Mafia Games

Chapter 24

Sienna's POV

Gabriella carefully held onto me as I limped my way through the forest and back to where we started. My chest felt like it was closing in on me with how difficult it was for me to breathe. I was in pain. That much was clear.

The game was over but in its wake was nothing but chaos and bloodshed. As we walked back through the forest, we encountered a few bodies that were riddled with bullet holes. This was tragic. Many women lost their lives here.

How were these games acceptable?

I laid my head on Gabby's shoulder as she helped me avoid the fallen branches that got in our way.

I probably sprained my leg after falling from such a high tree. My face wasn't any better either. There was a bruise on my cheek from that woman's fists. If it wasn't for Gabriella, I'd have probably been crawling my way out of this forest.

That was a close call for me. If I didn't have anyone to land on when I jumped, I had a feeling I'd have broken a limb.

"This game was harder than I expected," Gabriella mumbled as we stepped over a woman's corpse. I felt her body shudder beside me and I simply looked straight ahead. At this point, I've seen enough bodies to be completely numb to the sight.

"It was a game of strength, after all." That was the only reply I could've offered.

Gabriella sighed. "You saved my ass. I'm glad I chose to run with you... but at the same time, this made me realize that I need to take training more seriously."

I remained silent and let her think about her words. If this was what made her realize how dangerous these games were then I had nothing to say. The way she froze and almost gave our position away couldn't be repeated. I knew she felt guilty and I didn't plan on easing that guilt. Maybe that would push her to action the next time we encountered a situation like this.

Was I cold for my thoughts?

I wouldn't say I was.

I was simply looking out for her the best I could. We had no idea what the next game was or what it entailed. If Gabriella and I somehow split up, she needed to be able to survive on her own. I was doing this for her benefit.

We looked up ahead and at the clearing where the game began, to see that the men were currently standing around waiting for us women to come back.

A few women had already made it back, some seemed completely fine, others covered in blood and visibly shaken. There were a few, like me who were injured.

While Gabriella held me up on one side, I had the shotgun clutched in my other arm and was currently dragging it with us. The scraping sounds it made on the ground attracted everyone's attention.

Whispers immediately broke out among the women as they eyed the state that I was in.

We were apparently among the last women to arrive. I guess we ventured further out than I expected.

I looked through the crowd of men waiting on the side, seeking out those familiar pair of eyes that often scorched my skin.

It didn't take me long to find him and when I did, my heart pounded at the smile that curved his lips. Xander took large strides towards me and took me from Gabriella, an arm snaking around my waist and tugging me into his chest. His chin landed on my head while my arms still hung at my sides awkwardly.

"You did good, Amorina." He muttered.

I didn't know why but the sound of his voice completely snapped me out of my numbness and the shotgun fell from my trembling fingers and thudded to the ground. A huge wave of emotions cascaded over me.