Page 124 of Dreadful

“Really? You did say that your favorite batch has been from the rows that consisted of my special blend, so you’re welcome,zio. That happens to be where I’ve placed most of the kills you ordered.”

Claudio’s eyes widen, his forehead pricks with sweat, and his skin pales, showing signs of doubt and defeat for the first time in my life. “You wouldn’t—”

“Severino!” My mother gags and shrieks. “You have to be lying! How could you do this to me?!” She falls to the ground and searches for one of her precious dinner napkins before scraping her tongue with it.

“That’s rich, Gertrude, considering you’re disappointed that you both are fucking up trying tokillme and the woman I love. You know I’ve never been any good at bluffing. I’ve always said the truth is beautiful, no matter what it reveals.”

“The truth?” Claudio scoffs. “Let’s test ‘the truth,’ shall we? You claim you love your whore, but when it comes down to it, will it be your life or hers?”

In a split second, several things happen all at once. Claudio retrieves his other gun from his shoulder holster, and at the same time, my mother flings herself at Tallie with a steak knife she must’ve found on the floor. It all happens in an instant, no time to make a choice. Claudio raises his gun at me and fires just as I shoot and dive to shield Tallie from my mother.

But I’m too late.

My mother collides with Tallie, who fumbles with something in her skirt and tries to get away. Claudio’s gun clatters to the ground, and he slumps back in his chair with his hand over his chest where my bullet landed. He’s struggling just to breathe, so I risk taking my eyes off of him and twist around to try to help Tallie.

My heart stops.

My mother is draped on top of Tallie, and neither woman is moving.

“Fuck, Tallie?!”

“I’m…here.”

I collapse next to her as my heart stutters back to life. “Oh,grazie a Dio! Thank God.”

I quickly help Tallie lift my mother’s body off of her. Blood coats Tallie’s stomach, and a pained cry rips from my chest.

“Dolcezza, no—”

I move the bloody apron aside and hurry to unbutton the dress underneath so I can assess her injury. My pulse is wild in my veins, but I hold my breath and try to keep it together.

“The blood isn’t…mine.” She winces as I split the halves of her dress to reveal her torso. “Cazzo, it hurts like it is, though.”

“The knife…did she stab you? The vest isn’t designed for that—”

My fingers run over the dent in the bulletproof vest I made her wear. The rest of the vest remains intact, no knife wounds in sight, and Claudio’s bullet is still lodged in the Kevlar. It was close range, so I bet it hurt like a bitch, and I’m not surprised it knocked the breath and fight out of her there for a little while. But a dent is all it is.A manic laugh bubbles from my chest.

“Shit, it worked. You’re okay.”

I gather her in my arms and draw her to my chest. She hugs me back all too briefly before pushing against my chest.

“I’m okay…but Sev, your mother…I’m so sorry.”

I twist with her in my arms to see where her pained expression is focused on. It’s a moment just like the one where I turned with her to find Tony. But in that moment, I felt anguish. Now? Now there’s nothing but relief.

Gertrude’s mouth hangs open, her eyes are glazed, and yet, somehow hate still etches her face. Tallie’s chef’s knife is hilt-deep in the other woman’s chest, with only the white pearl handle sticking out, and blood spills from her like a sieve.

It’s over.

A groan behind me stills us both, but Tallie springs into action.

“No!” She grapples with something on the ground and falls from my arms just as a deafening gunshot rings in the room.

“Tallie!”

I swivel around in time to see my uncle’s face go slack from the bullet wound now in his forehead. He drops the gun he was pointing at us and lands face-first into his steak. The wineglass that had survived me yanking off the tablecloth finally tips over and splashes on top of his head.

“Goddamn, what a shot,vipera. Where’d you learn to do that?” I laugh and look at her to congratulate her, but Tallie is hyperventilating with the gun still aimed at Claudio.