Chapter 26 #2
No one answered, but Gio must have been satisfied that they heard him.
"Your man here and his brother have been lying to you.
When the old man died, he left all his business holdings to me.
Giovanni Bruno." He landed a kick against Donnie's stomach.
"My mother was one of you assholes. She loved your sorry asses until she was cast out for choosing a dick that wasn't one of the precious Pesci lap dogs.
But that didn't matter, not when everything was left to me. "
He pulled his leg back and landed a blow against Donnie's crotch. The man cried out, curling into a ball.
"Look at this coward. He can't fight us off. He's not fit to lead you. What happened when I tried to take what was rightfully mine? They blacklisted me. What did they do when I tried to meet with them? They ran from me. Is this the scum you want to lead you?"
Gio stomped on Donnie's hip. He grunted, and Gio's crazed eyes raised to the building while Adrian stood stoically next to him, his devoted watch dog.
"He and his no good brother fucking killed my friend." Gio's voice cracked as he landed another blow, this one to Donnie's back.
I exchanged looks with the guys. Were we just supposed to watch? Only jump in if it looked like they weren't going to kill each other?
When no one made a move to get closer, not even Books, that was my answer. We were bystanders as some of our problems worked themselves out.
Until sirens blared in the distance.
Gio snapped around as Adrian stepped up next to him, covering him while the sirens grew closer.
Donnie laughed at his feet. Once he started, he didn't stop.
With their backs turned on the building, bullets sprayed the asphalt. Jumping and twisting, Adrian fired back, and I was right.
My stomach bottomed out as the bullets came one after another in a stream so fast, we could never compete.
We couldn’t compete.
The cops were close now. They’d be here any second.
Lake stiffened, slowly turning to face us just as Gio and Adrian ran for one of the abandoned cars. Whatever upperhand they thought they had, it disappeared under threat of the police.
Adrian was trying to hotwire the car as we turned to run back to our car.
It was useless.
A police cruiser raced toward us.
"Fuck it," was Lake's answer as he aimed and shot straight through the windshield.
I jerked, but a numbness spread out from my bones.
"Jesus fucking Christ," Books yelled as he jumped.
But the car didn't stop despite the driver now being dead. It swerved as the man in the passenger seat tried to take control, heading straight toward us.
We had to move, and the only place we could go was to Main Street.
Gio hung out his window as they sped by. I made eye contact with him seconds before he shot at us. We dove around the corner as the police car burst out from the side street, taking all of the bullets meant for us.
Something caught my eye on my left. Donnie was on his feet, and several of his men flowed out of the shop. One of them handed him a gun as he locked on us.
Swallowing, I said, "Boys."
But they already knew.
Though Donnie’s face was swollen and bloody, it showed his fury just fine. It wasn't even directed at us, but we were on the receiving end.
Parker and his men raced out from the next intersection as another police car appeared, slamming to a screeching halt. Several more spilled out, creating a barrier to block us in.
Parker leapt to the side, cursing. He and Grey took in the police cars, the officers spilling out, and the men now circling Donnie protectively.
"Looks like a party. Sad I wasn't invited." Then Parker raised two guns and opened fire on the cops.
Kim grabbed my waist, lifting me from the ground.
I barely processed what he was doing before we were halfway across the street.
Joaquin and Atlas jogged after us, ducking and shooting along the way.
Kim crouched down, letting me off of his shoulder before pulling me next to him and out of harm’s way.
Lake and Books didn’t follow.
"Lake!" I shouted.
Shit. I shouldn’t have done that. What if I distracted him?
But he didn't look at me. With a single-minded focus, he walked around the cop car, shooting through the window.
The impact of the bullets were muffled thumps that shocked me every time.
Bending down, Lake glanced in the backseat before unleashing a spray of bullets there.
Using the car as cover, he started taking out the men in the center until they ran for the Christmas shop again, herding Donnie as they went.
"He's getting away!" I whispered furiously to the boys while Kim hugged me with one arm and picked off men with his gun in the other.
Parker and Grey moved through the street like smoke, from cover to cover, taking out the few police who were left and some of the Pesci men.
"I think we can stop him," Kim breathed. He released me, using his free hand to steady his aim. As he exhaled, he pulled the trigger. Wood splintered at the door and the men jumped back.
"Aim at the door and window," Kim ordered, the words falling out in a rush. "Keep them in the street. Lake will take care of them."
Joaquin and Atlas did as he said, and the three of them worked to keep the men in the street. The top of the door frame exploded with each shot. The same went for the window.
I rose on my knees, setting my hands on the hood. I could do this. I wouldn’t let them die because of me. I fired, but with all the flying bullets, I couldn’t tell if mine hit anything.
But I tried again.
And again.
Lake understood what he needed to do as he and Books hunkered down behind the police car, aiming straight for the group of men shielding Donnie.
One after another, they fell. They got off a few shots of their own, but it wasn't any use with the cop car protecting Lake.
Then there was only Donnie left.
He jerked back as a bullet pierced his side. I jumped up. "Don't kill him!"
With everyone except Donnie dead, Parker and Grey walked toward Donnie without a care in the world. "Why would we spare him?" Parker was furious. His body was relaxed, but his tone was threaded with dark violence.
"Because..." I panted. "He hurt a friend of mine, and she asked to be the one to kill him. If we could take him alive."
He tilted his head, searching me out as Grey trained one gun on Donnie, while also keeping an eye on the shop.
"Desiree?" Lake asked, standing and dusting himself off like he hadn’t just been in a high-intensity gunfight. I pressed my hand to my chest, the pounding so hard against my palm, it felt like my heart would break through my ribs at any second.
"Yes. You know why." I met Lake's stare. His beautiful blue eyes were so piercing, I lost my breath.
"I think we can do that." He shot both of Donnie’s hands and feet. He whimpered on the ground, but didn’t make any other noise. "There. Now he's practically useless. We don't have a ton of time though. We'll have to get him back quickly."
I chanced a glance at Parker and Grey, waiting for them to object.
They didn't. When Parker caught me staring, he shrugged.
"I understand vengeance, and if this cabrón did what you're inferring he did, I have no problem with the girl taking it out on him.
I bet we can even give her some pointers. " He grinned.
Like a pin prick to a balloon, all the tension leaked out of everyone on the street.
Shoulders dropped, smiles appeared, and at least one weapon was put up for the men who were holding two.
Parker’s men walked from car to car, checking the pulses of policemen, and finishing off those who were still alive.
This was it?
The moment was heavy and thick, not only in the air, but also jamming inside my head. The fight couldn’t be over.
I stepped out from behind the car that had shielded us when I saw movement out of my periphery.
Twisting my head and raising my gun, I caught the profile of a man before he took off running.
I knew that man.
He was the man from the club! He was here. He'd followed us.
The fight wasn’t over.
My gut screamed that this man was dangerous to us. Desperation took control of my body, and before I understood what was happening, I took off after him, ignoring the shouts behind me.
He wouldn't get away this time.