Chapter 9 - The Hitman's Bullet: A Heart-Stopping Confession in the Dark
The diversion was spectacular. The chandelier plunged into darkness, and a smoke grenade went off near the bar. Screams erupted. I followed Mateo's instructions, walking calmly toward the east exit. I pushed through the heavy doors into the cool night air, expecting to see the waiting Mercedes.
Instead, I saw a man in a ski mask leveling a silenced pistol right at my chest.
"Moretti says hello," the hitman sneered.
He pulled the trigger.
But the bullet didn't hit me. A dark blur tackled me to the concrete just as the gun went off. It was Mateo. He had finished his business early and followed me out. He drew his own weapon and fired three rapid shots. The hitman dropped dead.
"Are you hit?" Mateo yelled, frantically patting me down, his hands shaking for the first time since I'd met him. "Tessa, look at me! Are you bleeding?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine," I gasped, clutching his lapels. "You saved me again."
He pulled me into a crushing embrace, burying his face in my neck. We were kneeling on the dirty concrete of an alleyway, surrounded by sirens, but I had never felt safer.
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"I can't lose you," he confessed into my skin, his voice raw. "I don't care about the empire. I don't care about the bloodline. I only care about you. I love you, Tessa. I loved you the moment you snapped at me about your burnt wrist."
Tears spilled down my cheeks. "I love you too, Mateo."
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