Page 81 of Inheritance

The gunman was taking aim again. His face held no emotion as he patiently aimed?—

and another bullet was fired.

This time from beside me.

It was Damien.

The assassin staggered, clutching his stomach, and dropped the gun over the railing before stumbling away.

I dropped to my knees.

My hands shook in front of me. I wiped them on my dress, then looked at them. But they were clean. No blood. Nothing.

I kept staring at them, unable to do anything else.

They didn’t feel clean.

Where was Caroline? She was right here, wasn’t she?

I felt myself being held up by strong hands and lashed out.

“Let go of me!”

I kicked, punched at the man taking me. Then froze. It was Damien. His eyes were wide with horror. His grip weakened, and he let go, taking a cautious step forward.

Gabriel and his father lay motionless in a growing pool of blood.

I ran to Gabriel just as men carefully rolled the Don off him.

I fell beside him, taking his face in both hands. I could barely see his features through the blur of tears in my eyes, through the blood on him.

But he was looking back at me, his brow furrowed, like he was trying to figure out what I needed, what was wrong.

Then he jerked his head away—toward his father—just as the old man sucked in a rasping, wet breath.

“Father,” Gabriel said, cradling his head in his hand, the other lifting his shirt.

I let out an shaky whimper at the sight of two bullet holes in his chest and stomach, gushing blood with each rapid heartbeat.

“Get some fucking bandages! Get a doctor!” Gabriel yelled.

“Son,” the Don rasped, trying to lift his hand toward Gabriel’s face. He didn’t have the strength to reach it.

“You’re going to be alright.”

“No.” He whispered, then wheezed a sickening breath, eyes wide, growing paler by the second.

The Don looked me right in the eyes, and he saw my fear.

He looked at Damien beside me, then up at Gabriel. Love, regret, and pain all at once twisted his expression, filling his eyes. He opened his mouth as if desperately trying to speak—but only coughed up blood.

Another wet breath.

“Where’s the fucking doctor?” Gabriel roared.

“Boys… I’ve always—” His voice broke. “You know?—”

Another wet breath.