Ava's breath hitched as Morelli's smirk widened.
"I knew Damien would come," he said smoothly, circling her like a predator. "He thinks he's hunting me, but he's walking into his own grave."
Ava forced herself to remain still, even as fear coiled in her stomach. She glanced at the security screen—Damien and Leo were just outside, hidden in the shadows. Morelli's men were waiting for them.
But then… she saw it.
A second figure moving in the shadows.
Damien knew.
He hadn't walked into the trap. He had set his own.
Ava fought to keep her face neutral. "So what now?" she asked, her voice carefully measured.
Morelli's eyes gleamed. "Now?" He pulled out his gun, pressing the cold barrel under her chin. "Now you prove your loyalty."
He turned the gun, handed it to her. "Kill him."
Ava blinked. "What?"
Morelli tilted his head toward the screen, where Damien had just stepped into the open, seemingly alone. "Shoot him. Right now. Show me you're still mine."
Her fingers curled around the weapon.
Her heart pounded.
She could feel Damien's voice in her ear through the tiny comm, steady and firm.
"Take the shot."
Ava's breath caught.
Did he mean Morelli?
Or…?
Morelli leaned in. "Do it."
Ava lifted the gun, aiming directly at Damien.
His piercing gaze locked onto hers. Unwavering.
Then—
She spun.
The gun fired.
Morelli's body jerked as the bullet tore through his shoulder.
Chaos erupted.
Gunfire exploded around her as Damien and Leo stormed in, taking down Morelli's guards in quick, brutal succession. Ava ducked, running for cover as Morelli collapsed against the table, cursing.
Damien reached her in seconds, gripping her arm. "You okay?"
Ava nodded breathlessly. "I had to—"
"I know," he said, cutting her off. His eyes flashed. "It's over."
Morelli groaned, clutching his wound. His remaining men were either dead or had fled.
Damien stepped forward, pressing the barrel of his gun against Morelli's forehead.
Morelli laughed, blood staining his teeth. "Do it, then."
Damien didn't blink. "No."
Instead, he holstered his weapon. "You'll rot in a cell for the rest of your miserable life."
Leo had already called it in. Sirens wailed in the distance.
Bella rushed in, eyes wide as she took in the carnage.
Ava turned to her sister, guilt flickering in her gaze. "I—"
Bella pulled her into a hug. "You did the right thing."
Ava exhaled shakily, closing her eyes.
For the first time in years, she was free.
And Morelli?
His reign of terror was over.