Page 70 of Sicilian Savior

“I hear you loud and clear,” Wes responded.

“I’m here. I’m heading in.”

“Piper and Marcus are still at least twelve hours out before their flights land, and they can redirect. Are you sure you don’t want to wait?”

Wait. Every second I waited was another moment Victor was alone with Lucia and Luca. There would be no team assault tonight. This time, I was a one-man army.

“No can do,” I answered. “I’m getting them out. Now.”

“I get it, man. Just be careful,” Wes said. “I’ve got no eyes in that house, so you’re on your own when you’re in there.”

“You’ll be listening, though. So, if something happens and I fall—”

“You won’t fall.”

“No. I don’t plan on it. But if something happens and I do, you make sure Piper and Wes get them back and get them safe. You clear on that?”

“I’m clear.”

“I mean it, Pretty Boy. They are everything to me. No matter what, I need to know that they will be safe.”

“They’ll be safe because your hard ass is gonna get up in there and save them, Beefcake.”

A slight smile hitched up my lip.

“Quit calling me Beefcake, Pretty Boy.”

“Quit calling me Pretty Boy, Beefcake.”

“Just watch my back, Pretty Boy.”

“I won’t leave your ear, Beefcake. Good luck.”

I slid along the street into the shadows, weaving in and out of yards to keep my cover until I reached the house on the map. Two lights on downstairs, and one light on upstairs. I crouched down outside, staring through my monocular to see if I could find their bodies inside. Wes had helped fine-tune this technology that penetrated walls and allowed us to pick up the heat signatures of bodies inside a building.

My chest froze when I saw the shape of Lucia and Luca upstairs. They sat side by side, unmoving. The breath remained trapped in my lungs until I saw her move her arm.

They’re alive.

My family. My two loves. They were safe for now. Even though I wanted to keep my monocular focused on them and just stare at their glowing figures for a while, I knew I had a mission to complete.

A mission that ended with Victor’s hot blood on my hands.

I moved my monocular around the house, searching for the dead man walking. A third red figure appeared quickly, and I saw Victor on the opposite side of the same room. The bullets from this gun couldn’t penetrate the wall and kill him, and I didn’t want to risk a missed shot that could end in him snatching up Lucia and Luca. No. I needed to get in there and take him down when there was no risk of injury, or worse, for my family. I decided to hold my ground and keep a watchful eye, waiting for him to leave the room. Waiting for the perfect time.

The minutes ticked by as I continued monitoring the situation, preparing to move in through the window at a moment’s notice if things went sideways. As I continued holding my ground outside, a black SUV pulled up in front of the house.

“Pretty Boy, I’ve got company. Plate Echo-Foxtrot-Kilo-Six-Seven-Nine.”

The keyboard clicked, and a moment later, Wes popped back in my ear. “It’s registered to Joey Ricci. Mafia boss. Bad dude. Hold on, I’m hacking his phone now.”

I held my breath while I let Wes do his thing. No one moved in the car for a few long moments, so I spun my monocular back to the house. Victor was pacing now.

He was nervous. Why? What had him on edge about Joey Ricci?

“Fuck,” Wes breathed out.

“What? Tell me,” I demanded.