Page 75 of Savage Little Secret

“Stop,” I say before grabbing my phone and calling Sean. He picks up on the first ring. “This is it. Let’s surround the place and break in at the same time.”

“Got it. We’ll take the back,” Sean replies before hanging up.

I quietly exit the van with Luca and some of my other men. Slowly, we creep through the wispy grass, which is nearly up to our knees. We filter right, using the cars as cover until we reach the right side of the front porch. I glance around to see Sean and Andrei heading toward the back together with their men.

“I’ve got Andrei on the line,” Luca whispers to me as we slowly make our way onto the wooden front porch.

I open my mouth to answer, but the board under my foot suddenly creaks loudly, making every single one of us freeze. We stay silent, listening for any sign of someone approaching, but all we hear is the breeze rustling the grass.

Breathing in deeply, I continue on, placing one foot in front of the other as I head toward the front door.

“They’re at the back entrance,” Luca whispers to me as he stays close to my back. “They’re waiting on us.”

I nod and stop in front of the screen door that separates me from the front door. With a grimace, I pull it open, hearing it creak low before finally quieting down. “Hold this open, Isaak.”

Isaak quietly grabs the edge of the screen door, propping it open so that I have enough room to kick down the front door.

“We’re ready,” I tell Luca. “Do a three count.”

Luca nods and holds the phone closer to his mouth. “On three. One…two…three!”

I slam my foot against the front door, making the wood of the doorframe splinter. With my gun drawn, I storm inside, hearing loud noises from the back of the house and a chorus of shocked shouts and yells from different rooms.

Luca steps in front of me as one of the Italians rushes out of a nearby room with a knife in his hand. He lifts his gun and fires once, sending a bullet through the man’s heart.

The man grunts and grabs at his chest when he crumples to the floor. Blood quickly pools beneath him.

I glance over at Luca, expecting to see regret or shame on his face. Instead, he looks alive. He’s a man on his own mission.

“Upstairs or downstairs?” Luca asks me.

“There’s a downstairs?” I ask him.

“Most likely,” Luca replies. “Find it!”

I nod, hearing gunfire erupt throughout the farmhouse. I hurry forward, my eyes darting around as brawls and standoffs happen in every room. As much as I want to bury a bullet in every single one of these bastards, my main concern is finding Cara and getting her out of here.

I just hope that she’s actually here.

With my gun raised, I turn a corner to see a bigger man rushing through a door and down a flight of stairs. Luca was right. There’s a basement.

I start to run after him, but a shadow darts in front of me and pain erupts throughout my face. I stumble backward, blood spilling from my hurt nose. My vision blurs for a few seconds as I blink a few times, trying to focus and make out who just hit me.

“You should’ve killed me when you had the chance instead of dumping me in the middle of the desert!”

My vision sharpens, and my breath catches in my throat as I stare ahead at Enrico Ferro. “You’re right.”

Enrico lunges at me before I can lift my gun, knocking me to the ground. He strikes downward, hitting me in the cheek and making blood fill my mouth.

I try to slam the handle of my gun against his head, but he manages to duck out of the way in time. I hit air, my shoulder aching from the overreach.

Enrico pulls a knife out of his back pocket and stabs downward toward my face.

I thrust my arm upward to knock against his wrist, blocking him. The tip of the knife lingers just inches above my eyes, my muscles screaming and aching as I hold him off.

Enrico grits his teeth and rears his arm back to try to stab me again.

Big mistake.