by Dee, Cara
“I don’t want to talk to him,” I said instead.
“You won’t have to,” he assured. “I just need his contact information. Liam once requested a sit-down with me. I think I’m going to accept—well, I’m going to make them believe I am.”
You do that.
Nothing that would happen after tonight mattered.
Gio wasn’t done. “I need one more thing from you. I want you to write a list of O’Shea and Murray locations.”
Sure. It wouldn’t be hard to make up a list of places to send them on a wild goose chase, but I still had to play my cards right. I had to make a demand that was small enough for him to consider as doable.
“If I do that,” I started hesitantly, “can I at least be allowed to leave the house every now and then? I feel suffocated being trapped here.”
He nodded pensively. “If the list you give me checks out, then definitely. We will start with chaperoned outings.”
Woo-hoo.
At nine-thirty, I knocked on the door to Gio’s office on the first floor.
“Enter.”
I opened the door. “You wanted to see me?”
He smiled patiently and gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk. “Have a seat, ragazza. I wanted to discuss something that isn’t suitable for Autumn’s ears.”
Whatever it was, be done with it. I’d been looking forward to an evening of hiding out in my room and preparing Autumn for our escape when Luca had told me that Gio wanted a word with me.
I sat down and started folding one leg over the over, and that was apparently a no-go all of a sudden. Jesus Christ. I winced and put a hand on my belly.
Gio’s eyes flashed with mirth. “You are handling your pregnancy with grace, dear. One day, you will make a man very lucky and bring many children into this world.”
I didn’t respond.
There was another knock on the door, and Gio looked up with a smile as Elena walked in.
“There she is,” he said.
I stared at her. She’d been crying.
Rather than sitting down in the chair next to me, she walked over to stand by Gio.
She was struggling to look me in the eye.
It put me on edge.
“The matter is Autumn,” Gio told me, which instantly caused my entire body to go rigid. “When I sent my men for you, I told them to bring whoever was on babysitting duty. Never in a million years did I think they would leave you alone without security.”
Die.
“Then Luca returned with you—and a child,” he continued. “This poses a problem for me, because I do not like to involve minors in our business. But it has come to this. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Autumn is worth more than a personal guard could ever be.”
My grip on the armrests tightened as I saw Elena flinch and avert her gaze.
“You’re going to use her,” I stated. Hatred unlike anything I had ever felt boiled under the surface. “You’re gonna use a ten-year-old little girl to barter for…what, a cease-fire? To get the upper hand?”
“To end the Sons of Munster,” he replied flatly. “I’m going to suggest a trade. John and Autumn in exchange for everything they have taken from me.”
I narrowed my eyes. “It’s going to be an ambush, isn’t it?”
“Naturally.”
I wet my bottom lip and flicked another glance at Elena. She had a responsibility to stand next to Gio, but her personal opinion seemed to differ from his.
“Is John here in Germany?” I shifted my stare back to Gio.
He nodded. “He’s been here the entire time.”
Here, as in, here at the estate? My God.
My heart started racing. “What was the promise you made him?”
Gio chuckled and lifted his brows. “That he would live to see the day his syndicate fell apart.”
“There is no other way, Emilia,” Elena murmured. “Believe me, I have tried to find other options.”
I wanted to kill her. The mere sight of her made me sick.
“What would happen to Autumn if the Sons don’t agree?” Because that was what it boiled down to. It was easy to make threats. Following through, however, would prove you were a monster. “Would you actually murder an innocent child?”
Gio was dismissive about it. “That’s not up to me. It’s entirely Finnegan’s choice.”
“He’s not the one aiming a gun at her head,” I snapped.
Shit, I had to cool it.
I drew a breath and tried to get rid of my frustration by reminding myself that it didn’t fucking matter. Everything was going to end tonight.
“I don’t care,” I said somewhat calmly, “what happens to the Sons or the Avellinos. I care about her. She’s innocent.”
