Luca

I clenched my jaw ready to strike, he just laughed at me then gave me a pitiful look.

“Now let’s not pretend you’re actually gonna use that little girl. Put it down and come stand over here before you hurt yourself.”

He was delirious, he actually thought I’d go to him? I shook my head “I’d rather die…” I said, and pulled the trigger.

“Fuck!” He snarled as he bent over holding his stomach where I’d hit him.

“Finish him Chloe…Finish him for good.” Luca managed to gasp.

Raul gave a pained laugh.

“Is she yours Marquez? Well she wasn’t a few hours ago when she was sat on my…”

I squeezed the trigger one last time and this one hit the spot perfectly, right in between his eyes. Amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it.

My arms were still outstretched even though I knew he was dead and I had no intention of firing again. I was frozen to the spot, I couldn’t move.

“Chloe…”

Luca’s pained quiet voice pulled me out of my trance and I altered my gaze from the spot where Raul lay to Luca hanging so helplessly.

“He lied…” I spluttered out not knowing what to say or do, “I didn’t do anything with him. I didn’t…sit on him like that, I wasn’t…”

Luca shook his head as it hung down in front of his broken body.

“I know.” He gasped. “I trust you Chloe.”

I dropped the gun on the floor and ran over to him to hold him, put my arms around his body and give him the support he needed. He leant forward and rested on me, I felt the weight of him fall upon me as he relaxed his muscles and let out the tension he’d been building inside of him, tension created to help him withstand the onslaught of blows that were coming his way just seconds ago.

“I need to get you out of here.”

I looked up at the shackles that held him to the wall so mercilessly, and doubted I could use the gun in any effective way to release them.

“Windowsill.” He grunted out, “The keys are on the windowsill.” He nodded to the only small window that the outside had. A small rectangular window that was high up and covered with bars.

I went over to feel along the high sill, and sure enough my dust covered fingers found the small metal keys that would give my Luca his freedom.

I unchained his ankles first then moved up to his wrists. As the locks came loose letting his arms fall free he fell forward and the weight of him almost knocked me to the floor. I’d never seen Luca so weak in all my life. Hell I’d never seen any man so weak. He could barely move on his own, so I tried my hardest to be the strong steady support he needed me to be to get him out of his dungeon.

I put both of my arms around his waist to hold him up as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and side by side we stumbled through the first doorway and out towards the main door. Luca’s breathing was laboured and his body was shaking but he was fighting like a warrior to stay upright for me.

As we tumbled out onto the gravel path outside two men ran across the grass towards us. My throat tightened but Freddie’s voice over the distance made my body sag in relief.

“Chloe you’re a fucking star. You okay?”

Luca laughed, “Of course she’s okay she’s my fucking star.” He coughed and the rattling sound coming from his chest made me wince.

“You look like shit bro.”

Freddie was trying to be nonchalant but I could tell he was distressed about seeing his big brother like this.

“Don’t worry about me.” Luca pushed off me as if to show he wasn’t as weak as we all thought, “Took your time coming to get me didn’t you…” He went to walk forward and fell like a brick to the ground with a thud.

“Shit!” Marco said as he jerked away from Freddie and went to the ground where Luca had fallen.

I knelt down too taking Luca’s face in my hands and calling out to him to check he was okay.

“He’s passed out Chloe, he’ll be okay we just need to get him home.” Marco looked over at me but his eyes told me a different story, he looked panicked.