Chapter 23
With my heart pounding, I steady my trembling hands, aiming my gun directly at Carlo. The deafening silence is broken only by the sound of our shallow breaths. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Alessandro, I can feel the weight of his presence, his strength by my side, our weapons locked on the masked figure who holds Maddox hostage. The sight of his body, slumped, sends a chill down my spine. I know, deep down, that Maddox must already be suffering, or they wouldn’t have been able to overpower him. “Ricky,” I whisper, “Maddox is hurt.”
“He’ll be okay, baby doll,” he tries to assure me, but I don’t believe him.
My blood pressure rises with each deliberate step Carlo takes toward us, heightening the tension in the air. The boys are doing everything they can to shield me from him, but I’m trapped against Alessandro with these damn handcuffs. “Now it’s time for you to put down your weapon, Nephew, we’re all family here, no one else needs to get hurt tonight. Hand over the girl and I will be on my way.”
I inhale in a shallow breath, knowing they should just hand me over; all their troubles will disappear if they do. But the way I feel Alessandro’s bicep stiffen against me, I know he never would. “Not a chance in hell I’m letting you leave with Harley,” Alessandro growls. “You’re outnumbered, Uncle,” he sneers. “Surrender Maddox and perhaps you’ll escape with your life.”
The dark alley is filled with a sinister cackling as the masked man and Carlo move closer to us. His eyes bore into me, sending an icy shiver down my spine. Carlo embodies pure evil, emanating an aura of malevolence. “See, I know I have the upper hand.” His smile turns psychotic. “You have a tough decision to make, your girl or your brother? What’s it going to be, Nephew?”
“Don’t fucking do it, Alex,” Maddox growls fiercely, his teeth clenched tightly. His voice is filled with anguish, each word dripping with agony. I want to run to him and take away his pain. He will risk everything, even his own life, to ensure my safety. I refuse to let them harm him, even if it means putting myself at risk.
“She doesn’t have what you think she does.” Geovani’s voice comes from beside me, breaking the silence. Each word oozes with a venomous resentment toward Carlo.
Carlo’s eyes flick to his son, his grin morphing into a cruel scowl. The absence of a once-cherished family bond hangs heavy in the air. The sheer intensity of their mutual disdain is tangible and frightening. How could a father hate his son so much?
Alessandro holds my hand tightly, our chained hands empowering me with a hidden strength I never knew I possessed. I push past Ricky’s protection and take a step forward. “It’s okay, Geo. I will fix this mess.” My voice comes out clearer than I expected and with more confidence. I straighten my shoulders and look directly at Carlo, the fucker. “Let Maddox go, and I will help you get what you want,” I say, knowing it’s already way too late for that. He wants what he thinks is in the safety deposit box. Geovani and I both know that’s long gone. I caused this mess by running from them, and now it’s time for me to fix it. If I go with him, I’ll save Maddox, and I have to try.
“Fuck off, Harley,” Maddox’s voice trembles as he pleads with me not to negotiate with Carlo, his eyes filled with anguish. The sight of blood seeping through his shirt sends a surge of worry through my veins, a metallic scent hanging in the air.
Alessandro’s mouth leans closer to my ear, his voice barely a whisper. “What are you doing?”
“Trust me, please,” I breathe, praying to anyone that will listen this will all work out. It has to or I’m a dead girl.
As Carlo shakes his head, his frustration is evident. “You first, darling. Unlock her and hand her over to me and you get your brother back.”
Alessandro and I take a few steps closer to them, and I show our hands. “Maddox has the key, you see, so you need to let him go first,” I explain. “Once he’s free to unlock me, I’m all yours.” I get another subtle squeeze of the hand from Alessandro, but it’s too late to back out now. I’m doing this.
Carlo thinks on it for a beat, his eyes running over the pair of us as he assesses his options. Despite putting on a confident act, he knows he’s outnumbered and running out of options. As I approach him, I notice the glistening sweat beading on his forehead. He’s like a repulsive rodent, wriggling in his own disgusting mess. I can sense that he’s on the verge of surrendering. “Drop your guns and I will release him,” Carlo demands, a tremble to his voice that gives away his anguish. He knows there are five of us and only two of them, and if Maddox weren’t so injured, we all know Carlo and his pal would already be dead.