“It is our only option.” Elena’s eyes pleaded with me to understand, but I never would. Ever. Fuck her. She could rot. “Let’s hope Finnegan agrees. Autumn has mentioned her grandparents, yes? She will not be alone.”
“If she lives,” I bit out.
If I’d needed confirmation of how far Elena was willing to go, I’d received it. Not only had she walked away from her own child, but she was willing to sacrifice another for the future of a mobster family. Well fucking done, Elena.
“I need to process this,” I said and stood up. “May I retire for the evening?”
Gio waved a hand in go-ahead. “You will see one day, Emilia. I promise.”
Go fuck yourself.
At twenty minutes till midnight, I was helping Autumn change clothes. She was exhausted but excited at the prospect of seeing Eric soon.
“I need you to be extra brave for me tonight, okay?” I handed her the only black hoodie she owned. “Whatever happens, try to shut everything out and concentrate on what we tell you to do. If Sullivan brings us to the roof, you hold on to me. If he carries you somewhere, trust that he knows what he’s doing.” It pained me incredibly to speak so bluntly about exposing her to dangers, but I’d rather prepare her as much as possible than lose her because she found herself paralyzed and screamed in panic when one of the guys tried to bring her to safety. Or however they were going to play this. I had no damn clue. “It’s okay to be afraid,” I said. “I’m terrified.”
“You are?” She bit her bottom lip.
“Of course I am.” I sat down on the edge of the bed and patted the spot next to me. “But I have all the faith that the boys have got this. Finnegan and Uncle Eric know what they’re doing, so I’m just gonna do whatever they tell me to.”
She nodded and looked down at her lap. “Me too. I promise.”
“You’re already so brave.” I hugged her to me. “When this is over, I’m gonna weep like a baby.”
She giggled tearfully and squeezed my hand. “Uncle Eric can comfort us both.”
“We will all comfort one another.” I kissed the top of her head and stood up again. “Are you ready to go home?”
She nodded furiously. “So much.”
Me too.
When the clock struck midnight, we were ready and wearing matching clothes. Black leggings, black hoodies, running shoes. And at the faintest tap on the balcony door, I spun around and smiled widely. Sullivan was here, dressed in dark clothes and a black beanie. He smirked. I rushed over as he opened the door, and I couldn’t help but throw my arms around him.
Yikes. He had his rifle strapped to his back.
“Eeep,” Autumn whispered excitedly.
“You’re here,” I croaked.
“And we don’t have time, darlin’.” He chuckled and patted me on my shoulder. “I’ll hug the shite outta you when we’re safe.”
He was right. I let go and took a deep, unsteady breath. I wasn’t gonna cry, goddammit.
“Rules are simple for you two,” he said as he removed some harness from around his lower body. He’d really come down from the roof. It was nuts. “Autumn, you hide under the bed or in the closet and cover your ears.”
“I have my headphones,” she offere
d.
He nodded. “Attagirl.” Then he turned to me. “You stay by the door and don’t let anyone in.” He removed a gun from a strapped holster around his thigh and attached a silencer to it. Or suppressor or whatever it was called. “Only for an emergency, got it? No matter how many decibels this one smothers, it’s still a loud shot. Anyone nearby will hear it.”
“Understood.” I nodded and accepted the gun. “Where are you guys coming in? Gio has a crapload of men around the estate.”
He smirked again. “You’ll see.”
Cocky Irishmen.
I adored them all.
“Now we wait for Finn’s signal.” He went over to the door and flicked off the light, only to return to the balcony doorway. “Colm and Kellan are in the garage, and Finn and Liam are hiding out behind the staff house. The rest are out there in the forest.”
“Jesus,” I whispered. “I heard about the explosions in Italy. Gio’s livid.”
Sullivan grinned and folded his arms over his chest. “Genius move by Finn and Pat. The boss sent them down there, yeah? Then Pat reckoned if they broke in first and activated the security systems, Avellino men would rush to the scene and be inside when—” He demonstrated a kaboom with his hands. “They did that with two of the villas, anyway. The others had to be activated remotely so the lads could make it back here in time.”
