AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It’s a good thing the mansion is out in the middle of nowhere because there’s realistically no place for a sniper to hide. That means Ricci will have to come out of hiding too, and I’ll get the chance to go head-to-head with him.
I’ve been waiting years for this opportunity, and my adrenaline surges.
Normally, I’d have expected Victor’s calm voice urging everyone to stay equally calm, but he knows better than to make himself an easy target. Had his meeting with Don Marino already started, or is he out on the floor? Fuck.
I scramble for my phone, pulling it out of my pocket, but when I try to dial his number, nothing happens. My phone just beeps at me, useless, and I realize we’re being attacked on multiple levels. I shouldn’t have expected Bellini’s attack to be toothless.
Panicking won’t get me anywhere, so I force myself to think through this logically. If I were carrying out a hit on Victor in the middle of a party, I wouldn’t want to do it in the middle of the crowd. It’s a great way of causing chaos, but the probability of hitting the wrong person is too high. I’d wait for him to be alone somewhere, or I’d draw him out.
I check my phone again, and it’s late enough in the evening that Victor’s meeting with Don Marino could have started. I’m going to have to go with my gut on this one. I have basically one chance, and if I’m wrong… well, I hope Victor’s been practicing his self-defense. Although no amount of practice will protect him from a bullet through the skull.
Rather than go through the grand hall and risk getting caught in the crowd, I take the other exit and sneak through the foyer.
The security staff is trying to reason with people in the hall, not allowing them past the doorway. They’re trapped, and I don’t imagine anyone’s taking it well. But they know what the protocol is in a situation like this.
I wonder what’ll happen if it turns out this wasn’t a hit specifically on Victor, and if Bellini is just targeting his supporters. All of them in one room…
I hesitate, just for a moment, glancing at the doorway before heading off again. No. Bellini wouldn’t risk leaving Victor alive after making a move like that. Victor would have to be dead first.
I keep one hand on the wall to guide myself towards Victor’s office. I never realized just how dark the place was without even the LED lights from any electronics, and it’s got me even more on edge. If Ricci is navigating an unfamiliar building in pitch black, he must have some high-end tech with him. I can’t assume I’ve got any sort of advantage here. If I had time to collect some more of my own toys… but I know every second I hesitate puts Victor’s life more at risk.
As I get closer to the office, I slow my pace and assess the situation. I think I can hear tapping, and—there, a faint blue light from the electronic lock. Those have a secondary battery for cases exactly like this one. Even better: the blue light reflects off of something standing beside it, then vanishes entirely as whoever was standing next to it moves in front.
With only a general sense of where all the body parts are, I raise my gun and pull the trigger. I don’t give a damn who it is. If they’re here, trying to break into Victor’s office, I want them dead.
The shot is fucking loud, and it’s followed by a pained shout. Something clatters to the floor. But I’m not going to assume that it’s over. I shoot again, but this time I hear the bullet hit the wall. Did they move, or was my aim off? Fuck.
If Saint could get the lights back on, that would be real nice right around now.
There’s no point in wasting more bullets though. I unsheathe my knife and rush over to the guy, slamming my body into him. He grunts and grabs me, trying to wrestle me away.
It’s awkward fighting in the dark, unsure of even where he was injured. His hands are both on my body, at least, which means they aren’t holding a gun or a knife. Maybe that’s what had dropped. He’s panting hard, occasionally hissing in pain, but I’ll give him credit for managing to fend me off even with a bullet in him somewhere.
I use the leverage I have to roll us both to the floor. He grunts at the impact, and before he can do anything else, I slide the knife across his neck. Hot blood sprays onto my face. I hear his gurgling cries of pain.
That’s the second throat I’ve slit today.
I get the feeling it won’t be the last.
29
Lucia
It isn’t until the power cuts out that I realize just how loud this room really was—how loud, and how bright. I sit there in complete silence, jolted into shock by the loss of light, and it isn’t until someone grabs my arm that I yelp.
“Lucia,” Saint’s voice carries to me through the pitch-black room. “The generator isn’t coming up. I need to go to the server room to manually get everything going again. Just stay here with Roy and—”
“Stay here? In the dark?” I don’t like the terrified squeak in my voice, but I don’t care. I grab Saint’s hand where it rests on my arm and cling to it. “No. I’m going with you.”
“It’s not safe, kitten,” Saint says, like I’m a five-year-old instead of an adult. “The locks have backups, and no one can get to you here.”
“Yeah, well, you all thought I’d be safe in the guest room, and now there’s—” I realize what I’m saying and remember that we aren’t alone. Chances are the security staff will find out there’s a corpse in my room soon enough, but there’s no need to broadcast that fact. “I wasn’t. Freddie got in.”
Saint curses. “Well, you’ll be safe here. You won’t be alone, for one, and—”
I cut him off again. “No. I’m not staying here to be a sitting duck. I’m going with you.”
The security guard, rather wisely, stays out of the argument.
