36. Tasha

36

Matteo has come for me. It's all I can think of as he hands me the knife. He has come for me.

Gunshots go off more regularly now. Whatever is happening out there, it's real. I clutch the knife tight as we slip out of the door, Matteo first, then me, Burley at my back. While we were still in Boston, I would have given anything to have a weapon like this. Now, if I want to get out of this hellscape, I'll have to use it. Do not hesitate.

Hurried voices come from the room next door and Matteo rushes down the corridor as if he knows exactly where he's going.

I came through here earlier. At some point we'll pass through the kitchen. If only we could put on the lights, but the power cut out as soon as the rattling of the shutters stopped. I'm limping from where I got a kick to the thigh, the muscle stiff. My stomach hurts with the echo of another kick, but at least he didn't get my ribs.

Matteo stops abruptly and I collide with his back, but he has his arm out, pressing me to the wall, huddling me closer to him. With Burley squeezing me from the other side, I'm as well-protected as I'm going to be. We're all holding our breaths. Behind us, voices are calling in Italian. Footsteps rush towards us from the other side.

A soft glow from a skylight in the next room makes it easier to see. Matteo lowers himself on his haunches and I follow suit. Then Burley scoots past me, into the next open concept living area that's adjacent to the kitchen. He goes down behind a sofa. He covers for us, and when Matteo taps my hip, I understand. I keep low and follow him quickly as we seek cover behind the kitchen island.

I huddle with my back against the island, watching in horror in the oven's gleaming reflection as five men sweep into the open space from the far side of the house, guns raised, seeking their targets. I tap Matteo and he looks at the reflection and nods. I close my eyes, knowing more men are coming from the other side. They are calling to each other in Italian, knowing that they've herded us into the space like cattle.

Matteo brushes my arm with his hand, instructing me to stay down. I can't see Burley from my vantage point, but Matteo clicks his tongue.

All hell breaks loose.

I can hardly breathe. Shots are raining down, splintering the marble countertop, shattering the windows and glass cupboards. I clutch the knife, but my hand is shaking. Matteo is still there, calm, listening in the spell of quiet. He peers around the counter, looking for Burley. I have no idea how they communicate, but Matteo signals to me. Two down, five to go.

So many bullets and only two are down?

I spot movement in the oven's reflection. A man is padding our way stealthily, his reflection perfectly visible at the angle I'm sitting at. He is going to come around the island and shoot us both. Matteo is looking the other way and doesn't notice him.

My heart hammers in my throat, my body suddenly weak with the realization that this could be it.

A surge of adrenaline spikes just as he puts a leg within range. I lean around the corner of the island with all my weight and jam the knife into his thigh, right at the spot where I'll sever his femoral artery. I twist and slice away as he stumbles with a growl. His gun goes off, peppering the fridge as his leg caves, blood fountaining out of the wound.

Minutes. He has minutes.

He stares at me with a snarl as he turns his gun towards me. I scream as I press against the island, waiting for the worst, but watch instead how a bullet hits him right in the forehead. He slumps forward, his body heavy on top of mine.

Sounds zone out. Time stands still. My blood pulses in my head while I can hear every heartbeat stressing that I'm still alive.

I'm alive.

I need to get him off me. The blood from his leg is pooling at my feet, drenching me. If it weren't for that bullet, this would have killed him. I would have killed him. The rest of the shootout happens but I'm zoned out. I battle to push his weight off me, feeling sick with the rush of adrenaline. Once I'm free, I lean back and breathe, disconnected. It's only when Matteo's hand on my shoulder jerks me out of my haze that I look at him, stunned. The knife drops from my hand and clatters to the floor.

"We need to get to the car," Matteo says as he picks up the knife. "Don't leave evidence."

I'm numb, but he has me. He helps me up but instead of rushing off he picks me up and carries me out of the room, which is scattered with broken glass, bodies, and blood.

Matteo puts me down as soon as we're out of the fray and pushes me in the direction of the front door. He turns around and I do the same. Burley is coming, but it's clear he is wounded.

"Fuck it," Matteo hisses. He heads back into the room, where a wounded lone ranger is still wielding a gun. Matteo shoots him point blank, then has Burley hitched up under his shoulder.

"You should get out, boss," he huffs. "While you can."

"Fuck if I leave you here. I'll have to kill you first and I'm out of bullets."

I'm at the front door rattling the handle, but it doesn't move. Matteo waves me to the side and rips though the bolt with bullets he told Burley a second ago he didn't have. The door inches open and I freeze as I stare out into the blinding sunlight. Two new guards are pointing weapons at us, ready for the final blow.

"Go, Tasha, they're ours."

The getaway car is right there, and I clamber in. Matteo helps Burley in and then doors slam as we skid off.

It's only when we drive through the open gate and into the public road that I exhale.

I nearly killed someone. If it weren't for Matteo wrapping up what I'd started…

I intended to kill that man. In cold blood. I can't process that now. I just can't.

Focus.

You're actually alive.

You were becoming a doctor. The line between life and death is thin.

I reach out to Burley. "Where're you shot?"