AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Is that all he told you to do?” I asked. “What if everything goes south?”
“Nothing’s going to go south,” he said, but he looked uncertain.
“Just let Matteo go,” I whispered. “Just him, Alberto. Sneak him out the back door. He doesn’t deserve this and you know it.” I could see the conflict on Alberto’s face, and he glanced toward the back door. Hope rose in me and I hoped that he’d find his conscience, but then we were interrupted.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted from outside the warehouse, the sound of screeching tires and shouts in the air. The chaos gave me a glimmer of hope, but also fear. Ricardo was right. Rocco wasn’t at a hundred percent, and my father hadn’t done his own dirty work in a decade. I didn’t want either of them hurt; or worse, killed. “Alberto, untie my hands,” I said quickly.
Alberto looked at me, conflict evident on his face. “I can’t do that,” he said, and drew his gun, turning to see what the commotion was. I could hear Ricardo barking orders to the other men.
“What are you going to do to me?” I asked in a fearful voice. “What did Ricardo tell you to do if things went south?”
Alberto swallowed visibly, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Just close your eyes,” he said to Matteo in a soft voice, and Matteo squeezed his eyes shut, used to listening to his “Uncle Alberto.”
“Alberto, you can’t,” I whispered. But my words fell on deaf ears as Alberto turned his face away, pointing the gun at Matteo. A scream rose in my throat but I choked it down. Alberto was looking away, and this was my chance. I tackled him around the waist and, even though he barely moved, the gunshot went up into the air instead of at my son.
Alberto wrestled me down to the ground and I kicked and bucked beneath him. “Alberto, please,” I pleaded as he pinned me, and then I saw Matteo run out of the room. “Matteo, no!” I screamed, not wanting him to get caught in the crossfire, not even wanting him to see all the things that had to be going on out there. I heard a set of mild explosions and bucked beneath Alberto anymore.
“They have my daughter,” Alberto said hoarsely. “I’m so sorry.”
Before I could speak, a gunshot rang out and Alberto froze before he fell on top of me. I yelped and struggled out from beneath him, looking up to see my father. Blood sprayed from Alberto’s neck onto the floor and I nearly put my hand in it when I stood up. I was covered in it. Matteo was standing next to his grandfather, shock evident on his face. “Oh, God,” I whispered and managed to scramble up. “Papa,” I said in a shaky voice.
My father ran to me, bringing Matteo with him. “Are you all right,carissima?” he asked, touching my face.
I nodded slowly. “I think…I think so.” More shots rang out and I could hear yelling. “Where’s Rocco?” I asked.
My father looked tense for a moment before he gestured outside. “He went after Ricardo,” he said. Terror rose in my throat and even though I was covered in blood, I grabbed my son up in my arms. I didn’t want him to have seen any of this, but I couldn’t help that. All I could be grateful for was that he was safe and in my arms, and that my father was here to help me. As for Rocco, all I could hope was that he was as strong as I thought.
24
ROCCO
Romeo took out the first guard by running him over with his car. The windshield cracked, but Romeo didn’t seem to care. I jumped out the passenger side, throwing a grenade at the front of the building, and it caught the other man off-guard, jumping sideways to avoid the explosion. I already had my gun at my side and I shot once, twice, three times. The third bullet hit him high up in the chest, and he went down, struggling to breathe.
I felt a small, grim victory, but it was short-lived as another man came out of the warehouse. Alessandro jumped out and shot at the third guy, but he didn’t go down, just kept coming. Alessandro grinned and took out a knife, making a gesture for the third guy to come at him.
Another guy came out and ran at me. I braced myself to be tackled, but Romeo had it covered. He shot him in the head and he went down easily. “There’s probably more men inside,” Romeo said. Enzo had told us that Ricardo couldn’t be using any of his safehouses, and it hadn’t taken me long to remember where he bought all his cocaine, at the warehouse in town. Ricardo wasn’t some master manipulator—he acted first and asked questions later—and I was glad his shortcomings allowed us to find out where he was, where he’d taken Allegra and Matteo.
“How do we do this?” I asked.
Romeo set his lips in a thin line. “I’ll go in first. If I get popped, find Allegra and Matteo,” he said.
Alessandro was still wrestling with the guy, and then I heard a scream and turned toward him. Alessandro came up, grinning, wiping his blood-covered face. He really enjoyed this too much.
I grabbed Romeo’s shoulder. “Are you sure about this?”
“Sure as I’ve ever been in my life,” he said, entering the warehouse. I trailed along behind him, keeping an eye out for more men. Instead of a guard, though, it was Ricardo who came at me, screaming and tackling me down to the ground. I grunted and elbowed him in the face, but he was probably high on cocaine and it didn’t stop him. He yelled and hit me once before I elbowed him again, getting him turned onto his back. He screamed as I broke one of his arms, but I didn’t care. I could have just killed him, but that wasn’t good enough. I wanted him toadmitto Enzo what he’d done. I didn’t want it to be just my word against his. I didn’t want Enzo to resent me. And besides, maybe I wanted to have a little fun with him before he went.
I tied him up with the zipties I’d gotten from Enzo’s armory and he wriggled like a fish on a hook, screaming, “You’ve ruined everything! You’re not his son! It’s supposed to be me! It’s always been me!” I had no earthly idea what he was talking about, but I didn’t care, kicking him once in the ribs before looking around for Matteo and Allegra. I was breathing hard and I was pretty sure I’d popped a few stitches, but I couldn’t even feel the pain. I was just worried about my family.
“I’ll get a ride home,” Alessandro said quietly, leaving the warehouse. I guessed he wasn’t about the family life, and after the blood and guts were over, he got bored. That was just the kind of guy he was.
Romeo came out of a small room and my breath caught in my throat before Allegra came out behind him, covered in blood but holding Matteo tightly. He had his head tucked against her shoulder. Relief flooded through me and made my knees weak, but I still managed to get to them, enveloping them both in a bear hug. Matteo squeaked and went to me. He was a big kid, nearly a hundred pounds, but I held him easily, tears burning at the backs of my eyes. Allegra was shaking all over and she looked pale, but the only injury seemed to be to her face.
“Where’s Ricardo?” Romeo asked.
“I’ve got him tied up at the front,” I said, gesturing toward him, and Romeo walked over to him, picking him up and forcing him into his car. “Close your eyes, bud,” I told Matteo, and he squeezed his eyes shut, hiding his face in my neck. I held tight to Allegra’s hand and led them both to Enzo’s sedan.
Adrenaline still coursed through my veins as we got into the car, Ricardo securely in the trunk. He kept yelling and banging around, but none of us seemed to notice. I reluctantly gave Matteo to Allegra who was sitting in the backseat, and she held him and whispered reassurances to him. None of us spoke on the ride back to Enzo’s mansion.
