Page 82 of Maximum Bet

From across the bar, Cassandra reaches out, grabbing my arm. “What problem?”

“Cassandra and Dominic, get out of there now!” Leo barks. “The enemy soldiers from the fourth floor are in the stairwell, congregating on your floor.”

“Shit.” Nico draws his gun and rushes to the door with Marco hot on his heels.

“Dominic,” Cassandra pleads, mouth dropping open as she breathes deep.

“Get your gun,” I direct her. “We’ve got to run.”

“Dominic,” Leo says. “Go back upstairs the way you came. Jonathon and Victor cleared the top floor. If you can get up two levels, we can work on sending a team to protect you.”

My eyes lock with Cassandra’s. She nods, resolute and ready to fight.

With one hand, I hold my gun, and with the other, I hold the hand of my wife.

“Let’s go.”

Chapter 30

Cassandra

“Marco and I will go out first, then you two make a run for it,” Nico says as the four of us gather by the door.

I grip my weapon close to my chest. Dominic has his by his side, ready to draw as soon as we cross the threshold into the hallway.

“We’re ready,” he says, catching my eye with a look so determined, I have no choice but to agree.

“On the count of three,” Nico says as Marco grips the doorknob. “One, two, three!”

Marco rushes out with Nico. They take a defensive position, guns drawn and aimed toward the far stairwell.

Dominic doesn’t hesitate, grabbing my wrist and pulling me into the hall.

With his sidearm raised, he leads me toward safety. I run behind him, my feet covered by my thin stockings as I ditched my heels in the suite.

We’re steps from the unoccupied stairwell when chaos erupts.

A series of gunshots has Dominic pushing my torso down and shielding me with his body as he propels me forward.

“Two men down,” Marco shouts before continuing to fire.

Dominic doesn’t pause to check on his brother and cousin as he tosses me into the stairwell and slams the door shut behind us.

“Go!” He pushes on my lower back, coaxing me up the stairs, as if I needed direction.

My heart thuds, adrenaline spiking in my veins.

As we race up the stairs, a feeling of dread builds in my bones.

I’ve been shot at, kidnapped, stalked, and caught in a fire, but somehow this time, knowing that Dominic is trapped with me, I struggle to find blind faith in our ability to come out unscathed. I stumble, catching my shin on the edge of a step as a tear slides down my cheek.

Dominic turns, brows dipped. When he sees my expression, his features soften, and he stops to join me at my level.

“Cassandra,” he says, gripping my face in his hands—the metal from his gun pressing into one of my cheeks. “We’re going to get out of this.”

I shake my head, desperately wanting to believe him, but unable to see a clear path in which we win this fight.

“Remember our vows?” He leans down so that we’re eye to eye. “It’s us against the world, side by side, ready to defeat any adversary we cross. We can win this war, Cassandra. Wewillwin this war.”