32. Ilias #2
We were spinning, skidding—something was grinding beneath us, screaming as we pitched hard.
Somewhere in the chaos, the partition cracked, and Spiros’s voice barked something unintelligible as he fought the wheel.
I heard Galena cry out, and that sound cut deeper than any bullet ever had.
My only thought was of her. Not strategy. Not retaliation.
“Galena! Are you hurt?” My voice was a growl in my throat as I braced us both, keeping my arm clamped tight around her head to shield it from the raining debris.
The second hit came before she could respond.
Another car slammed into us from behind, hard enough to lift the back wheels for half a second before gravity snapped us forward violently.
Her breath punched out of her body under me.
This hit felt even harder now that we didn’t have the cushion of the airbags.
“Stay down,” I ordered, my voice barely recognizable as fear warred with anger. This was intentional—an attack. I tried to orient myself and prepare for what would happen next .
“Ilias,” she choked. “Are you hurt?”
“No. Are you?” She shook her head, dazed. “We’ll be okay,” I mumbled as I tried to convince myself that it was true. This wasn’t good.
We jerked to a halt. Peeking over the busted-out window, I could see that two vehicles boxed us in. Another blacked-out SUV fishtailed in the rearview mirror, our follow car. Thank God. I could see Alex and Tassos piling out already, weapons drawn. We weren’t alone, but this shit wasn’t good.
I reached under my seat and pulled out the Glock from its magnetic holster, along with a K-Bar. Puncturing the airbags with the knife, I ran through a check. I wasn’t hurt. Some minor scrapes and bruises. “Stay down.”
Galena’s furious eyes locked onto mine, but she nodded, her chest heaving, curls askew, with specks of shattered glass.
Even though the car was armored, it wasn’t indestructible and could only offer an extra layer of protection.
My wife looked like a kicked angel. “I’m not staying down. I can help.”
“Yeah, by staying down,” I grumbled back at her.
She was going to start arguing when our door was yanked open, and a man lunged at me, armed.
I didn’t hesitate. I fired twice, head and torso.
The spray was close-range and efficient.
Another one, behind the first, ducked back as I took cover behind the doorframe, gun up.
Spiros was already firing from the hood of the Rover, crouched low and unflinching.
Bullets rained in, hitting the armored doors and panels. The Rover absorbed them effortlessly because that was what it was built for.
I ducked back in. “Galena—switch to the floor. Crawl to the other side. Text your brothers.” She didn’t hesitate. Her body moved lithely under the seats, and I thanked every god I didn’t believe in that she wasn’t freezing up on me.
Two more men. Coming fast. Dino had sent his best, or what was left of them. Or whatever he could pay for.
I moved out low and shot the first through the chest. The second got off a wild shot, grazing my shoulder. Burned like fire, but I could tell it wasn’t worth worrying over. I fired back and dropped him, blocking out Galena’s gasp. That was four down. Was that it?
I caught sight of a figure moving with too much familiarity from the corner of my eye. He was unmistakably arrogant, unhinged. That motherfucker Dino Scarpato. The coward wasn’t hiding anymore, too bad for him.
Snarling, shooting, screaming something in Italian, I couldn’t even hear through the adrenaline in my ears. Spiros shouted something. I heard Alex’s voice call my name. Another man went down to my right.
“Give me a gun. I’m going to kill that asshole.” Galena was peeking over my shoulder on the left, eyeballing Dino like he was a dog turd.
“You want mine? I don’t have an extra.” That was piss poor planning on my part. A mistake I wouldn’t be making again. My wife rolled her eyes at me in exasperation as I took out another man on the right. Looked like they were thinning out as Dino ranted at them.
“No, but don’t aim for his head. A leg, maybe. Maim him. Or a dick shot would be okay. Don’t let him get away.”
Apparently, she wasn’t too concerned about the fact that we were being shot at. My men seemed to have it well in hand, and Dino knew it too, because it was suddenly looking like he was going to bolt. “Wait here.”
I launched myself from the car just as Dino turned away. I tackled him in my best impression of a linebacker, slamming him into the concrete hard enough to crack bone. His pistol clattered away.
