Queen of Shadows: A Dark Mafia Romance

Chapter Eleven: The Enemy You Know

               Jaxon's Point of View

The gunfire was defending, the sound of the bullets ricocheting off the concrete walls echoing in my ears. I could taste the acrid scent of gunpowder on my tongue, a bitter reminder of the chaos unfolding around us. My breath came in ragged gasps as I crouched behind the overturned table, my mind racing to find a way out of this mess. Damien had us cornered, and the bastard knew it.

"Keep your head down!" I barked at Catalina, who was taking cover beside me. Her eyes were blazing with fury, a mirror of my own rage. The woman was fearless, but this was no time for heroics. We were outgunned, and the odds were stacked against us.

Damien's men kept firing, the rat-a-tat-tat of automatic weapons cutting through the air. I could hear the shouts of my own men as they returned fire, the sound of bullets thudding into flesh followed by the screams of the dying. The fucking traitor had planned this down to the last detail, and now we were paying the price.

"Damien, you piece of shit!" I roared, my voice barely audible over the chaos. I wanted to see the look on his face when I put a bullet between his eyes, but the bastard was keeping himself well hidden behind his goons. Typical.

Catalina's voice cut through the noise, sharp and commanding. "We need to regroup, Jaxon! We're sitting ducks here!"

She was right, but fuck, there wasn't much we could do. Damien had the upper hand, and he knew it. The exits were blocked, and the only way out was through a hall of bullets.

"Cover me," I ordered, locking eyes with Catalina. "I'm going for the bastard."

She didn't hesitate, nodding once before popping up from behind the table and unloading her clip into the advancing thugs. The sound of her gunfire was like music to my ears, and I took the opportunity to break cover, sprinting towards the nearest piece of debris.

Bullets whizzed past me, one grazing my arms, but I didn't slow down. I couldn't. If I hesitated for even a second, it was game over.

"Get the fuck down!" I shouted, leveling my gun at a thug who had the nerve to step into my path. One shot, and he crumpled to the ground, blood pooling around his head. I didn't stop to admire my work, my eyes locked on the figure of Damien just ahead, barking orders to his men.

Damien's face twisted into a snarl when he saw me coming. "Jaxon! You shouldn've stayed dead, you fucking idiot!"

"You first," I growled, raising my gun. But before I could pull the trigger, a sharp pain exploded in my side, knocking the wind out of me. I stumbled, my vision blurring as I clutched my side. Blood seeped through my fingers, warm and sticky, but I refused to go down.

Not like this.

"Jaxon!" Catalina's voice was distant, almost drowned out by the pounding in my ears. I forced myself to stay upright, gritting my teeth against the pain. I couldn't fall now. Not when we were so close.

I staggered forward, my gun still trained on Damien. He had that sumg look on his face, the one that made me want to bash his skull in with my bare hands. But before I could close the distance, he slipped behind his men, using them as a human shields.

"Take them out!" Damien shouted, his voice laced with panic. "Don't let them get out alive!"

His men surged forward, but I wasn't going down without a fight. I fired off a few shots, taking down two of them before they could get close. But there were too many, and they were closing in fast.

"Shit," I cursed under my breath. I was running out of options. And blood.

Catalina was still fighting,  her gun blazing as she took down one thug after another. She was a force of nature, and it made my chest swell with pride-and something else, something dangerous. But now wasn't the time for that. I had to keep my head in the game.

"Jaxon, we need to get out of here!" Catalina shouted, her voice cutting through the haze of pain. She was right, but the thought of leaving Damien alive made my blood boil.

"Not without that bastard's head," I growled, clutching my side as I staggered towards her.

But before we could make a move, the sound of sirens filled the air, and the room was suddenly flooded with blue and red lights. The cops. The fucking cops.

Damien's men hesitated, their eyes darting towards the exits. Damien himself looked like a rat caught in a trap, his eyes wide with panic.

"This isn't over, Jaxon!" he spat, backing away towards the exit. "You hear me? This isn't fucking over!"

"Like hell it isn't," I snarled, raising my gun. But before I could pull the trigger, he was gone, disappearing into the shadows with his men.

The adrenaline was wearing off, and the pain in my side was becoming unbearable. I stumbled, falling to my knees as the room spun around me. But I couldn't pass out. Not here. Not now.

"Jaxon! Catalina was at my side in an instant, her hands on my shoulders, trying to keep me upright. "We need to get out of here before the cops swarm this place."

"Can't... let him... get away," I gasped, my vision fading in and out.

"We'll get him," Catalina said, her voice firm. "But not if you die here, you stubborn bastard. Now move!"

She hauled me to my feet, and I leaned on her heavily as we made our way towards the back exit. My mind was racing, thoughts of revenge and rage clouding my vision, but I know she was right. We had to live to fight another day.

"Don't worry," I muttered, ny voice barely above a whisper as we stumbled out into the cold night air. "I'll get that son of a bitch. And when I do, he'll wish he'd never been born."

Catalina didn't say anything, but I could feel  her nodding in agreement as she helped me into the waiting car. As we sped away from the scene, I could feel my consciousness slipping, but I forced myself to stay awake. I couldn't pass out. Not yet.

Because when I woke up, there would be hell to pay.