Chapter 12 - THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT
The attack came three weeks later.
Toby had been discharged from the hospital.
We were staying in a secure apartment arranged through the investigation team.
Dante had insisted we needed protection.
I had argued.
Then accepted after receiving another anonymous threat.
At 11:17 p.m., the lights went out.
I was in the kitchen.
Toby was asleep in the bedroom.
A second later, glass shattered.
I dropped to the floor.
Someone shouted outside.
Then footsteps thundered through the hallway.
I crawled toward Toby's room.
He was awake.
“Lena?”
I grabbed him.
“Come with me.”
We moved toward the emergency exit.
A security officer appeared.
“This way!”
We followed him down the stairwell.
Then a gunshot echoed above us.
Toby screamed.
I covered his ears.
“Don't look back.”
We reached the underground garage.
A black SUV waited.
The security officer opened the door.
Then another man stepped from behind a concrete pillar.
He raised a gun.
I froze.
Before he could fire, Dante appeared from the opposite side of the garage.
“Drop it!”
The man turned.
A shot rang out.
Dante staggered.
My heart stopped.
“DANTE!”
Security rushed forward.
The attacker was subdued.
I ran toward Dante.
Blood spread across his shoulder.
He leaned against the SUV.
“Elena.”
I dropped beside him.
“No. No, no, no.”
He looked at Toby.
“Is he okay?”
I nodded frantically.
“Yes.”
Dante smiled weakly.
“Good.”
Then his eyes closed.
May you like
I screamed his name.
And for the first time, I understood how terrifying it was to love someone whose world had always been built around danger.
