull me behind him again, but Dad screamed, “Don’t fucking touch her!”

With my eyes trained on my father, I felt my husband release his hold as he hissed, “Allie, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

The truth was I had no fucking idea because no one prepares you for a moment like this. All I knew was that I had to find a way to have that gun pointed anywhere but at Enzo.

I spoke out of the side of my mouth. “Just give me a chance to reason with him.”

He huffed in frustration. “What do you think I’ve been trying to do this whole time? It’s pointless. He came here prepared to die.” Fear and desperation colored his following words. “Allie, please. Get behind me, baby. I need to make sure you’re safe.”

“He’s not going to hurt me, Enzo. Not when he came here to ‘rescue’ me.”

“Right now, he’s acting unhinged, which makes him unpredictable, and I won’t put you at risk because you think you can appeal to a part of him that is no longer present. That man over there isn’t your father. He’s a dangerous, suicidal maniac, and I need you to treat him as such.”

“Enzo—”

“ENOUGH!” Dad’s loud roar cut me off. “It’s time I put an end to this once and for all.”

My heart leapt into my throat when I saw his index finger twitch.

There wasn’t time to think, and instinct took over as I leapt in front of my husband.

Bang!

Chapter 30

Enzo