Page 109 of Lorenzo

It looks as though he used his own nephew as currency to dig himself out of whatever deep Russian gambling hole he crawled into.

Inside the room, Boris Petrov stands over him.

I strain to hear their rapid English as the conversation suddenly turns volatile.

Eton’s voice cracks in a desperate plea, but Boris isn’t having any of it.

From Boris’s tone and Eton’s sudden pleading, I understand enough.

Eton delivered Teddy, and now the Russians consider him a loose end.

Boris screams an order in Russian.

Within seconds, two massive Russian guards slam Eton into the leather chair, binding his wrists and shoving a gag into his mouth.

Whatever protection Eton expected from the deal has vanished. He’s entirely dispensable now.

Good. A cold, predatory detachment settles over my panic. Let the courts have him. Let him rot in a cell.

But first, I take back the boy.

I watch the two soldiers guarding the doorway. Their posture is surprisingly casual.

Clearly, they don’t know the Riccis have already infiltrated the building.

Dante’s voice comes low through my earpiece, a lethal hum.

“In position. Roof access clear. Agosti is ready. Exiting the corner stairwell now.”

Across the upper hallway, a shadow separates from the corner stairwell. Agosti emerges and meets my eyes.

I tighten my grip on my gun. My cue.

The plan is dangerous, but we’ve used the same diversion before.

I’m to reveal myself and draw their attention while Agosti comes at them from the opposite side.

I step into the light. Before the guards can even raise their rifles, I fire twice. Two bodies hit the floor.

The room erupts in gunfire, shouting, and muzzle flashes.

“Move! Move!” I bellow.

Agosti storms into the room, taking aim at Boris, while I spin to eliminate his number-one enforcer.

Behind me, Dante and our top soldiers breach the threshold.

Boris opens fire on Dante. My brother dives aside. But our two Ricci soldiers entering behind him are caught in the burst and collapse in the doorway.

In the melee, Boris’s enforcer slams his weight into Agosti and fires. The bullet tears through his side, dropping him to one knee.

Rage blinds me.

I level my weapon and take Boris’s enforcer off his feet with a double-tap to the chest.

But as the smoke clears, horror seizes my chest.

Boris swings his rifle toward Dante. His finger tightens on the trigger.