I shoot his other kneecap.
“Let me talk to Gino,” he wheezes, desperation seeping into his voice. “I have information he’ll want.”
I crouch down, gripping his chin. “I don’t give a fuck what Gino wants.”
Fear washes over Maksim’s face.
“You signed your death warrant the moment you made a move on my wife,” I whisper. If I had more time, I’d play with him a little, but I need to check on Blake.
The next bullet pierces his heart.
He slumps to the ground, eyes wide and lifeless.
Good fucking riddance.
“Nero! You all right?”
I whip around to see Alessio charging into the living room, a machine gun in hand.
My eyes widen. I like his style. “I’m fine!”
He points it at the kitchen island and unloads a full clip, covering one of the Ferraro guys as he runs around the other side to get a clean shot at the cowering pakhan.
And then, just as suddenly as it began, it stops. The silence that follows is almost as jarring as the gunfire.
My ears are ringing, my shirt’s drenched in sweat and blood, and the room is a wreck, but I’m still here.
I’ve got to find Blake.
I race through the penthouse, throwing open every door I pass until I reach her bedroom. It’s locked.
“Blake!”
Silence.
I start ramming my good arm into the door, putting all my weight behind it.
“Blake! It’s me!”
Why isn’t she answering? Maybe she’s panicking.Damn it. I’ve got to get to her.
On the next hit, the door bursts open. I scan the empty room in a frenzy before my eyes lock on the bathroom door. It’s locked too.
“Blake! Sunshine, open up!”
I yank out my gun and aim it at the handle, but a split second before pulling the trigger, I hesitate. What if she’s just on the other side?
Fuck, I can’t risk it. The gun goes back behind my belt, and I throw myself at the door again and again, but the fucker’s tougher than the last one.
“Move,” a voice grunts behind me. Alessio barrels past, ramming his shoulder into the door with force.
“Together,” I growl. “Three, two, one.”
Our combined weight slams into the door. It crashes open with a splintering crack. The momentum propels me inside, and I stumble past the bodies on the floor.
One of them is Ekaterina. And the other…
My breath catches. The world around me narrows to a pinpoint.
