30. Elio

30

ELIO

I see red as Gabriel pulls my daughter in front of him, using her as a human shield against my rage. The fucking coward.

"You spineless piece of shit," I snarl, keeping my gun trained on him even as I'm terrified I might accidentally hit Elysse. "Hiding behind a child? What a fucking pussy of a man."

Gabriel just laughs, and there's a note of hysteria in it that sends a chill down my spine. "You call it cowardice. I call it intelligence. I know my limits against a brute like you."

My grip tightens on the gun as I imagine a hundred ways to end this bastard. But with Elysse in the line of fire, I can't risk it. I'd never forgive myself if I hurt her. I just have to hope this plan works. In the meantime, I need to get Elysse safe and keep Gabriel distracted a little longer.

"Brute?" I scoff, noting a knife on the table not far from him. It's way too close to my daughter for my liking. "Says the man who beats his wife and terrorizes a little girl. You're not intelligent, Gabriel. You're pathetic. No wonder your life is shit."

I sense more than see Matteo's dark form slipping into the dining room from the far doorway, moving with the stealth and grace of a panther. My cousin is damn good at what he does. If anyone can get to Gabriel before he hurts Elysse, it's him.

I keep my eyes locked on Gabriel, not daring to so much as glance at Matteo and risk giving away his position. But in my periphery, I track Matteo's careful progress across the room, drawing steadily closer to the bastard holding my daughter hostage.

Just a moment longer. Gabriel will be neutralized, and Elysse and Piper will be safe.

Matteo is mere feet away when Gabriel seems to sense the danger at his back. He starts to turn, to pivot and face the threat. But I can't let him see Matteo.

I raise my gun and pull the trigger twice in rapid succession, sending two bullets straight into the ceiling above us. The shots are ear-splittingly loud in the close confines of the house, and the acrid scent of gunpowder fills the air. These are not new sensations for me, but I hate that Piper, and especially Elysse, have to experience it.

Gabriel flinches violently and jerks his head up to stare at me with wild eyes. "What the fuck are you doing?" he shouts, his grip on Elysse tightening until she cries out in pain.

It's physically painful to restrain myself from rushing him, from tearing my daughter out of his arms and putting a bullet in his brain. But I need to trust Matteo. I need to buy him the time to get into position. I give a slight nod toward the knife. Matteo glances in the direction, nodding back that he sees the potential weapon within Gabriel's reach.

I force a cold smile, keeping my gun pointed at Gabriel's face. "Just reminding you who's in charge here. I've got a bullet with your name on it, you worthless fuck. The only question is, will you let Elysse go before or after I pull the trigger?"

Gabriel's eyes go wide as he spots Matteo diving for the knife on the table. He lunges for it at the same time. The movement frees Elysse, who charges toward Matteo, the closest safe person to her.

My heart stops as Gabriel's fingers close around the handle a split second before Matteo's while he also grabs Elysse, yanking her back to him, pressing the blade of the knife to Elysse's throat.

"Oh, God, Gabriel, no!" Piper drops to her knees. Her agony mirrors my own. But I can't let it distract me. I need to focus to save my little girl.

"Back off!" Gabriel's voice shakes with a mixture of fear and adrenaline. "Both of you, or I swear to God I'll slit her fucking throat!" He picks Elysse up with one arm, holding her in front of him again with the knife in his other hand at her neck.

Elysse whimpers, tears streaming down her face as she stares at me with terrified eyes. "Daddy."

Fuck. Rage and terror war within me, and it takes every ounce of self-control I possess not to pull the trigger and put a bullet right between Gabriel's eyes. But with that knife against my daughter's throat, I can't risk it.

"Okay," I say through gritted teeth. "Okay, just take it easy, Gabriel. Don't do anything stupid."

Matteo backs away while his eyes dart around the room, searching for an opening.

Gabriel lets out a harsh laugh, tightening his grip on Elysse. "Stupid? You're the one who's stupid, Elio. Thinking you could just take my wife and kid and I'd let you get away with it? I don't think so."

I suck a breath, wondering where my backup is. "Your wife? She stopped being your wife the second you laid a hand on her, you abusive fuck. And Elysse was never your kid. She's mine. Always has been."

"Please Gabriel, don't hurt her," Piper pleads. "She's innocent in all of this. Just let her go. Take me. I'll do whatever you want."

No. I can't let that happen, either.

"Will you take your lover's gun and kill him?" Gabriel asks.

Piper's eyes close tight.

"It won't come to that," I tell them both. I decide to go with a different tactic. "Listen to me, Gabriel. No one needs to get hurt here. Just put the knife down and we can talk about this like civilized men."

Gabriel lets out a harsh bark of laughter. "Civilized? That's rich coming from you, D'Amato. You and your fucking cousin barged into my home with guns and threats, and you expect me to be civilized?"

I grit my teeth, biting back the urge to tell him exactly what I think of his version of civilized behavior. But I need to keep him talking, need to buy more time.

"You're right." I force the words out through clenched teeth. "We shouldn't have come in here like this. But we were just trying to protect Piper and Elysse."

Gabriel's face twists into an ugly sneer. "They're not yours to protect. They're mine. My wife, my kid. And if you don't want to see just how far I'm willing to go to keep them, you'd better get the fuck out of my house right now."

I exchange a quick glance with Matteo, seeing the same helpless frustration in his eyes that I'm feeling. We're backed into a corner here.

"How about I lower my gun and you lower the knife?"

"How about you leave?"

I nod. "Sure. I'll leave, but you need to lower the knife. Let Elysse go. Then I'll be gone." I wait a moment, then slowly, carefully, lower my gun, holding my other hand up in a gesture of surrender. "I'm putting my gun down. Now how about you lower that knife and we can end this peacefully?"

Gabriel's grip on the knife loosens slightly, the blade shifting away from Elysse's throat.

Elysse cries out, driving her heel back into Gabriel's groin. Gabriel howls in pain, releasing Elysse as he doubles over, covering his dick.

Elysse drops to the floor. Matteo is there in an instant, reaching her for her. But again, Gabriel lunges, grabbing her arm, wrenching her back toward him even as he's still doubled over in pain.

"You little brat," he snarls as he raises the knife. "You're going to pay for that." The knife flashes in the light as Gabriel raises it over Elysse, murder in his eyes. Terror fills me.

Piper screams in horror, the sound tearing through me like a physical blow. My heart stops in my chest as I realize I'm about to watch my daughter die right in front of me.

A gunshot suddenly echoes through the house, the sound deafening in the enclosed space. Another two follow. Time stops. Have I just lost everything?