Page 99 of Dark Desires

Domenico stumbles back, a dark bloom of red spreading across his pristine shirt.

He crumples to the ground.

Isabella screams.

I’ve had enough. It’s time to end this.

I pivot sharply to the nearest guard, my hand darting out to grab his pistol, yanking it from the holster and clicking off the safety. A single, clean shot to his chest sends him down.

Christian shouts, diving for cover behind one of the pillars, but not before I fire off a few more rounds. They miss, but they do their job. He and his guards are pinned down, giving me just enough time.

I sprint to Isabella, grabbing her arm and pulling her behind the low stone wall near the fountain. She’s clutching something in her hand—a gun.

“Do you even know how to use that thing?” I ask.

She nods her head. “Yes, but my aim is shit.”

“Doesn’t matter. Just stay down and stay calm.” I check the chamber of my gun, peeking over the edge of the wall. “The cavalry’s on its way.”

“Calvary?”

I nod, scanning the courtyard. “My people. They’ll be here any second. We just need to hold on.”

Suddenly, the courtyard explodes into battle, gunfire echoing in rapid bursts. Isabella ducks lower, clutching the gun to her chest. I lean over the edge, firing off shots to keep Christian’s men down.

“Stay with me, Isabella.”

She nods. “I’m not going anywhere.”

The air is thick with smoke and the acrid scent of gunpowder. Gunfire crackles around us, deafening bursts that seem tocome from every direction. Christian’s voice cuts through it all, barking orders to his men.

Isabella is beside me, her face pale but set in a determined expression. It’s dawning on her—her father has been shot. Her breaths come fast and shallow, and I know she’s seconds from panic.

“Isabella! He might not be dead. But if we don’t hold out,wewill be.”

She nods, her grip tightening on the pistol.

I can see the tremor in her fingers, the fear threatening to overwhelm her.

“Give me that,” I say, taking the weapon from her.

Raising both guns, I fire over the cover in quick succession, aiming to keep Christian’s men off balance. The pistols kick sharply in my hands. Shooting two guns at once isn’t all that great for accuracy, but damn, does it put the fear of God into whoever you’re shooting at.

All the same, my aim is true. I drop one guard with a clean shot to the chest and another with a bullet to the shoulder.

“Stay close to me,” I bark, glancing back at Isabella. “Move when I move and stay out of the line of fire.”

We keep moving, but the guards keep coming, their sheer numbers pressing us into a tighter corner. But I can’t falter. I’m protecting not just Isabella—I’m protecting the life growing inside her. The thought sharpens my focus, fuels the fire inside me.

I reload quickly, my fingers steady. Another guard rounds the corner, and I take him out with a single shot. But no matter how many fall, more take their place.

We’re surrounded.

Christian steps into view, his lips curling into a smug grin. He doesn’t even bother with cover, so confident is he in his victory.

“Well, well,” he says, spreading his arms theatrically. “The mighty Alexei Plushenko brought to his knees. And the lovely Isabella Mancini, right where she belongs. You two make quite the pair.”

“Stay close,” I say quietly to Isabella. “It’s almost over.”