Chapter 55

                                    

                                          
As metal pierced flesh, dark crimson bled through the pristine white of his shirt. The bullet must've hurt like a bitch. Yet, through the pain, his devil-black gaze never left hers. Cristiano's demeanor was unwavering. Almost serene. Chills ran down Rosa's spine as she watched how willingly he accepted such a brutal fate.
Absolute conviction shone from dark eyes. "Ti amo."
Rosa's breath caught. For once, she had no trouble understanding his Italian. Blood continued to flow from his wound. Such a fervent, intimate confession in a fraught moment like this one was ridiculous. Of all the things he should be worried about right now, love wasn't one of them. Yet, his timing also seemed unexpectedly... parfait. 
Perfect.
Cristiano's devotion to her had never felt more potent. She could feel it in her bones.
Maybe the bastard did love her, after all, in his own twisted way?
Enough, at least, to take a bullet from her gun.
"You fucking idiot," Rosa whispered even though she was the bitch who maimed him. "Why didn't you stop me?"
He could've easily done so. From day one, Cristiano had always been stronger and faster in close combat. If he wished to overtake her, the gun would've been in his hands by now.
A strained grimace stretched over his handsome face. "Because I wish to be your idiot."
"I could have killed you."
He glanced at the nasty hole in his shoulder as though it were a mere papercut. "But you did not."
Her pulse thudded heavily. Four inches to the right and she would've hit his heart. The possibility of losing him forever was suddenly more terrifying than the risk of being sent back to Mesrine. 
"What if I missed?"
Cristiano replied far too smugly for someone who could still very well bleed to death, "You never miss."
Wincing, Rosa studied her handiwork. The bloodied gash was a worrisome sight. "I tried to avoid vital organs. But you should still get that treated as soon as possible."
"Would you mourn if I died?"
"Un peu."
He remarked wryly, "Then, you should not have tried to kill me."
She arched an eyebrow. "Are you upset?"
Cristiano flashed her a feral smile. "Let me put it this way. If anyone else but you had pulled the trigger, they would have a hole in their head by now."
Scowling, Rosa grumbled, "You are awfully smiley for someone who just ate a bullet."
"That is because, now, I know where I stand with you." 
"And where might that be?"
He smiled wider. "Exactly where I hoped to be."
She scowled deeper. The subtext was clear: She didn't take his life. Hewas alive because she couldn't bear to kill him.  
To hide her feelings for him, Rosa argued in sharp tones, "I would leave you to die on the street if it suited me."
"We both know that is bullshit."
"I assure you, mon beau, your confidence in me exceeds my concern for you."
With a pained grunt, he took a step toward her. "I disagree. I am confident that you care for me. Far more than you are willing to admit."