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He choked back a sob, his face contorting in agony before he managed to stuff it back down again. This was as close to breaking as I'd ever seen him. He blew a breath out between his teeth, and the steering wheel creaked ominously. “What if it were Emilia?" he asked. "What would you do then?”
I already knew the answer to that. I would burn the world down for her.
Tommy looked at me, eyebrow raised at the mention of Emilia, but he didn't ask. Instead, he handed me one of the long guns from the back.
“I’m with you Connor,” I said. “Trap or no trap, Cassidy is family. She saved my life."
"And she's my baby sister," Tommy added. "Don't act like you're the only person here with someone to lose."
Connor glanced over at that. His icy expression broke for just a moment, looking at his best friends, and he nodded. I gripped his shoulder. "And we're not going in blind. Emilia's going to help us get in. She'll be waiting on the south side of the mansion." I started loading the shotgun. "We have to be careful.”
"No," Tommy said. "We just have to have more firepower."
He opened the Pelican Case and held up a round object.
"Jesus Christ, Tommy." I blanched. "Is that a fucking grenade?"
Connor exited onto the ramp to Cambridge. "Hand a few up here, Tommy. Let's kill the bastards and get back my wife."
thirteen
Emilia
Iclutched the phoneas the line went dead. This was really happening.
"Well?" Luca asked. "What did he say?"
"He said he'll come," I replied, forcing myself to keep my voice steady. "He'll meet us at the back gate."
Luca nodded once and walked back into the storeroom to retrieve a backpack he'd stashed.
I hugged the book to my chest like a lifeline. Alfie's copy ofPride and Prejudice, the same copy he'd stolen from me, had been lying right where I'd thrown it in the corner of the shop. I didn't fully understand why he'd given it back at the time. That was before I turned the page and found his phone number scrawled at the bottom.
Even after I drove him away, Alfie had given me a way out.
I could only hope I wasn't luring him to his death, now.
I locked the front door and walked back to the storeroom. Luca was already waiting for me by the door. At his suggestion, I'd changed into jeans and tennis shoes, something easy to move in.
Luca pulled a small pistol from the backpack and tried to hand it to me, but I took a step back. "No. I don't want--"
"Take it." He grabbed my hand and pressed the gun into my palm, covering it with his. "Please. For me. Do you know how to use it?"
I swallowed hard and nodded. Lorenzo had made sure I knew how to use a gun. I still hated them.
"Good." He still hadn't let go of my hand. His throat worked, as if he were trying to find the words. "Just unlock the door and let them in. Don't do anything else. Shit goes down, I want you to run. Promise me."
"Luca--"
"No.Promiseme, Emilia. Look me in the eyes and promise me."
I nodded. "I promise."
Luca watched as I slipped the gun into my waistband and pulled my shirt over it. My heart was racing, and the gun felt cold and heavy against the small of my back. "What will you be doing?"
"Creating a diversion. I'll draw the guards to the front of the house and give your guys the best chance of slipping in without being seen."
Luca wouldn't look at me as he slung the backpack over his shoulders, his face blank and unreadable. I knew what this was costing him...and what it could potentially cost him.
