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My eyes jolt to Mattie next—and I lose my ability to think.
My breath rips out of my lungs. He’s stripped to his briefs with terror painted on every inch of his body. Blood speckles his hands and wrists. His pale thighs tremble in the chilly, unfiltered air. His thick, precious locks are strewn in multiple directions, making him look like he’s been in a royal struggle for his life.
"Not so fucking fast." A man emerges from the shadows and points a gun at me.
Everything in me grinds to a halt. My eyes tick up because I recognize his voice at once.
Though a mask conceals his face, his deep timbre can only belong to Luigi Riccardi.
I snarl as I take a menacing step forward. "Let him go."
Luigi rips his mask off and smirks. "I don't fucking think so."
Mattie shakes and trembles. He claws back a scream, the stress doing a number on his nerves.
I thrust my arm around Mattie’s shoulders. "You won’t like what’ll happen if you don’t."
Luigi aims his gun at Mattie. "Your cousins killed my brother. Today, we’ll get revenge."
He fires a bullet at Mattie.
Bang.
I roar as I shove Mattie to the side, protecting him at the last minute.
The bullet zings off the rusty pipe, before crashing to the ground beside his feet.
"How dare you?" I roar, sawing Mattie’s cords off to free him.
His binds are thick, twisted, and unrelenting. It takes multiple attempts to even drag my knife blade through. When I do, it takes Mattie even longer to untangle himself.
Luigi cocks the gun again. "Paulo was an amazing brother. He was the only member of our family who wasn’t involved in the business. When we went on missions, he stayed home to read with his cats."
"Bullshit," I spit out.
"It’s the truth." Petrie steps out of the shadows. "He was studying for his PhD in French Literature. He didn’t even know how to fire a gun—you took out an innocent man."
My eyes turn to slits. "He reaped the spoils of your business of death. He should’ve signed the Tuscan villa over to us—then he’d still be alive."
Petrie claws back a growl. "Don’t victim-blame him."
"Yeah," Luigi snarls. "That’s like saying a woman deserves what happens to her if she walks into a dark alley at night."
"Paulo was surrounded by Mafia." My fingers clench into fists. "He knew the risks."
"Our brother was a lovable, impotent giant." Giuseppe steps into the light.God, how many more people are hiding in here?"Your family is the menace—not ours."
"Let’s solve this today." I refuse to fuck around. "What can we do to make it right?"
"Nothing." Luigi smirks.
Giuseppe sneers. "We want revenge."
All three brothers tug automatic rifles out of their suit coats.
Ratata.
Bullets scream through the air, flying straight at me and Mattie.
