Page 87 of Corrupt Crown

My eyes blink several times in sheer disbelief, vaguely noting the thorough job he’s done of anchoring the sheets to the giant statue on the edge of the space, when I hear voices outside my bedroom door. “Oh, shit. We need to move.”

I swing my leg up, intent on climbing down first, but Sasquatch stops me and gives me his back, lowering himself to a crouch. “I’ll carry you. You’ll need to cover us when they break through.”

My stomach lurches, realizing he’s right, and I check my gun before hopping onto his broad back. “Hold on tight.”

Sasquatch eases himself over the side of the balcony, testing the sheets with his bulk before beginning his descent. He walks his feet down as far as the wall goes, taking a deep breath before he continues to lower us without any foot leverage.

His thick arms move quickly but carefully, carrying both our combined weights down the makeshift rope far easier than I’d have thought possible.

As we reach the end, I glance down and notice that the rope stops a good ten feet from the ground. I’m in the process of psyching myself for the fall when I feel Sasquatch’s shoulders stiffen. “I can hear them. They’re in your suite.”

My heart slams against my chest as we reach the end of the sheets, and Sasquatch whispers underneath his breath, “Quickly,Coniglietta.You jump first.Velocemente.”

Before I can give myself a chance to think, I bend my knees and let go, barely stifling a squeal as I fall much farther than I had anticipated. My feet hit the ground, and I tuck myself into a roll as my body follows.

“She’s here!”

A loud, masculine shout from above makes me push to my feet, ignoring the ache in my legs from my subpar landing as I pull back the slide on the barrel of my 9mm and angle it toward the balcony.

I pop off a shot, the bullet grazing the forehead of the owner of the voice, and he jumps back as Sasquatch drops to the ground somewhere to my left.

Two long rifles and a handgun appear on the balcony in the same place the wounded man disappeared from, and I inhale sharply before Sasquatch bellows for me to run.

“Move, Elodie.Go, go, go!”

I take off at a pelt as the sound of gunfire chases me, and I hear Sasquatch’s heavy breathing right at my back as we race across the landscaped gardens. Bullets hit the ground all around me, blowing up chunks of soil and grass, and I cry out in pain when one grazes the fleshy part of my upper arm.

My chest burns, but I don’t dare stop even though my legs feel like they’re about to go from underneath me, when suddenly I’m being hoisted into Sasquatch’s arms.

He keeps running, forehead beaded in perspiration as he grunts, “Almost there.”

And then, I hearhisvoice.

“Stop shooting, idiots. You could hither!”

Nico sounds furious as the gunfire comes to a sudden stop, and as we put distance between us and the house, I can hear him barking orders at hisSoldati.

We crest the small dip in the lawns before the ground gives way to the long dock. My stomach does a little jump for joy when my eyes light on the speedboat, gently bobbing on the waves.

“We made it.” My exclamation escapes on a breathy sigh as I turn to look up at Sasquatch, and my sigh catches in my throat.Reaching up my hand, I draw the pad of my thumb through a steady stream of blood trailing from one side of his mouth.

I quickly jump down out of his arms, noting how pale his face is as he blinks heavily before I pat his arms and shoulders, checking for injuries. Every muscle in my body freezes when I move around to his back.

“Oh, Emiliano.” My soft cry escapes on a sob as I take in the absolute carnage before me. His black cotton T-shirt is riddled with bullet holes. Torn flesh is blended with the black fabric, and all of it is drowned in dark red blood.

So much blood.

Dripping endlessly from his back, now pooling on the earth beneath our feet.

My mind races, wondering how he’s still standing.

I extend my hands to cover the wounds, desperate to stem the bleeding, and within seconds, both hands are covered in red. My breathing kicks up a notch when Sasquatch abruptly drops to his knees, and I reach for him, attempting to ease his fall. I barely manage to lower his heaviness to the ground and cradle his head in my lap.

His usually bright green eyes are dull as he watches me, and I swallow back a sob when he brings a bloodied hand up to brush his thumb across my cheek.

“I saved you, d-d-didn’t I?” His voice is small. Completely unlike his normal, larger-than-life self.

I nod in answer as tears fill my eyes before I force my lips upward in a tremulous smile. “My human shield.”