The sound hit before consciousness did.
Loud, sharp, violent bang after bang after bang, each one cracking through the silence of the house like something being split open. My body jackknifed upright before my brain had finished waking, heart slamming against my ribs in that animal, primal way that doesn't wait for your mind to catch up. I was disoriented for half a second, the ceiling unfamiliar, the sheets unfamiliar, the smell of the room unfamiliar and then it all rushed back.
Right. Married. First night. Matteo's house.
Another gunshot. Closer this time.
My breath caught hard in my throat and I had just opened my mouth, lungs full, every intention of screaming loud enough to bring the walls down, when a hand came out of the dark and covered it.
Large. Firm. Warm. Pressing with en
