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And you? Who will ensure that nothing happens to you? Will we spend our lives always worried about the next bullet that’s going to kill one of us, or our loved ones?
I bite the inside of my cheek, knowing there are no answers to these questions. He’d never leave the Mafia… He wouldn’t want to, and even if he did, they’d never leave him. Besides, what would he do? Work in an office behind a desk? Ha! As if he’d ever be able to fit into an ordinary lifestyle.
Michael is too big. Too vital. Too real… Too much everything. Maybe he’s always been too much for me, but I haven’t wanted to see it. I’ve been too consumed by his larger-than-life image, his sexiness, his over-the-top attractiveness, his dominance which consumes me, overpowers me completely.
I had lost myself in him… And now, I am finding myself again… And I am not sure whether I want to be this woman I’ve become being with him.
The firing ceases.
The room plunges into silence again.
"Fratellone,we need to get out of here," I hear Luca murmur. I peer from the corner of my eye to find he still has his gaze on JJ. Guess they weren't taking any chances with the boss of the Kane Company.
"I am not sure that’s a good idea," Seb’s voice protests. "We leave here, and whoever is shooting at us will kill us."
"We stay here and we are sitting ducks," Luca hisses back.
"I vote we fight back," Christian interjects.
"With what?" Massimo growls, "We'll be out of ammo very soon."
"I have guns in the basement," JJ speaks up.
Silence, and I imagine all of them are glaring at JJ. I push at Michael’s chest and he rises to his feet.
"Stay down." He bends low and I follow suit.
He guides me toward the back of the room. I step over pieces of wood, pieces of paper that have been torn out of the books that the bullets hit. I try to avoid stepping on them but there’s too much of it. That, combined with the bits of plaster from the ceiling that have fallen to the floor, have turned the once beautiful room into a war zone.
Michael urges me behind the settee. He pushes down on my shoulder so I have no choice but to sink to my knees behind the sofa. It’s some kind of protection, in case the shooting starts again, I suppose. I stare up at him and for a second, it’s so erotic, so hot to have him looming over me, the breadth of his shoulders shutting out the sight of everything else, his gaze on me as he reaches down and cups my cheek. "You okay?" he asks in a soft voice.
I swallow, not trusting myself to speak, then nod.
He holds my gaze a second longer before glancing toward JJ. "Weapons," he snaps, "how many guns do you have?"
"You’re going to take his help?" Christian glowers, "You’re going to take the help of the man who murdered our brother."
"I didn’t kill him," JJ retorts and Christian lunges for him. He brings the butt of his gun down on JJ, who ducks, but not fast enough. The butt smashes into the side of his temple and blood spurts from the wound. JJ grabs Christian’s arm and twists it. His gun falls to the floor. Both leap for it, only someone fires a shot in the air. It hits the ceiling and chunks of rubble pour down in the center of the room. Neither JJ nor Christian move.
Massimo stalks forward. He grabs JJ by his collar, hauls him to his feet, then presses a gun to his temple. Christian picks up his gun and straightens. He brushes off the dust that has settled on his jacket. "Thanks, bro," he jerks his chin at Massimo.
"You have something to say, Christian?" Michael demands.
Christian stares at him, then at JJ. "I understand why you think we need to take his help," Christian growls, "but as far as I am concerned, he is guilty of our brother’s murder until proven otherwise."
"And this…is why the Mafia is struggling to hold onto their position as the most notorious of all the organized crime bodies in the world." JJ smirks, "You guys are too emotional."
"No one asked you for your opinion,stronzo." Christian’s shoulders tense and anger vibrates off of him. His jaw is clenched so tightly, I wonder if he’s going to pop a blood vessel any second.
"He’s right, though," Michael says slowly, and Christian turns on him.
Michael raises a hand, "I understand how much you miss Xander. We all do. And if he is, indeed, the person responsible for his death, then trust me, I’ll ensure that he dies in the most painful way possible. But right now, we need to find a way out of here."
"And quickly," Luca adds. "They’ve stopped shooting, but this is only a temporary reprieve. They must be reloading their weapons and planning their next move."
"Agreed," Seb nods his assent.
Michael glances between them, then at Christian, who glowers back. "How about we kill thebastardofirst, then head down to get his weapons?"
