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“Water battle!” Nevio shouted.
Before I knew what was going on, Nevio hoisted me onto his shoulders, and my thighs hugged his neck. Stunned, I stared down at his black crown.
“You should wait this out,” Massimo told Carlotta who grudgingly moved to the edge and lifted herself out of the pool. I sent her an apologetic smile, but she only gave me a thumbs-up.
“I want to fight her!” Davide shouted.
I sent him a dark look. He’d been annoying as hell recently. Mom said he was going through hormonal changes, but so what? So have I for the past few years, and I was never this annoying.
“Kick his ass, okay? I count on you,” Nevio said, peering up at me, his white teeth on display in a challenging grin. My heart picked up, and I grinned in turn. “Oh, I will.”
Davide climbed on Alessio’s shoulders while Massimo played referee.
“No hair tugging,” Massimo said sternly to my brother, who would definitely try that move. “Alessio, Nevio, you can kick and punch each other. No off-limit areas.”
“Finally, some good news,” Nevio said.
Alessio pointed his fingers like guns at him. “You better watch your balls.”
Massimo let out a whistle, and the battle was on.
Eventually, I was out of breath, and we settled on a draw after Davide and I had both landed in water about two dozen times. I sank down beside Carlotta, who handed me a towel. My chest heaved with every breath I took.
Nevio sent me another grin from the pool. “Good job, Rory.”
I smiled back and nodded.
“Now look at me,” Carlotta muttered, and I did. She smiled. “See, you can act normal around Nevio. This is a good start.”
“It was fun.” Then I sobered. “I’m sorry you had to sit on the sidelines.”
“Don’t be. I’m used to it by now. Diego is even worse than Massimo.”
“Massimo is really concerned about your health,” I said teasingly, looking over at him. He was chatting with Nevio and Alessio in the pool. My eyes halted on Nevio who ran his fingers through his wet hair before he hoisted himself out of the pool, biceps flexing, his trademark grin on his face. It wasn’t one that made you want to smile because you realized that something was lurking behind it.
Carlotta jabbed her elbow into my side. I quickly dragged my eyes away from him. I wasn’t sure why I had such a hard time ignoring Nevio. The magnetic pull he had on me was sometimes terrifying.
My sixteenth birthday was right around the corner, but Mom cradled me to her side as if I were a little child, and I didn’t protest. This felt like the last moments of our lives. Fear clogged my throat, and my heart pounded wildly in my chest. Mom kissed my temple, her arms around my body tightening even more as wheels squealed before us and a metallic crash sounded. Through the windshield, I saw the car with Remo and Nino and their families smashed against a shipping container.
I cringed, and Mom’s hold on me became painful.
We were in an industrial harbor area of New York, I wasn’t sure where exactly. During my few visits in New York over the years, I’d never really gotten the hang of the city’s outlay. We jolted against our belts when Dad hit the brakes.
“Heads down,” he shouted before he ducked out of the car with his gun drawn. Gunshots rang out, and another crash sounded.
“Get out of the car,” Adamo said as he exited and held the door open for us. His wife Dinara, who had been sitting beside me, got out first, pulling the gun she was carrying. I was glad they had decided to leave their young son Roman with his grandfather for this trip. That way at least he was safe.
Mom and I were unarmed. I knew Mom had practiced shooting with Dad but I had never seen her with a gun apart from that, and I had only held one once or twice. There had never been a moment where I’d felt unsafe in Las Vegas. I had never liked the feel of a weapon in my hand and considering the tremor in my body I doubted my aim would have been good in a situation like this.
We hid behind an overturned van. A trail of blood led around it where Dad had dragged away the driver.
In the distance I could see more cars approaching, black limousines. Probably reinforcement for the Famiglia who was attacking us. I still couldn’t wrap my head around it. These men shooting at us were married to my aunts. We had been here for a wedding. How could they do this?
I felt sick as I watched my family fall apart. I hadn’t seen my aunts and cousins in New York very often but since losing my grandmother, the only grandparent I’d ever met, it had been the only extended family I had. Now they would disappear from my life too, if we survived this.
Considering the number of Famiglia cars heading our way, I didn’t have much hope for us. I hadn’t considered dying yet. I’d sometimes worried for Dad’s life when he hadn’t returned in time and Mom’s worry had fueled my own, but I had always felt safe.
What if these were the last minutes of my life?
