Page 27 of Vengeance

"You’re the boy your father could never break," Lucius said.

Vengeance's expression turned to stone. "I'm not a boy anymore."

"No, you’re not.” Lucius nodded. "You've become a problem." He adjusted his grip on the rifle. "Dante gave me one final instruction."

Vengeance slowly raised his pistol and pointed it at Lucius. "What instruction?"

Lucius smiled. "If Chloe won't come willingly—” His finger tightened on the trigger. "I should just kill you first and then take her." Time seemed to slow. Chloe saw Vengeance move before she heard the gunfire. He didn't dive away, trying to protect himself. Instead, he turned and threw his entire body in front of her. The first shot rang out, and then a second, and a third. Vengeance grunted as his body slammed into hers with enough force to knock them both to the ground. For one terrifying heartbeat, he didn't move.

"Vengeance?" she shouted as she shoved at his shoulder. "Vengeance!" A low groan escaped him, and relief flooded through her until she looked down and saw that his left side was soaked in blood. His white T-shirt was bright red.

"Oh, God." Her hands shook as she pressed them against the wound. "No, no, no, no."

Vengeance grabbed her wrist. His face had gone pale. "You have to—" He struggled for air. "Run." She looked into his pain-filled eyes and then back toward Lucius, only to realize that Lucius was gone. The only thing left behind was the echo of tires spinning on gravel, and the horrifying certainty that he'd gotten exactly what he'd come for. He now knew where to find Dante's runaway son, and she had a sick feeling that he was Lucius’s target this whole time, because Vengeance would always be a threat to him.

"No, no, no.” Her hands pressed harder against Vengeance's side, trying desperately to stop the blood pouring between her fingers. There was so much blood. Tears blurred her vision until she could barely see the wound.

"Stay with me," she begged.

His face had gone frighteningly pale beneath the moonlight. "I'm fine."

She glared at him through her tears. "You are such a terrible liar."

A weak chuckle escaped him before he sucked in a sharp breath. "Yeah." His eyes squeezed shut. "I've heard that before."

"Don't close your eyes,” she ordered.

"I'm just going to rest my eyes,” he said.

"No.” She shook him gently. "You don't get to do that."

His eyelids fluttered open again. "Bossy."

"My dads say I come by it honestly." The smile that touched his lips disappeared almost as quickly as it came.

"Savage—” Vengeance said. The name caught in her chest. For the first time since she'd learned who Vengeance really was, she didn't stop him from saying it. Instead, she swallowed around the lump in her throat.

"He'd be yelling at me right now,” she said.

Vengeance looked confused. "For what?"

"For sitting here crying instead of fixing the problem.” A fresh wave of tears escaped. "He always said there was time to fall apart later." She looked around desperately. The pickup truck that the old man was driving was gone. Lucius was gone, and they were alone.

"I need to take you to a hospital,” she said.

"No."

She blinked. "What?"

"No hospitals,” he breathed.

"Vengeance—"

"They'll be watching.” He was right, and she hated that he was right.

"What about a clinic?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No, there’ll be cameras."