He reached for something else, a blade, maybe, but I crushed his wrist under my knee. “You have no idea what I have ready for you,” I hissed, dragging him up by the collar. I couldn’t wait to put him in the hole I prepared.
He spat blood at me, eyes manic. “You ruined everything. Your fucking brothers. Your fucking Commission?—”
“I’d end you right here, but we have plans.
” His eyes rolled. Ah, now he was afraid.
I liked it. Fisting his collar in my hand as he struggled to get away, I let myself punch him over and over again until I felt some of his ribs give way and his orbital bone crack.
By the time Spiros arrived with zip ties, Dino was coughing up blood and barely conscious.
I stood over him, breathing like a freight train, blood soaking my shoulder, and sweat slicking my spine.
“Boss, I’ll get him to the warehouse, yeah? Maxim is here. He’ll give you guys a ride. I’ll catch one with Lev.”
Shoving Dino toward Spiros, I gratefully gave him a nod and made a mental note to give him a raise.
Already, I saw the cavalry had started to filter in, along with some of the NYPD, who we’d have to pay off, which was a drag.
It was a mess. I hated dealing with the red tape.
I could see Conall already liaising in the corner with one of the lieutenants as they taped off the street and redirected traffic.
Dimitri and Maxim were hovering over Galena like she was going to implode any second.
Little did they know, my vicious little wife was looking forward to putting that asswipe down.
She wrapped her arms around my neck and held me as if she wasn’t sure I was real.
I buried my face in her hair, inhaling her scent, floral, smoky, and tinged with adrenaline from the accident.
“You okay?” she whispered. I pulled back and pressed my lips against her cheek, threading my fingers into her hair.
“There’s still glass in it. Be careful.”
“I’m okay. You? Should we get the doctor to check you out? Anything hurting?” Looking over at Maxim and Dimitri’s frowns, I could see that they were worried, but Galena was already shaking her head.
“I’m better than good.” She looked over at Dino being hauled up to his feet by Spiros. “I’ll finally be able to close this chapter.” Relief coated her face, even though she looked at Scarpato with disgust .
“Almost.” Dimitri looked at Dino with undisguised glee. “I hope Lev knows a few shortcuts to the warehouse. You sure you’re good, Galena? We don’t need to get a doctor?”
“No, I promise. Let’s get going so we can follow Lev. And…” She shot her brothers a sharp look. “You won’t be getting in any time with Scarpato. That asshole is mine.”
That was my girl. I gave a shit-eating grin to Maxim and Dimitri. They both looked a little sullen, but I knew they understood her need to have control over this situation. Granted, we all would have liked to have had a little fun with the dick.
Dimitri edged closer to his sister, surreptitiously looking her over as if not trusting her word for it that she was okay.
I’d warn him later about the hazards of being an overprotective brother, but I understood the need.
“We’ll wait in the car while you talk to the cop.
Looks like O’Kelly is waving you over there.
Hand me your piece, Anthakos,” he growled.
“This is going to be sticky as hell as it is with all these bystanders and bodies.”
The scene was a mess. The Rover had bullet holes riddled throughout it, and glass was shattered everywhere. It had been hit on two sides. So… totaled. It would have to be to wed to the junkyard, which was a shame. I loved that car.
“Come on, sunshine, let’s get this over with.” Weaving my fingers through hers, I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Conall will have everything prepped for us. Just answer the questions, okay?”
“We won’t get in trouble, right?” She bit her lips nervously. “For shooting back? Some of those guys are dead.” Her eyes ping-ponged to the dead bodies of the men that Scarpato had brought. NYPD was already laying out all their cute little evidence tags, looking all official.
“Nah, Conall has it under control. Trust us. We try to keep this kind of thing out of the streets, but we couldn’t help it this time. The Commission takes pride in being extremely careful in how it conducts its business.”
She nodded back at me as we neared Conall and the officer he was talking to, who looked like he’d swallowed a lemon. Galena whispered, “I know you’ve got this handled. All of you.”