CHAPTER FORTY-TWO


    Salvatore


    This is a shit show.


    True battle where you have to fight to get to the guy at the top. The guy at the top who is not Stephanou. He’s nowhere, not here. We’ve been fighting long enough to know he’s not fucking here.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    There were over a hundred men, felt more like a million though.


    All of theming at us and all at once while Diego just stands at the top, shooting, barely lifting an arm.


    He’s ying with us.


    That’s what it fucking feels like. Like we’re toys to him and we’re the entertainment for the fucking day.


    I’m covering Vincent as he shoots and Nick covers Pa. Nick’s been hit. I don’t know where and I’m going crazy not knowing if he’s fighting with thest ounce of life he has left or if he’s been hit somewhere that’s not fatal.


    We need to change things up and end this.


    I see udius and Dante over on the other side of the warehouse. The way they work is simr to us, like a unit of one body. udius the head and his men the limbs and they know what to do. It’s smooth and efficient but counts for shit when you’re outnumbered. What we need is smart wit to outdo them. This shooting one by one is going to piss on us.


    What I need is a diversion. A clear path so I can jump onto the tform that fucker is on and kill his ass.


    I look around and check out our path.


    My mind is working overtime, thinking of ways to take out a whole bunch of these guys at once.


    I turn to Vincent as he takes out two guys who wereing for us from the corner.


    “Vincent we need to eliminate these fuckers. There’s too many of them. Far too many.”


    “There are too many.” He winces.


    We’re going to have to go in for them old school and move forward shooting anyone in our path.


    “Vincent we’re going to be here all day if we keep going like this. We have to move in, move up, fight.” I look to him and he nods.


    I tap themunicator to speak to udius.


    “udius we have to up the game on these fuckers. This is taking too long. They’re just ying shit with us,” I tell him.


    He actuallyughs. “Was wondering when you were going to call me in for a real fight. I’ll take the left and you get the right, capo.”


    God that is crazy. He has his head screwed on though, waiting for us.


    “Thanks. udius, I need a clearing to get to Diego. He might make a run for it if he sees we’re taking his guys out. I need you to cover us.”


    “Don’t worry about that. We have you covered. Move on three.”


    I look to Vincent who nods.


    One . Two. Three.


    It’s time to y.


    Vincent and I fly out from behind the pir. I whip out my handguns and start shooting at the same time that udius and his men step out to cover us.


    Vincent and I empty our guns in the men whoe for us and the spray of bullets thate from above finishes them off.


    I’m surprised I don’t get hit.


    Bodies lie before us. We took down at least fifty men. If they’re not dead, they’re nearly there. I don’t have time to check.


    What catches my eye is Diego. He’s taken note of the way we’ve stepped things up and the fucker doesn’t like it. He’s about twenty five feet up from us and the motherfucker clocks on to me looking at him and is backing away like the dog he is, ready to flee.


    “Vincent, look,” I shout as Diego starts backing away down the tform that looks like it leads out of the facility.


    “I see that sick fuck. Let’s go.” Vincent starts running and I follow.


    We don’t yet have the clearing I hoped for but Pa jumps out from behind his pir and makes the path clear for us. Ten men go down and another two who were heading our way.


    We have the upper hand again so we take it.


    Vincent and I fly up the stairs taking three at a time, leaping up like animals. Lions out for blood.


    Vincent is like a ferocious beast roaring and I follow at his side. Pa and Nick have now joined us and they’re following close behind.


    Just as Diego gets to the next set of stairs that lead up to the door, Vincent fires one shot that catches him.


    Triumph surges through me when Diego falls over, but the fucker is still moving. He starts crawling, as if he can really get away now. And like that?


    Idiot.


    We get to him and Vincentunches a kick to his body hard, like he’s kicking a ball for the winning goal.


    Diego screams out from the impact and blood seeps through his jacket.


    That’s where the bullet struck him, looks like it was just on his side.


    Fucking asshole. He should have gone down dead like the dog he is.


    Still trying to put up a fight, heunches himself up and growls whipping out his guns but I shoot him in his chest and he goes down again on his knees thrashing on the ground in obvious pain as blood pours from him.


    Vincent grabs Diego by his neck and presses his gun to his head. The psycho knows it’s over for him but startsughing. Laughing like someone told a hrious joke.


    “You people are fucking fools, all of you a joke.” Diego continues tough.


    “We’re funny? Really? Does this look funny to you?” Vincent balks.


    “Look at you, miserable fools. Ipetent, inadequate fools. Especially you.” Diego res at me. “So blinded by love you couldn’t see for shit.”


    My nerves spike. What the hell is he talking about?


    “Fucking dog. What are you trying to say?”


    He answers me with augh then starts coughing and spits blood. He looks like he’s on hisst. “You were fucking the rat’s daughter all along. Never knew her old man was working both sides and ying you, stringing you along like mice like the vermin you are.”


    My damn mouth actually falls open as shock suffuses me.


    Mimi’s father.


    Him?


    Joey Cipriani.


    No…


    No way..


    “Joey Cipriani!” I bellow. I snap my gaze to Pa then Vincent who looks equally shocked.


    “Idiot. Maybe you should go back to fucking around at your little sex club.” He starts tough again as I tense. “You’re all a fucking joke. A joke to the Sicilian mafia. You think you have everything figured outing here. Come for me with your best men, and leave your prized possessions and all that you hold dear with little protection so our rat can lead us right in to take what we want.”


    My stomach twists into knots tighter than a macramé. I stare at Diego, feeling like I’m going to pop a vessel.


    “What are you talking about,” I demand.


    “Your women and children.” He howls withughter. “You think Gabe is enough to take down an army of us? He’s good but he’s not that good.”


    Jesus, they’ve gone to the house!


    They’ve gone to the fucking house.


    I step forward and knock his face in with the back of my gun.


    “You fucking asshole. You were ying with us.”


    “Your women will be more pussy to pass around.” Heughs out loud.


    I end his sorry ass before he can say another word. He has nothing more I want to hear. I fire the gun and the bullet sts between his eyes. Vincent drops him and growls like a beast. The same beast that’s raging in me.


    “I’ll call Ma, you call Gabe,” he says.


    “I’m calling Mia,” Nick shouts.


    I grab my phone and dial Gabe’s number.


    There’s no answer. It just rings out to voicemail.


    I call again and the same thing happens. He’d have his phone on him. I know he would and it works in the safe room.


    My heart races and my lungs tighten then tingle.


    I dare not think the worst.


    I can’t.


    Gabe’s not answering his phone and the Fontaines have gone to the house where our women and children are.


    Mimi’s father…


    Joey.


    This is all his doing.


    Fuckkkkkkkkkkk.