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He lets out a dry laugh. “I’m a greedy sonofabitch, what can I say?”
Lindy’s whimpers are muffled by the duct tape slapped over her mouth. Anger bubbles in my veins. “Let her go, you bastard.”
Xiomar fists the back of my hair and pulls my head back so his mouth is practically against my ear. “I want to make sure you hear this, Rocco. You’re not exactly in a position to be making requests. You got that? You fucked with me, with my family, and with my business. There’s no way in hell you walk outta here today. No,” he growls through clenched teeth. “The only way you leave here is in a body bag. And that’s when I’m gonna go to work on you.”
I swallow hard. If he wanted me dead, I’d be face down in a ditch right now. My spine stiffens as he yanks me out of the room. “Don’t worry. She’ll be fine. For the time being, anyway. We have some business to handle and then you’ll get to watch what I do next. I want you to have a front seat for it.”
Tears stream down Lindy’s face and she lets out a scream as Xiomar pushes me into the hallway and shoves me forward against a wall. “Don’t worry. You can say goodbye later.”
I catch a glimpse of a dark shadow moving slowly around the corner. A hail of gunshots rings out, pelting the walls around us. I dive to the ground, my fingertips closing on my own gun. Xiomar crouches on the ground, arm straight out, firing off a round. Or ten. I don’t know. I lose track. I crawl around him and run back into the room where Lindy struggles to get loose from the zip ties digging into her wrists. “Stop,” I say, grabbing my Swiss Army knife from my pocket. I pull off the duct tape from her mouth and she lets out a shriek that can shatter glass. Her teeth chatter as panicked words tumble from her lips. “Rocco, what the fuck is going on? Who are these people? What do they want? They grabbed me this morning when I went for last minute things at the drug store. There was an SUV, and a guy who had his arm in a sling…and he needed help, so I stopped. And then he pulled me inside! And I saw guns! And he said your name. And Nico’s. And—"
I take her by the shoulder and give her a gentle shake. “Listen, I know you’re scared. I am, too. There’s a lot you don’t know, and right now, I just don’t have time to explain. Just tell me one thing.” I look straight into her eyes. “Have you seen Kat at all?”
“No,” she whispers, swiping at the tears streaming down her cheeks. “Why would she be here?”
I shake my head. “Not now. Right now, I need to get you out of here. We’re gonna go back out there, and I’m gonna get you to the exit. And then—"
“The fuck you are!” I jump at Nico’s voice behind me. “Where the hell is Xiomar?”
I rub the back of my neck and squint toward the ceiling. Sonofabitch. “He’s not out there? He didn’t get hit?”
“No, shithead.” Nico groans. “You let him get away? You didn’t shoot him in the fucking head when you had the chance?
“My sister was tied up in the next room.” I roll my eyes. “Sorry I wasn’t thinking.”
“Look, we need to get the hell out of here now. It’s only a matter of time before they come for us. Where are Max and Sammy?”
“I left them to come find you.” Nico shakes his head. “I don’t like this, though. Something doesn’t seem right. And where the fuck is Kat?”
“I don’t know.” I nod to Nico. “But you need to get Lindy out of here. I’m not leaving until I find Kat.”
“You don’t even know if she’s here. Your car isn’t anywhere around.” Nico pops his head out into the hallway. “Okay, we’re clear. Let’s go.” He inches toward the exit, breaking into a full run as we get closer to the door. “Maybe Max will—"
Pop! Crack! Pop!
Shit.
Where the hell is Max, anyway?
A shiver slithers over my skin. “Get Lindy out of here. I’m going back in. Max and Kat are still in there. I’m not leaving without them.”
“I’m not leaving you alone,” Nico grunts. “It’s suicide.”
“I can handle it. He saved my ass. It’s my turn to repay the debt. Please, just get Lindy out. You know you can’t stay. You’ve got the family to run.”
Bang! Crack! Pop!
“You took a bullet for me,” Nico growls. “I’m not letting you go back in there.”
I lace my fingers with Lindy’s and squeeze. “Nico is gonna get you out—”
Pop! Pop! Pop!
I clap a hand over Lindy’s mouth just before a loud scream escapes. “Shh,” I whisper. “It’s gonna be okay.”
Heavy footsteps thump toward us, and I push Lindy behind me, pressing her against the wall. Nico crouches low, his gun pointed in the direction of the sound.
“Are you guys thinking about bailing on me and Sammy?” Max lumbers over, a crooked grin on his face. “What a bunch of pussies. Good thing I showed up when I did. You guys would be six feet under by now without me coming in to save the day.” He gives me a punch in the shoulder. “Tell me something. Where the hell are all of the big guys? Vik is still tied to that chair, half dead. Everyone else is either dead or gone.”