I could only gawk up at him. He was a sight for sore eyes, and I didn’t know how much I’d missed their casual approaches to destruction until I heard them again now.
There was something about the Irish.
Sullivan lifted his arm to stare at his watch, and he was humming a song I’d heard a million times over the past several months. An upbeat, fast, punk-rock tune called “The Captain’s Dead.” The men had used it to motivate one another, to keep their spirits up. And whenever someone played it, they would come together before the chorus to belt out, “Let’s send you back to hell!”
I could hear it right now—no, wait. What the hell? I actually could hear it. I whipped my head in the direction of the balcony, and I stared in shock as the whole forest lit up with spotlights and sirens—and that damn song. The song blared out from speakers that belonged in a concert arena.
“What’s happening?” I breathed out.
“That’s my cue.” Sullivan smiled and left the doorway. “Autumn, time to hide.”
I snapped out of my awe and grabbed Autumn’s iPad. “Headphones on, sweetie.” I opened the door to the big armoire for her. “I think you’ll be most comfortable in here. Just play your games or try to watch a movie.”
“Okay,” she replied nervously. She climbed into the armoire and swallowed hard. “Everything will be okay, right?”
“Absolutely, and we’ll come for you when everything’s safe. Just don’t worry if it takes a while,” I said.
She nodded jerkily and put on her headphones. “I will stay here, I swear.”
“Perfect.” I leaned in and gave her forehead a loud kiss. At least she smiled a little. Then I had to close the door and concentrate.
Sulliv—
Oh my God! I jumped at whatever chaos had just erupted outside.
“Now I really gotta go. Remember what I said.” Sullivan ducked out of the room and disappeared.
I exhaled shakily and peered out the balcony doors. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The guys had freaking bulldozed their way through the wall. A big chunk of it lay in ruins on the lawn, and in the middle of the destruction was a vehicle that belonged at a construction site.
Then the first gunshot was fired.
35
Finnegan O’Shea
I had the image of Emilia standing on the balcony as I secured the lock on the staff house; I had that vision etched in my fucking brain, and I was still stunned. A seven-months-long pregnancy looked good on my wife, which was the understatement of the century. Bloody fucking hell. She’d, uh, filled out.
I was waiting for the stupefaction to wear off.
She’d legit taken my fucking breath away.
There I’d been in the forest, in a damn tree with Liam, minding my own business, spying on the Avellinos, and I’d spotted her on the balcony.
Hours later, I still hadn’t recovered.
“Oi.” Liam jerked his chin at me.
I suppressed a frustrated sigh and nodded curtly. The chains were in place, the lock was fastened, the C-4 was ready to go off.
Checking my watch, I saw we had four minutes till someone would do rounds and cover the front again.
Gio’s security around this place was goddamn embarrassing. Nonexistent, if you didn’t count all the low-men he surrounded himself with, many of whom were untrained and new in the field. And it spoke volumes of what he’d come to. The man who’d sent highly skilled assassins with their own motherfucking army of drones was gone. This was what he had left. He’d scrambled the up-and-coming amateurs and remaining capos who wanted a future in the Avellino family.
For us, it meant free passage over the wall as long as nobody saw us.
We’d been coming and going all hours of the day since yesterday, using only a rope and a ladder.
As Liam and I ducked behind the building, I switched on my little flashlight and threw it over the wall, signaling to Joel on the other side that we were good to go.
Liam handed me the small tablet, and I logged in to set a timer on the explosives inside the guards’ house.
We estimated about eight men were asleep in there.
Seconds later, the silence was filled with a thunderous greeting from Ireland’s finest. Music poured out from the woods on the other side of the main estate, and Liam and I got ready. It was only a matter of seconds before the guys inside the staff house would wake up, and we wanted to ensure no one rushed out here before Liam and I had made it out of the way.
