Page 108 of The Temptation

And maybe she was right.

Maybe I’ve spent so long guarding my heart that I forgot what it feels like to let someone in. To trust.

I built these walls thinking they’d protect me, but all they ever did was keep the good out. I see it now. Survival is one thing, but living is something else entirely. Against the odds, she chose to live.

I should’ve shown her how incredible she is while I had the chance.

I should’ve showered her with all the love she deserves.

I should’ve done so much more.

So much fucking more.

I sit up straight in my seat, swipe the back of my hand over my eyes, and reach for my phone, pulling up Dominic’s number. I can’t just sit here when she’s out there somewhere, experiencing God knows fucking what.

He lost his shit when I first rang him and told him what had happened, and since he was already in town, he went straight to the airstrip.

He arrived before the two airport staff and the pilot, and like me, he’s now lying in wait for the rest to get here. I just hope they’re coming, and that this isn’t all for nothing. That we’re not staking everything on a plan that was never going to play out.

Me: Any updates?

Dom: Nah

I reach for the door handle, step out of the car, and start pacing. Sitting still is driving me insane. My nerves are frayed, and I feel like I’m crawling out of my skin.

I’m back in the car because I’m becoming weaker by the minute. I’m clammy, nauseous, and feeling faint. I can only surmise it’s from the blood loss, which is now seeping down into my grey sweats.

I jump when the shrill ringing of my phone pulls me out of my own head. Grabbing it off the passenger seat, I glance down at the screen and see Dante’s name.

My hands are slick, my vision’s starting to blur at the edges, and every sound feels sharper, like I’m beginning to unravel. I’m struggling to keep my eyes open, but I can’t afford to go down. Not now. Not with everything about to ignite.

“Yeah,” I say once I’ve answered the call.

“Standby, we have movement. There’s a convoy of SUVs approaching the airstrip now. They’re a few minutes away.”

“Is she with them?”

He blows out a frustrated breath. “I don’t know. Sammy said the windows were blacked out, so he couldn’t see inside. I bet you anything Salvatori is in one of those vehicles, though.”

I tuck the phone between my shoulder and chin, reaching down between my legs for my gun. “Where do you want me?”

“Leave the car where it is. Come down on foot, but hurry. If we are going to hit them with the element of surprise, they can’t know we’re already here.”

“Okay,” I say as the adrenaline starts to kick back in.

“I’ll meet you behind the first building on the left. The smaller one. You would’ve passed it on the way in.”

“Alright. I’m going to grab some more ammo.”

I dash to the rear of the car, pop the back tailgate, lift the floor panel, and grab four spare magazines for my Glock that I’ve wedged in beside the spare tyre. They each hold seventeen rounds, which is a lot of fucking bullets, but I have no idea what we’ll be facing. If I have my way, every one of those fuckers is going to die tonight.

The wound in my side is pulsing by the time I make it to the end of the road. Each step I take sends a fresh jolt of pain radiating through my ribs. It’s hot and wet beneath my shirt, and I don’t need to look to know I’m still bleeding.Probably more than I should be, but I keep going. I have to.

Every breath burns, and each movement feels like I’m being torn open all over again, but none of that matters. Not when my entire future is at stake.

I’m panting like a retired action hero with a beer gut and a death wish by the time I reach my best friend.

Dante notices as soon as I slide up beside him. He turns his phone in my direction, shines it in my face and cocks an eyebrow. “You good, or should I call animal control?”