Using both of her hands to keep the gun steady, she found another man. He shot at her, but she had caught him off guard. She fired her gun and knew bullets would be running out soon.
Leaning down, she grabbed his weapon and fired to see if it would work. It did, but it took her breath away.
“It’s okay, Ellie. You can do this. Easy. Aim, hold tight, shoot. Easy peasy.” Antonio owed her a better engagement party.
Her gut twisted as she stood outside the ballroom door. She heard gunshots and quickly looked inside. There were a lot of men, some hiding behind the tables, all of them firing weapons.
Now was the time.
She had the element of surprise. With the gun in hand, she fired and made the mistake of closing her eyes.
Shots rang out and she felt heat explode in her arm and elbow. The impact made her drop the gun and fall to the floor. She kept her eyes closed as pain rushed over her body. Perhaps this was a really bad idea.
The pain intensified and a part of her was sure she was dead. There was no way she couldn’t be. What had she done?
She wanted Antonio.
“I thought I told you to fucking run,” Antonio said.
Was she dead?
Opening her eyes, she looked up, and there was Antonio’s face. He didn’t appear to be smiling. He knelt on the floor beside her. He reached out, touching her arm. “What the fuck did you do?” he asked.
“I couldn’t run away. Not with you in danger. It wasn’t right,” she said, sniffling.
“When I give you an instruction, you do it.”
She shook her head. “No, we’re a team, and that means we do this together. I’m not going to do this without you. I … I didn’t tell you before, I love you. Those bastards came in before I could tell you. It scares me, but I can’t deny it. I don’t want to. I love you.”
He pulled off his jacket, followed by his shirt.
“I didn’t expect my confession of love to get you naked.”
He tore his shirt and pressed it against her arm, at which she screamed. “Ouch!” She sobbed. “That hurts.”
“I need the medic.”
“What happened, Antonio? Did you win?”
“I won. I never lose, Ellie. You should know that by now. I will always win.”
She laughed. “Good. I like that.” She groaned. “This really sucks.”
“A medic is on the way.”
“Is everyone okay?” she asked.
“You do know if you don’t keep her, I’m going to have to,” Romeo said.
She turned her head to see The Boss smiling down at her. “Hey, Mr. Giavanni. I kind of got shot. I don’t think I’m going to die.”
“You’re not, but I’ll tell you, Ellie, you are certainly an interesting woman. What made you come back? Antonio let you go.”
“There’s no way I could live without him. I love him so much. Every arrogant part of him.” She gripped Antonio’s hand. “And even though he didn’t come right out and ask me to marry him, I will. I love him, so much. There’s no one else I want more than to be with him.”
“Is this like a deathbed confession?” Antonio asked.
“No, it’s from the heart. I love you.”
“The medic has arrived,” Raphael said. He came rushing over and within a matter of seconds, Ellie felt like she was floating as Antonio carried her across the ballroom.
“I ruined your pretty dress,” she said.
He chuckled. “You didn’t ruin anything.”
“It was expensive, wasn’t it?”
“Everything I buy you is expensive.” He slowly lowered her to a bed.
“Am I going to get blood everywhere?” she asked. “I don’t want to ruin all of the good sheets. They look really pretty.”
“It’s not going to happen. You’re fine,” Antonio said.
He stepped back and she couldn’t bear to be alone. Reaching out, she grabbed his arm. “Please, don’t leave me,” she said.
“I won’t leave you. How did you learn to shoot like that?”
“What?”
“I never knew you could shoot like that. I didn’t even know you could hold a gun.”
“Oh, one of my foster dads believed it was important for women to protect themselves. He’d take us out in the backyard, shooting at cans. He was one of the good ones. It didn’t last long though. He got drunk one night and went out to clean his guns, shot himself in the head, and we were all located to different places.”
The doctor came in, and at first, she understood him. Especially the parts where he promised to take the pain away. The moment he pricked her skin, she lost all consciousness and went off to a pretty place of no pain.
****
Later that night, Antonio glanced around the ballroom where destruction had fallen. The windows were in the process of being boarded up, but there would be replacements tomorrow.
He rubbed the back of his head, exhausted and in some serious need of some sleep.