We drop our weapons, and he gives his friend the go-ahead, and the masked man shoves Maddox in our direction. He stumbles toward us clutching his side, blood seeping over his fingers. With his free hand, he shakily takes the key from his pocket and hands it to Ricky who undoes the handcuffs. “What the fuck are you playing at, temptress?” he whispers, his voice strained.
Ricky’s eyes are filled with a warning, and as I look between them, I see all of their faces are. They don’t believe I can do this. “Please trust me,” I whisper, knowing we have no choice. “Knife,” I mutter to Alessandro as our hands come apart. Behind my back, he passes me the knife from his pocket.
His eyes plead with me to reconsider, but I know what I’m doing.
I straighten my shoulders and stare Carlo down as I move toward him. “Carlo. This is all very simple. A business transaction, isn’t it? You want something my papa promised you. I can see why you’re so upset. A deal is a deal, after all.”
He nods, agreeing with me.
“And my papa signed on the dotted line.” I take another step closer to him, and the man in the mask glances from me to him, also wondering what I’m doing. I hold the knife up.
“Red, don’t you fucking dare!” Geovani growls out from behind us like he has read my mind. The thought makes me smile, and I finally get it. I see what we’re all up against. These assholes will stop at nothing to get what they want. Maybe I am becoming one of them, even if I don’t want to.
I move one step closer and press the knife to my thumb. “How about I give you what you want. You don’t want me.” I tilt my head to the side. “You want this, don’t you?”
“She’s going to cut her fucking thumb off,” the masked man mutters in disgust.
Carlo smirks with a sick sense of satisfaction, thinking he’s about to get everything he wants handed to him.
Both men are fixed on me, watching my every subtle move, just waiting for what they want. As I go to slice into my thumb, I take one more step slightly to the side, knowing the boys both have a clear shot at the two guys now. As if Alessandro can read my mind perfectly, a bullet flies right past my head. The guy in the mask’s face explodes, and his body plumets to the dirty street below. He must have had another gun on him.
At the same time, Geovani does some sort of ninja move and appears right beside me, collecting his gun, aiming it toward his pa, shielding me from him with his body.
Carlo scans the two of us, his slimy face contorting in disgust. “What did you do? How does she know what I need from her?” his pa seethes, lunging toward us, not caring about the gun aimed at him. He’s now desperate, and he realizes he’s fucked.
“She’s no good to you anymore. I made sure of it. Everything in that safety deposit box is in my possession now. You want to negotiate, you do it with me and leave Harley out of it.”
Alessandro shoots again, the sound of gunfire echoing through the air. This time the bullet hits Carlo’s arm, forcing him back into the brick wall as he clutches it in agony. His eyes, dark and piercing, hold a dangerous intensity, like a coiled snake prepared to strike at anyone who dares to provoke him once more.
Geovani aims his gun in the same direction, and the street is sprayed with bullets, Carlo’s body flying backwards in a bloodied mess.
My eyes go wide. Oh my fucking God. Alessandro and Geovani just killed Carlo. To save me. I stare at his body in absolute shock.
“Guys, we need to leave now,” comes Ricky’s shaky voice from behind us. I glance over my shoulder to see him supporting Maddox’s limp body, his hands pressed to Maddox’s side, blood seeping through his shirt and pooling over Ricky’s hands. I lock eyes with him, and I can tell he’s deeply afraid. Maddox is losing too much blood.
I reach out for Geovani who seems to be momentarily in shock. “We have to go,” is all I get out, and he understands. We need to all leave together tonight. Too much has happened, and I need to know my boys are all okay. With a hint of disappointment, he steals a final glance over his shoulder, then takes my hand, and we sprint frantically, our feet pounding against the pavement as we race back to the car.
Alessandro and Ricky assist Maddox as he climbs into Ricky’s car, while Geovani eagerly takes the driver’s seat. Maddox winces as Ricky applies pressure to his throbbing wound. His head settles in my lap, and I stroke his bleach-blond hair off his sweaty face. He’s a big man, but right now he looks so fragile. And I’m filled with anxiety. I can’t bear the thought of him leaving me behind.
“You’re going to be okay,” I tell him, kissing his forehead, but I don’t believe my own words. I can see the fear in Ricky’s eyes. I’ve seen that look on his face before, right before I passed out after I was shot down in the caves, and I know his condition is dire.