Chapter 35: Chapter 35

My eyes zeroed in on the target as I raised my arm and pulled the trigger. The recoil from the gun shook my body, and my wrist bent backward at the power of the blast.

I winced and tried not to drop the gun, lowering my arm and taking my finger off the trigger to prevent myself from firing it again.

Fuck. The Smith and Wesson 500 was no joke. I flipped the safety on and then assessed the damage done to the target. I clicked my tongue in disappointment. No head shots. No body shots. There wasn’t a single bullet hole in the target.

But there was a bullet embedded in the wall to the left.

I removed my ear defenders and turned to Rob, who was standing behind me with his arms crossed.

He nodded his approval and took out his earplugs. “Not bad.”

“Not good enough.” I sighed, glancing at the gun. “I hate this gun. It almost tore my fucking hand off.”

He chuckled. “It has a powerful recoil. You don’t have to be proficient with it, but familiarity is a must. That may be your only weapon in a dangerous situation.”

I blew out a breath and nodded. “You’re right… Does it have to be this one, though?”

He quirked an eyebrow.

“I guess it does,” I muttered, turning back to the target. I placed my ear defenders back on, adjusted my stance, and aimed at the target.

Just as I pressed the trigger, I heard Rob behind me. “I know you have ties to the Perez family.”

The bullet whizzed through the air and missed the target, impaling into the wall once again. I froze, my hand throbbing with pain from the blast.

I whipped around to look at him, only to find the barrel of a gun staring at my face.

My heart leapt, my body flinched, and despite the fear that instantly gripped me, self-preservation took over.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. My body was on autopilot. I raised my hand, knocking his upward. I used that split second to crouch down and swing my knee up, slamming it into his stomach.

He grunted and staggered back a step. Compared to his size, my strength was minuscule. The gun never left his hand.

But I already knew that would be the case. In this moment, I needed to buy myself time.

I grabbed his arm that was holding the pistol and bent it over my shoulder with as much force as possible.

“Fuck!” he cursed, moving to pull his body away from me, but I wouldn’t let him. I sank my nails into his skin and twisted his wrist until his grip on the gun loosened.

Then I took the pistol and quickly whirled around to point it at his head.

Adrenaline coursed through my veins like a drug, feeding my false bravado, masking my fear.

Rob held his wrist and grimaced, not bothered by my threat of shooting him.

“Damn, that hurts.”

“What the fuck are you doing?” I asked him. “Who sent you?”

Was he a spy, by chance? Working for the Volkovs?

He chuckled. “If I were an enemy, the safety on that gun would’ve been off.”

I paused. He didn’t make an effort to come at me, so I checked the gun myself and confirmed it.

The safety was on.

“What the fuck?” I shouted, keeping my arms raised and the gun pointing at him.

Even though what he said was true, I couldn’t take a chance and risk that he planned to take out the Roscotto family.

Rob gave me a thumbs-up and rolled his shoulder, shaking out the pain. “Good job, kiddo.”

Clapping rang out, and I glanced at the door to see Sam standing there with a big smile on her face. She had left the room to answer a phone call some time ago while Rob and I continued my training.

I still didn’t drop my arm. “What was that?” I asked her.

“Training,” Sam chirped as she walked in the room. “Your reaction time isn’t immediate, but it’s getting there.”

“No joke,” Rob said. “She’s improving at an impressive rate. With enough time, even I’ll have to be scared of her.”

I rolled my eyes. “We both know if you were serious, you could’ve easily disarmed me.”

He shrugged. “I’ve been at this for years. Give yourself some credit.”

Sam eyed my hand with the gun, still raised and pointing at Rob. “You can lower the gun now.”

“Oh.” I hadn’t realized how rattled I was. Their test made me realize that circumstances can change in the blink of an eye. It was frightening.

But in this line of work, I couldn’t afford to be afraid. I needed to be prepared.

I took a deep breath and placed the gun on the side table. My hand felt strangely cold without it. I felt unprotected.

Was this normal? Was I getting accustomed to living life on edge?

I took off my ear defenders and turned back to Sam and Rob.

Sam saw the look on my face and smiled reassuringly. “That scared you, didn’t it?”

“Slightly.” I chuckled to try and lighten the mood.

She nodded in understanding. “Good. Hold on to that fear. That paranoia. In this life, that’s what keeps you alive. That’s what makes you stronger. Use it well.”

