This Fearless Girl (St. Clary's University #2) - E. M. Moore Page 0,117

me he very much enjoys this. He gives me a soft smile when I get to his side, and his gaze changes, too. “Tell them you object.”

“I object,” I say, peeking at Stone whose chin lifts in the air.

“I had him first, you know,” Rissa whimpers.

Cole’s presence gives me the confidence boost I need. I snicker. “Sorry, no,” I reject her words outright. Stone said he’s always felt something for me.

Rissa’s hands clench around her bouquet. Her father moves toward her, and Ninja steps forward, lifting his gun to point at him. “Don’t move,” he warns.

Rissa’s dad freezes right where he is. “We don’t want any part of this,” he exclaims, face darkening. “The wedding is off. The deal is off. I’d love it if my family could just leave in peace.”

Cole’s laugh threads chills through my veins. “I’m afraid that’s not possible. You got in bed with the devil, you stay there.”

“Daddy,” Rissa cries, voice shaking.

I almost feel sorry for her. Almost.

“Besides,” Cole adds, “we haven’t even gotten to the good part yet.”

By some sort of silent cue, two more guys walk out from the opposite side of the house with someone else in tow. I recognize her instantly, but my heart doesn’t react. My face doesn’t react. I honestly feel nothing for the horrid bitch.

The only thing I do react to is Stone’s gasp. “Mom.”

She nods, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. She’s a little bruised up, but she’s wearing a posh dress like the other wedding attendees.

Lance growls, finally getting to his feet. “You had this miscreant find your mother?” he accuses Stone.

“No, I did.”

Lance laughs, blood seeping from his shoulder wound, and his face is as wicked as it can get as he sneers, “So, you want to get your hands dirty now?”

“Please, the only thing you can do is give orders, so settle down.”

Stone steps from the altar, but Cole stops him. “One thing to be discussed first.” The look in his eyes is pure darkness. “You have your mom here. There’s no reason to marry this rich bitch now. I was never going to stop you, I just needed Dakota to witness your decision, whatever it is.”

Stone glares at Cole blocking his path from his mother. “What’s it going to be? Easy.” He walks right around Cole and punches his father in the face before going to his mom who wraps her arms around him.

Cole frowns, looking somewhat stunned. He glances back at me and shrugs. “I guess he’s worth your attention, baby girl. Are you ready for your big moment?”

Before I can take a step, chaos breaks out. Gunfire rips out of nowhere, and everyone drops to the ground. Rissa’s annoying cries pierce through it all as her father crawls to her while she uses the arch as cover. I make my way toward a chair that falls over from the force of a bullet before I get there.

People are shooting everywhere. Cole raises his gun, firing off round after round toward the windows of the mansion, and it’s then I notice rifles poking out of the upstairs windows. One falls to the ground, dropping two stories after Cole fires toward it.

Men with neck tattoos come out of nowhere, surrounding us from behind and moving around the side of the building. Cole scrambles toward me, half lying on me as Stone calls my name. “Stay down,” Cole grunts. “My guys have this.”

Glass breaks, the archway gets shredded, flower petals fall to the ground in graceful elegance while everything around us turns to shit. Bullet holes lace the side of the house. Rapid gunfire moves in like a scene from a war movie. Cole’s so close, I can feel his beating heart against my arm. It’s thundering a mile a minute, and that’s what I focus on. I don’t know why. Maybe because I thought he was invincible, and this proves otherwise.

“Dakota!”

“That’s Stone,” I choke out.

“He’s fine,” Cole growls before a low groan passes his lips. Blood pools on the ground in front of us.

“You’re hit?”

He turns toward me, hard lines pulling his features taut. “All a part of the job,” he says, grimacing.

Eventually, the bullets slow. Cole gives me a once-over before getting to his feet, picking someone off in another window. He’s fucking badass.

“Where’s Lance?” he barks. I stay where I am, lifting my head ever so slightly to find Cole turning in a circle, cursing when he doesn’t see Lance.

A suit-clad form gets up from the ground. He scours