Protettore.

Chapter 28.

Nora's POV

My hands shook as the reality of what I did sunk in. I killed a man. He was cruel and evil, and the torment he inflicted upon me would stay with me forever. The other men who hurt me were faceless now, but Varlam's would be a face I would never forget. I would never forget the look in his eyes when he tortured me; the pleasure he got from my pleas for mercy. Now I would never forget the betrayal in his eyes as I put a bullet through the heart he claimed to have given to me. His cold, dark eyes were still trained on me as the pool of blood grew around his body, permanently staining the previously pristine carpet.

The seconds seemed to stretch into hours. It was as though all my senses were heightened. I could hear the air conditioning thrumming. I could feel every goosebump erupt across my skin as the shock began to set in. A cold sweat broke out all over my body.

My head shot up when the bedroom door's handle shook as someone tried to gain entry. I raised my gun again, but this time my hands weren't as steady. As much as I knew I did what I had to do to keep myself safe, I still took a human life, and it weighed heavily on my shoulders.

The person on the other side of the door was still trying to force the handle and for the first time in a long time, I prayed.

Dear God, I know it's been a while, but I could really use some good right about now. I don't know how much more bad I can take.

The doorhandle stopped shaking and there was silence for a moment. I knew better than to think I was safe, and I wasn't going to let my guard down. Then with a single gunshot, the lock was shattered, and the door was pushed with such force, it left the doorknob stuck in the wall behind it.

My grip tightened on my gun and my shuddering breaths were coming out hard and fast through my nose. When the two figures rushed into the room, my eyes were unfocused and every vibration that hit my ear drums sounded like I was under water.

"NORA!" Enzo's muffled voice echoed in my ears and his chiseled face came into focus.

Thank you God.

"Oh, thank God." Enzo verbalized my prayers. "Put the gun down sweetheart. I'm here now. Just lower your gun." He approached me slowly with his hands out towards me. I jerked when he touched my upper arm, but that didn't stop him. He trailed his hands down to my hands and gently pried the gun out of my hands.

He tucked the gun into the waistband of his pants and pulled me into his chest. His arms wrapped around me and any semblance of control I had left slipped away. Tears filled my eyes and fell down my cheeks in fat droplets.

"Shh, I'm here now. I've got you." One of his hands began smoothing down my hair as he continued to hold me.

"I-I knew you would come for me." I cried into his chest. The sobs that racked my body were violent; the only thing keeping me upright was his arm around my waist. The weight of the day crashed over me, and I couldn't take it anymore.

"I was so worried I hadn't made it in time." He confessed. "I thought you-" he didn't finish his sentence as though it were too horrible for him to even say out loud.

"I'm so tired." I wept. It was an oversimplification of what I felt but I hoped he understood everything behind that sentence. I hoped he understood that I was at my limit. The betrayal, the hurt, the abuse, the loss, everything was too much, and I was falling apart.

"I'm here." With his simple response. I knew he had understood. He was here to hold me and put me back together after I fell apart. He was here to fight my demons. He was here to hold the torch when it became too heavy for me, to keep the dark away. He was here to love me and he wasn't going anywhere.

With his promise on my heart, I closed my eyes, soaking in the safety he provided.

"Boss, we should get out of here."

I jumped at the voice, completely forgetting the second person that entered the room with Enzo. Seeing Michael, I shrunk further into Enzo's arm, and he cupped the back of my head pressing me into him.

Enzo nodded in response to Michael and looked me in the eyes.

"We're going to get out of here now. I don't know if all the danger is gone but I promise I won't let anyone else hurt you." He vowed. I nodded, and we began our descent down the stairs.

The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon and the cold morning air nipped at the exposed skin of my face.

"YOU BITCH!" Raffaelo's hysterical screams echoed in the silence of the early morning. I whipped my head around to see Raff being held back by Gino and Kristofer. "YOU'LL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME!" he screeched, spittle flying from his mouth.

"I wouldn't worry about her." A man of ours, I recognized from the meeting, chuckled darkly.

"Yeah, you have plenty of things to pay for yourself." Another chimed in, and Raffaelo stopped fighting against the hold on him. His face paled and he had the good sense to look scared for what was coming to him. Every single man here thought of him as a brother and would have killed for him, but he chose greed over loyalty and for that he would pay.

I shivered at the thought of what they were going to do to him, and it wasn't up to me to decide whether he deserved it or not, so I just kept my mouth closed.

Men began unloading gas cans from the back of their SUVs and began dousing the perimeter of the house in the fuel. Some took their cans into the house but came out without them. The fumes from the gasoline were so strong, they burned my eyes.

As the men cleared out of the house, Enzo pulled a zippo from his pocket, but before he could light it, I stopped him.

"I want to do it." My voice was firm.

I wanted to be the one to set fire to these memories. I wanted this part of my life to burn. I wanted turn all of that darkness into ash and leave it behind me.

I thought of every horrible thing that had ever happened to me, and I turned the spark wheel on the lighter with extra vigor before tossing it into the doorway of the house. It caught immediately. The flames licked at the walls destroying everything they touched. For a long time we just watched them burn. It was cathartic for me. Enzo steered me towards an SUV when the roof began caving in on the charred structure.

As we drove away, I looked back at the house, and I knew, I was leaving my boogeyman behind me for good.