I filed her words away. She’d been a really great teacher, constantly boosting my confidence as she guided me through everything I needed to know. She made me more self-assured than I’d ever been.

I was willing to bear this burden and become the pillar that never crumbled. To give my family a better life.

“All right, let’s stop here,” Rob said as he began packing up. “I have to go and nurse these wounds.”

“Your old bones can’t handle a little gunplay?” Sam joked.

Rob shot her a challenging glance. “Wanna play with me and find out?”

Sam raised her hands in surrender and chuckled. “My husband wants me in good condition tonight. He has plans.”

I laughed. Their friendship was something I admired. For years I had been so focused on working to make ends meet and finding my aunt, and I had long since lost contact with all my friends from school.

Selena and I had always been together, so she slowly became my only friend.

Until now, that was.

I contemplated inviting Gabby over when a voice broke through my thoughts.

“Are you done for the day?”

I looked over to find Stefano leaning against the door. His eyes raked down my body, and I smiled and walked toward him.

“You’re here. Are you finished with work?” I asked as he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into him.

He placed a lingering kiss on my lips and shook his head. “I just stopped by for some documents. Have you eaten yet?”

I shook my head.

“Let’s grab something together then. I had Charlie set the table.”

I let him grab my hand and lead me toward the dining room.

The room was dark, and at first, I couldn’t understand why. My eyes went from the blackout curtains covering the windows to the candles and rose petals on the table. And then I saw the bouquet of roses resting on the edge of the table.

I blinked. “W-what is this?”

Stefano chuckled. “Well…I told Charlie that I wanted us to eat lunch together…and apparently she turned it into a date.”

I laughed as he pulled out my seat. “A date at home?”

“You used to prefer private dates. You said we could focus on each other and not the outside world, right?”

I smiled, happy he remembered something I’d said so long ago. “Right. It’s the simple things that matter.”

He adjusted his cufflinks as he took his seat. I couldn’t take my eyes off him, focusing on the veins that popped on his powerful hand. Just like they had last night, when those hands were around my neck as he plowed me against the wall.

I blinked away my thoughts and reached for a glass of water. The man was always something to marvel at, and he’d never failed to surprise me in bed.

“So, how was training?” he asked, interrupting my thoughts.

“Hmm?” I gulped down my water to give myself a moment to cool down. “It was informative. I might just overpower you one day,” I joked.

He gave me a heated look that had me instinctively squeezing my thighs together. “I’ll make sure to buy the ropes in advance.”

“You’re incorrigible.” I laughed. I was no longer easily flustered by his impish comments.

He laughed as he removed the cloches covering our plates. I picked up my fork and realized that everything on our plates was something I had mentioned liking when we were together before.

I leaned forward, instantly curious. “Don’t you have a favorite food? Something you like to eat? I don’t want Charlie to just make things that I like.”

It made me feel guilty. And ashamed. He knew more about me than I him. I wanted to change that.

“I don’t have much of a preference. I like a variety of food. As long as it tastes good, I’m not picky.”

Was it because he was rich and could get whatever he wanted? Was food not a joy for him?

I eyed him doubtfully. “Nothing at all stands out to you? Something you wouldn’t mind eating over and over again and never get sick of it?”

He chuckled. “I think you’d easily get sick of any food you eat on repeat.”

“Answer the question,” I said impatiently.

He contemplated for a moment before a smile crept up his lips. “Your baby back ribs. The ones you cooked for me on my birthday.”

I was stunned into silence, yet my heart was ready to burst out of my chest from the waves of emotions slamming into it.

I went to reach out to him, but my phone started blaring, immediately ruining the mood.

I was annoyed as I whipped it out to check the caller ID.

I paused at the name flashing on the screen.

Selena?

My fingers moved before my brain could catch up, and I quickly placed the phone to my ear.

“Hey, Cat—”

“If you don’t explain why you went MIA on me in point two seconds, I will reach through this phone and strangle you!”

“…It’s good to hear from you too.”

“Selena!” I snapped.

“All right, all right. Just promise me you won’t get angry.”

“I’m already angry!”

“Well, don’t get any angrier when I tell you this.”

I sucked in a sharp breath and released it. It didn’t matter. As long as I could hear her voice and know that she was safe, it was fine. She was coming back home soon anyway.

“Fine. I won’t get any angrier.”

“I won’t be able to come back home anytime soon.”