Reputation's Play (Book 1)

Ch. 37 Enough For Three Lifetimes

Chapter 37 Enough For Three Lifetimes

Dark red blood soaked into Daniel's white shirt as he gripped his arm and hissed in pain. His face twisted in agony as his eyes lowered from Gia to his wound.

"What the fuck is going on?" Dino's voice suddenly carried over the wind.

Gia looked up as a group of guys from the beach began to head towards the parking lot. She held the gun firmly in her hand and pushed down the panic that tried to rise to the surface of her consciousness. Daniel looked over his shoulder and groaned in irritation when he saw the group.

"Gia, give me the gun," he said, turning back to look at her.

"So you can shoot me?" Gia asked. "No, thank you."

"So this won't get out of hand," Daniel said through his teeth. "Give me the gun."

"No," Gia shook her head.

"For fuck's sake," Daniel moved towards her and Gia raised the gun once more.

"Whoa, whoa!" someone from the group rushed forward. "Hey, put the gun down!"

Gia's bare feet backed up against Daniel's car. Her heart began to beat in her throat as she noticed how all the men had pulled out their guns.

"Put your gun down," Daniel ordered.

Gia looked over and realized he was talking to the guys. She couldn't figure out how to move her body as she held the gun firmly in her hand and aimed at Daniel's head.

"Did she shoot you?" Dino asked, squinting in the dark to look at Daniel's arm. "What the fuck is going on?"

"Nothing's going on," Daniel said, dismissing them. "Gia, get in the car."

"She fuckin' shot you!" Someone said in anger.

"Gia, what the fuck?" Dino turned towards Gia with his eyes wide open with shock.

"Go back to the bonfire," Daniel told Dino before he grabbed Gia's shoes off the floor and moved towards her. "Get in the car, please."

"No," it was the only thing Gia could say.

"Daniel," a tall bulky guy with short brown hair, stepped forward from the group. "We can take care of her. Go to the hospital with Dino."

"Take care of me?" Gia stepped forward with a furious look in her eyes. But before she could get very far, Daniel hooked his good arm around her and pulled her closer to his chest.

"Relax, relax," he whispered into her hair. "Stop. Please, just get in the car."

"You shot him!" The guy's eyes heated up. "Who the fuck do you think you are, Silvano?"

"Thomas!" Daniel's voice rose over the crowd. "Go the fuck back to the bonfire. This never happened. None of you saw anything tonight."

Silence fell over the group. Their eyes were heated and suspicious as Daniel warned them to keep their mouth shut. They didn't know what was going on as he opened the front passenger door and pushed Gia inside against her will.

"Dino," Daniel looked at his best friend. "This doesn't get out."

"Where the fuck are you going?" Dino asked. "You need to go to the hospital."

"Don't worry about me," Daniel said. "Just make sure everyone understands."

Gia held Daniel's gun close to herself as he climbed into the driver's seat. She could still feel everyone's eyes on her as he started the engine and backed out of the parking spot. Her back was stiff and her fingers hurt from how tight she held the gun.