Chapter 53
Chapter 53
Chapter 15
Vanessa doesn’t think.
She moves.
Her knife is out, her grip firm, her body already reacting before her mind can catch up. She slashes toward Arturo’s throat—quick, lethal.
But he’s faster.
His hand snaps up, catching her wrist mid-swing, twisting just enough to make her fingers loosen around the blade. It clatters to the floor between them, but Vanessa doesn’t hesitate. She lunges, throwing a sharp elbow toward his ribs, but Arturo anticipates it, shifting his weight, using her own momentum against her.
He grabs her arm and spins her—her back slams against the table, his grip iron-tight as he pins her wrist down against the polished wood.
“Still trying to kill me?” Arturo breathes, his face inches from hers, voice laced with something too amused for the situation they’re in.
Vanessa glares up at him, chest heaving. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
She yanks her knee up, aiming for his ribs, but he pivots just enough to avoid the brunt of the impact. His hold tightens, his body pressing into hers, caging her in.
“Bella,” he murmurs, low and deliberate. “You keep trying to kill me, and yet—” His thumb brushes against her pulse, feeling the rapid beat beneath her skin. “You keep hesitating.”
Vanessa bares her teeth, furious. “I don’t hesitate.”
“Mm.” He hums, tilting his head. “Then why am I still alive?”
She hates that she doesn’t have an answer for that.
Instead, she jerks her body forward, catching him off guard just enough to shove him back.
She’s on him in an instant.
A punch lands—clean—against his jaw. His head snaps to the side, a flicker of surprise in his dark eyes, but he doesn’t fall.
Vanessa presses her advantage, striking again, aiming for his ribs this time.
But Arturo grabs her fist mid-air.
And then—
A gun cocks from somewhere behind her.
Vanessa freezes.
The fight evaporates in an instant.
She knows that sound.
Slowly, she turns her head—just enough to see the barrel of a gun pointed directly at her.
Shit.
One of Arturo’s men stands just a few feet away, his pistol steady, aimed at her head.
Another man appears beside him, weapon drawn.
A third.
Fourth.
Vanessa’s fingers twitch at her sides. She could take one of them. Maybe even two. But not all.
Not this time.
Arturo exhales, rubbing his jaw where she struck him. “That one actually hurt,” he mutters before tilting his head at his men. “Put the guns down.”
The men hesitate.
“But, boss—”
“I said put them down.”
The hesitation lingers for only a second longer before the men lower their weapons.
Vanessa’s shoulders tense. This is the second time he’s let her live when he could’ve ended her.
It doesn’t make sense.
Arturo sighs, rolling his shoulders like this whole thing has exhausted him. “I should be dead twice over by now,” he says, looking her up and down. “Yet here we are. You, still trying. And me, still breathing.”
Vanessa straightens, grey eyes sharp. “Not for long.”
His smirk softens, but it’s not mocking this time. “I don’t think you actually believe that.”
Before she can respond, the air shifts.
There’s a new presence in the room.
Vanessa barely registers it before she feels the cold press of a gun against the back of her skull.
And this time—
It’s not one of Arturo’s men.
It’s someone else.
Arturo’s expression changes in an instant. His body tenses, his gaze flicking past her, locking onto whoever is behind her.
Vanessa clenches her jaw, not moving.
Whoever the hell this is—they’re not with Arturo.
And that makes this very bad.
Arturo exhales sharply. “Well. This is unfortunate.”
A voice speaks behind her. “Drop the weapons.”
It’s low. Unfamiliar.
Not Victor’s men either.
Vanessa’s mind races, calculating.
“You’ve got three seconds before I put a bullet in her skull,” the voice continues.
Vanessa’s stomach twists.
She doesn’t do hostage situations.
But this?
This isn’t going her way.
Arturo sighs dramatically. “You know, you could at least introduce yourself first.”
“Drop the fucking weapons.”
Arturo’s men shift, looking to him for instruction.
Vanessa, still unmoving, watches Arturo carefully.
And then—
She sees it.
The way his eyes flicker, calculating.
He’s about to move.
Vanessa acts first.
She twists her body, fast—the gun at her head firing, the shot missing as she grabs the man’s wrist, twisting it just enough to make him drop the weapon.
Arturo moves at the same time—his own gun out, firing two clean shots.
Vanessa shoves the attacker back, yanking the gun from his grip, turning it against him—
And just like that—
The room erupts.
Gunfire.
Shouting.
Vanessa doesn’t think. She moves on instinct, body twisting, firing clean shots—two bodies drop before she even registers it.
She turns—just in time to see two more men grab Arturo.
Her pulse spikes.
And for a second—just a second—
She hesitates.
Her gun is raised. She has the shot.
Arturo locks eyes with her as a man yanks his arm behind his back, forcing him onto his knees.
“DO IT,” Vanessa shouts, voice sharp, demanding.
But it’s not directed at him.
It’s directed at herself.
She should kill him.
She has to kill him.
But her finger doesn’t pull the trigger.
The man behind Arturo cocks his gun, pressing it against his skull.
Vanessa’s breath catches.
Arturo doesn’t flinch.
Instead, he smirks.
And then—
He speaks.
“I’m not your enemy, bella.”
His voice is low, steady.
And somehow—somehow—it’s almost gentle.
Vanessa’s grip tightens on her gun. “Shut up.”
“You know it, too,” he continues, unbothered. “You’re just not ready to admit it.”
Her chest burns. “I said—”
jb
“You don’t want to kill me,” Arturo interrupts, voice sharper now. “Because some part of you already knows Victor’s been lying to you your whole life.”
Vanessa hates how hard those words hit.
Hates how they settle deep in her ribs, sinking in before she can force them out.
She takes a sharp breath—
kjk
And then—
The lights cut out.
Gunfire erupts again.
Someone grabs her wrist—hard—yanking her back, forcing her against something solid.
She knows who it is before she even hears his voice.j
“Looks like you’re coming with me,” Arturo murmurs against her ear.
And just like that—
The tables turn again