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“We’ve got about five minutes until the cops are up here. The ambulance is on its way.” Frankie grabbed his arm and winced. “Lorenzo fucking vanished.”
“Where are the security guards?” Marco gritted out, staring down at his little brother.
“Two guards are unconscious out there. I have no idea where the rest are. How are you guys?” He lifted his chin at Joey and Aldo.
Aldo gingerly touched his shoulder. “Fine. Bullet went clean through.”
“Lucky.” Joey held his side as he shifted in the chair, blood soaking through his white shirt. He looked down with a sigh. “Media’s going to have a field day with this one.”
“We’ve been through worse.” Aldo stared out the big windows at the casino floor. “Found the guards. Looks like something’s going on down there.”
I stepped around the bodies and joined him. “Who’s that?” Two men were being escorted from the craps tables, shouting and fighting against the guards.
“Those are some low-level soldiers from Chicago.” Taz thumbed his nose. “They’re dead.”
Footsteps drew our attention away from the window and to the police entering the room.
“Oh shit,” a young officer muttered, then his mouth snapped shut as he looked at his superior.
“Outside, Dunn.” The middle-aged man took in the scene before him, a deep frown etched on his forehead. “Anyone want to explain what’s going on here?”
“Once my brother isn’t in my lap dying, I’d be happy to explain,” Marco said, his eyes never leaving Mickey as he checked his pulse.
“Aldo. Join me in the hall?” the officer asked.
A sharp nod and Aldo disappeared with the cop while another stepped into the room.
“Uh, I’m supposed to check his vitals.” The cop rocked on his heels.
Marco didn’t look up but said, “One step closer, and I’ll fucking kill you.”
Before Marco made good on his promise, three EMTs pushed past the cop. They said something into their little radios, and while two went straight to Mickey, the other checked the dead bodies, then Joey and Frankie. Somehow, Taz and I were left unharmed, although the large wet spot on my side let me know Lorenzo hadn’t been as lucky.
A stretcher was brought in. The EMTs strapped Mickey to it and took him out of the room. Marco tried to stand and follow his brother but fell back on his ass with a grunt. “Fuck. I think I was hit.” Mickey’s blood made it impossible to see where Marco’s injury was, but the EMTs were able to get him up and out the door.
Joey was next, and Aldo came back into the room only to be escorted out to have his shoulder examined.
Taz and I were left with three dead bodies and the police.
“Officer Russo,” I greeted the familiar officer.
“Mrs. Moretti. You want to give me a quick rundown of what happened?”
I gave the barest-bones account of events, which suited the cop just fine. Being on the payroll meant he didn’t actually care what I had to say because it’d be Marco or Luca who told him exactly what to report.
As we talked, the dead bodies were bagged and carted away. The cops said they’d be in touch and left us in the bloody office. I wondered if I should get someone to clean it up.
“You okay?” Taz asked, discomfort clear on his face.
“Eh.” I flopped down in a chair and started picking at the exposed stuffing and holes. “A crucial night in my career, and there’s a body count. I’ve been better.” Something caught my eye. “Luca,” I muttered, falling to my knees and crawling to the other side of the room.
“Sasha, what are you—”
I grabbed the phone from under the destroyed leather chair, held it in the air triumphantly, and then pressed it to my ear. “Luca?”
Of course, he was no longer there. I quickly found his contact and dialed.
“Marco?” Luca yelled, then his voice fell into a rushed whisper. “What happened? The phone cut out. Is Sasha—”
