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Half a second later, I realize she’s doing the same thing to me. Her fingers curl in my hair, her eyes frantic.
“N—Nico?” she gasps. She’s fighting tears, fear on her face. “Holy shit. Someone shot at us. Oh my God. Are you okay?”
No. Because they could have hit her.They could have taken Sybil away from me.
Fury explodes through my chest as I hear another shot ring out in the streets far below my apartment. I don’t need to wonder if the gunshots have something to do with my father having been here. I know they do, and it has me up and carrying Sybil into the sitting space attached to the dining room in the next moment, away from the closest windows.
I set her on the sofa carefully, kissing her once, quickly, before giving her a stern look. “Stay.”
Her fingers catch my arm as I move away. “No. Nico, don’t you dare go down there. They could hurt you—“
“I’ll be the one doing the hurting,” I seethe, pulling away before she can try to stop me again.
I’m in the elevator, headed down to the fight a mere few seconds later. Sybil must be in a small amount of shock from the gunshot, or I know she would have tried to stop me again. I don’t want to leave her alone like that, but I have to.
Because they fucking shot at us. At my father. At her.
My scarred knuckles clench, and I glare at the lights marking the floors my elevator passes. My phone buzzes in my pocket, but I don’t bother answering. It’s either Percy or Giovanni, both of whom were stationed outside my place for the dinner.
The elevator chimes, and immediately I barrel out into the street. Some people in the surrounding apartments are looking out their windows, wide-eyed, as police sirens sound in the distance. I doubt they can see much in the darkness between streetlights where the fight is happening, though. Which is good. I doubt they’d want to see what their neighbor is about to do.
I grab the neck of the first Gatto I see, ripping him away from where he’s struggling to get his hands around Giovanni’s throat. Swinging him around, I punch him hard. He swings back, only managing a blow that slights off my chin before I bash his face into the side of a parked car, setting off its alarm.
Another Gatto launches into my back, knocking me down. I grunt at the impact and the scratch of asphalt against my face, but Percy appears quickly and hauls the man up, throwing him against the dim sidewalk hard enough to knock him unconscious. Somewhere else nearby, I hear a couple more men shouting and the sound of footsteps retreating, followed by sharp grunts.
“My father,” I growl at Percy, so enraged that I don’t even care to wipe away the blood trickling from my nose.
“They took a shot, but he’s fine. He’s with Danny and Lucas. They got him out of here in time, but we think they tracked him—“
I tackle the remaining Gatto before his knife can connect with my friend’s back, twisting his arm until he drops the weapon with a yelp. Pinning him easily with one arm, I pick up the discarded blade and press it against his side. I’m livid. Bloodthirsty. I want to gut this pathetic motherfucker for putting my father and mytesorinain danger.
But the sirens are getting closer, and Giovanni has already had to stash two unconscious Gattos in his car. I lean down and snarl in the whimpering man’s ear.
“The shooter. Have they come down yet?”
“I—I don’t know what you’re—“
I twist his arm harder, digging in the knife enough to prick him. He’s sobbing now. Weak. “Don’t fuck with me,coglione. I’ll ask one more time. Whoever took that first shot had to be on a roof. Has he come down yet?”
“N—no.”
“Which building is he on?”
The man whimpers again, eyes flashing to a building near mine. I growl and release him, tossing his knife to the ground. He scrambles to grab it before disappearing down a thin alley. I can practically see the flashing red and blue now, a few blocks away.
I adjust my suit, once again stained with blood, finally wiping some off my face as I turn to Percy. “Whatever you were saying, tell me later. Get out of here with Giovanni. I’ll wait for the other Gatto myself.”
Percy grunts. “You sure you don’t want us to just wait nearby? We could toss the body in the trunk. No way are you about to let that guy live.”
I want nothing more than to pulverize the son of a bitch who dared take a shot at Sybil. I could make it last, break his bones one at a time and find out if he’s a squealer who knows anything about Lorenze. But my gaze flicks over to the entry of my apartment building. Ace is just pulling up to park under a streetlamp across the street, face showing his clear disappointment that he missed the brawl. He knows to keep an eye out and make sure no Gatto dares try entering my place right now.
But Sybil’s frightened face flashes through my gaze again. I shake my head. “Just get out of here.”
“You sure? Why, you gonna spare that fucker because Sybil would want you to, Boss?”
I glare at him, and The Kid lifts his hands in mock surrender.
“Right. Fucking off starting now. Call me when the cops are gone.”
