I sweep the office again, one door leads to the hallway, one window to the outside. If I smash the window or shoot it out we could escape through it. My fingers brush the Glock in my hand, and I check the shotgun slung over my shoulder.
Sophia paces near the desk, her stance tense, phone forgotten for the moment. Maria hovers behind me, fingers twitching as if she wants to check her pistol.
If this hits the fan, I’ll take the center, using the desk as partial cover. Shotguns pack punch at close range; the Glock is quick if we have to move.
I can almost hear my heartbeat in the quiet, loud against the hum of the air conditioning. My eyes flick to Sophia, and the frown that mars her pretty face.
Someone tries to open the door, then a sharp knock rattles it.
“Sis, you in there?”
Sophia moves toward it, but I hold up a hand, gesturing for both women to step behind me. They do, quick and tense, and I push the door open just enough. Antonio strides through, shoulders squared, eyes sharp. I slam the door behind him and lock it. His gaze locks on the Glock in my hand, and before I can say a word, he swings. His fist impacts with my jaw.
“No!” Sophia shouts, stepping between us, only to land flat on her ass. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, Antonio. Stop it!”
We break apart, and Maria is between us. “Ant, you have to stop. Raphael is not the enemy.”
“Antonio,” he hisses at her, tension curling in every syllable.
“If you stop, I promise to never call you Ant again.”
Antonio glares, jaw tight. “What the fuck is going on?”
I hold up a hand, laying the Glock on his desk, but my grip on the shotgun never loosens. “Your sister and her best friend were trying to escape—”
“So, you thought you’d take matters into your own hands and stop them?” His voice thunders, booming in the office.
I suck in a deep breath, letting the weight of the situation settle before I speak. “No. If you’ll notice, both women have guns.”
Antonio’s eyes snap to Sophia, then Maria, who’s waving her pistol in the air with a mischievous grin.
“Will someone tell me what the fuck is going on?” Antonio asks, hands on his hips, gaze piercing through me.
“Well, if you’d let Raphael finish instead of interrupting, we would,” Sophia fires back, voice sharp.
Antonio circles the desk, sits down, leans back, and crosses his arms. “Fine. Speak.”
I rub my jaw, tension tightening in my shoulders. “At the back of your property… they found your security team. All of them. Dead.”
Silence falls in the room. Antonio blinks, then leans forward, voice low but deadly. “Dead? Who the fuck—?”
Tightening my grip on the shotgun, letting him see the steel in my eyes, I interrupt him, “I don’t know. That’s why we’re here. To make sure it doesn’t happen to us.”
“Who else knew that both families would be here tonight?” Sophia asks.
Antonio leans forward, elbows on his desk. “Everyone who got an invite.” He stands. “This is not talk for women.”
Sophia laughs. “I forgot. We just use women as brood mares and marry them off. Don’t be such a dick, Antonio. You need us.”
Maria moves to stand next to Sophia.
“A man does not stand behind a woman for protection,” replies Antonio.
“No, but a woman could stand next to him,” I say.
Sophia gives me the briefest of smiles but it falls all too quickly from her face.
“We don’t know who it is or how many are outside. We can only assume someone is moving against us.”