Low voices and curses rumbled from the staff house. I looked at the display. Twenty seconds to go.
The sound of metal tearing through rock reached us at the same time as someone tried to leave the house we were hiding behind.
“The roaches are gathering.” Liam pointed toward the fancy entrance of the estate, where two men snapped into action. They grabbed their guns and started running toward the side of the estate, where they rounded the corner and aimed for the back. Safe to say, whoever was in charge had commanded everyone to eliminate any threat back there.
It was our cue. Liam and I hightailed it to the front entrance and found the heavy door unlocked. Right as we disappeared inside, the staff house near the wall exploded in a ball of fire.
My pulse shot through the roof, and I lifted my gun in case we ran into anyone in the grand foyer. Here, we were completely exposed. But hopefully we had started enough fires, literally, for us to go unnoticed.
We stayed near the wall leading to the stairs, and one guy ran past us in the dark without throwing the slightest glance our way. His focus was trained solely on the back of the house, and he darted toward the nearest terrace doors.
It fucked with my head to have the inside of the estate dark and quiet while the outside had officially turned into a war zone. The only thing that pierced my eardrums more than Italian panic and furious shouting was gunfire. Stray bullets shattered the windows across the first floor, and I was beginning to wonder if we should worry about that more than Gio’s remaining soldiers.
Signaling for Liam to stay back and cover the foyer, I moved toward the eastern wing and peered down the hallway of closed doors. The image of Emilia crept to the forefront of my mind again, and I had to force it out. We were so goddamn close. My whole body screamed for her.
“Ammazzate quegli schifosi animali! Non lasciateli entrare!”
I cocked my head at the voice. It had to be Gio, right? He was in here somewhere, but not on the first floor. I hoped Sullivan heard it; he was upstairs doing the same thing I was doing down here. Checking all the rooms.
I opened door after door, making sure the rooms were empty.
Liam l
et out a low whistle from the foyer, and I glanced at him over my shoulder. He gestured that he was heading upstairs, then showed three fingers. The third floor. I nodded. Go. Then I went back to opening the doors and leaving them open. Most of them were all but bare, eliminating the option of hiding inside. One room had nothing but a few paintings on the walls and a statue in the middle of the floor—a chest piece I was sure I’d seen before.
If we had the time when this was over, I wanted to go through the residence and see what valuables we could bring with us. There had to be art worth millio—shite. Movement caught my eye when I opened another door, and I aimed my gun at the heavy curtains by what I guessed was the only intact window on the first floor at this point.
I stifled a sigh, irritated. I didn’t have time for games.
I fired three shots in quick succession, and a guy fell to the floor with a thump. Hurrying over, I kicked aside the gun he’d been holding and noticed he was an older man. More than that, I knew who he was just by looking at his features. Even though I’d never met him before, I was positive this was Alessandro’s pop. Now they were both dead.
I put a bullet in his head to play it safe, then jogged out of the room.
A beat later, I heard my brother yell, “We need backup out here!”
Abandoning my task, I darted into the next room where the windows lay shattered on the floor.
Fucking hell, it was mayhem out there, and our men were taking a lot of heat. Our distraction had worked a little too well, and all of Gio’s men had seemingly flocked to the back of the estate.
I took two shots at a couple gobshites who were trying to take out Mack behind one of the Jacuzzis.
“Oi, fuckfaces!” Kellan shouted from somewhere. Knowing he’d been in the underground garage with Colm, I deduced they’d come running when Pat yelled for backup. It sounded like they were in a room a few doors down from me.
A handful of guys turned toward Kellan, and I took aim at them.
One down, two down—
“Sullivan!” I heard Emilia scream.
I choked on a breath and felt my brain go blank, and yet my body knew what to do. It lit up with some fucking weird electric current, and I flew out of the room, no thought on what I was leaving behind. I rushed up the stairs. I had to get to her, I had to get to her. She’d screamed, and the sound had sent alarm bolting through me. She had to be okay. She’d screamed, goddammit.
