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Cesare pulls off one of their hoods, yanks off the blindfold, and gestures to him to get out. My brother explained already that he’s primed this hostage to do our dirty work.
The young man stumbles out, hobbles to the second van and opens the door.
Four figures in black rush forward from the shadows to liberate five hostages from inside the vehicle, while the one we freed hobbles away with his comrades.
“That’s six,” the voice says over the loudspeaker. “Where are the other four?”
The man driving the other vehicle also steps out, making seven.
My heart pounds hard enough to break through my armor. This is the part where Cesare’s plan becomes dicey because there’s no way in hell the Moirai Group would renege on a contract Tommy Galliano placed on our heads.
We grab the three hostages nearest to the door and toss them out into the darkened parking lot. They each fall on their faces and struggle to get on their knees with their arms still cuffed behind their backs.
As I glance at the fourth, Cesare slams the door shut and places her on his lap. We buckle up just as bullets rain down on our vehicle.
Cesare pounds his fist on the divider, and our driver reverses at incredible speed. I pull out the remote and wait for the signal.
We burst out of the parking lot, through the metal shutters, and onto the open road, leaving behind the sound of chaos.
“Now,” my brother roars.
I press down on the red button, triggering an explosion that shakes the ground, sending our vehicle swerving to the side as our driver wrestles for control.
“Shit,” I say through clenched teeth. “What the hell kind of bomb was that?”
Cesare grins, his eyes dancing. “Just a little extra power from Dr. Cortese and her team. It meant slowing down this week’s production of meth, but it was the only way to make sure the explosives reached their lower levels.”
My gaze drops to the slender figure squirming in his arms. “And the last hostage?”
Cesare squeezes her breast, making her yell. “I’ve decided to keep her.”
“Of course you have.” I don’t even bother to roll my eyes. “Just keep her out of trouble.”
“Nick Terranova came by the house this morning,” Cesare says.
“About what?”
“He dropped off some documents he wants you to sign to access the safety deposit boxes.”
I nod.
The vehicle makes a sharp turn before shifting out of reverse.
“So, we have the casino, the loan company, the real estate, bank accounts, the stocks, and now the safety deposit boxes. Are you going to…” He takes his index and middle fingers to form the shape of a gun and then points them at the woman’s temple.
I try not to bristle at the suggestion of killing Emberly. “No,” I say, keeping my voice even. “I’ve decided to keep her.”
With a nod, my little brother tears the hood off her head, revealing Rosalind’s flushed face. She wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him like he’s the last man on earth.
I pull out my phone and fire up the surveillance app, where Emberly sits behind her canvas.
It looks like all three of us brothers are in controversial relationships.
FIFTY-SEVEN
EMBERLY
I sit on the edge of the tub, staring at the TV screen long after Jim’s official photo has disappeared and long after the two presenters at the studio speculate on whether his death is connected to the squad car suicides.
