27. Dante
CHAPTER 27
DANTE
“C onor,” Matteo says, running up the stairs. “We can work this out. Don’t do this. She’s your blood! They both are!”
“The baby is half Villani,” he says. “And I hate the Villani family. I want to crush the Villani family!”
He takes the stairs three at a time until we get to the door leading to the roof. With a quick look backward, he stabs the mute button. “I’m gonna lure him into the open. You take the shot whenever you get it, do you understand?”
Before I can reply, he un-mutes the line. “I’m here. Opening the door now.”
“You’d better be by yourself,” Conor grumbles.
Aisling wails in the background and Conor yells at her to shut up. Every muscle in my body tenses as my eyes tangle with Anya’s.
“I’ve got your back,” she whispers, pulling out her gun. We both cower against the walls on either side of the door when Matteo creeps onto the roof. “But how are you going to get out there?”
“I need a visual,” I mutter, peering out the streaked glass. In the distance I can see Conor by the edge of the roof. Matteo is holding up his hands and Heaven is next to Conor. He’s got Aisling in his arms, the bastard. How the fuck am I gonna get my shot?
Tiny hairs on the back of my neck prickle and I flip around just as a heavy hand clutching a gun swings around at my head. I grab the guy’s arm and twist it around his back, popping his shoulder blade before I fire off two shots and kick him head first down the stairs.
Another guy flies out of a corner at Anya, grabbing her by the hair. Big mistake.
She sweeps his leg, sending him crashing to the floor before she plugs him in between the eyes. “We have to get out there,” she whispers. “I’ll do it. Let me distract him.”
“He’ll kill you on sight. He knows you ran straight to us,” I say.
She shrugs. “I’d like to think I can take him, but if that happens, so be it. Maybe it’ll give you a second to take the shot.” Her hand closes around mine. “Please, Dante. Let me do this for you. For your family.”
“Are you sure?” I ask.
She nods. “You said we’d go our separate ways, right? Well, this is me…going.” With a small smile, she opens the door, her hands above her head and her gun tucked into the back of her dress. “Conor!” she yells. “It’s over! You’ve got one chance to walk away. If you do something stupid, you’re gonna die.”
He snickers. “Badass! You are such a badass, Anya! I fucking love it! Let me ask you a question. Who’s holding all the fucking cards right now, huh? Look around, bitch! It’s me!” He waves his gun at Matteo. “And right about now this cocksucker is gonna beg me to save his wife and daughter. He’s gonna bend over for me and tell me what a miserable prick he is for ruining my life and my business!” He glares at Matteo, waving the gun in his face. “Do it!”
The door is open just enough for me to see and hear what’s going on but for me to remain invisible.
Exactly the way I like it.
My phone vibrates against my leg and I grab it when I see Patty’s name flash across the screen.
“It’s about to get very fucking windy up on the roof,” he says.
“How did you know where we are?” I ask.
“It’s Conor. He always goes big. Of course he’d take them to the roof. I made a call and there’s a police chopper on the way. Get ready to end this, Dante.”
I end the call, my pulse thrumming against my neck. Conor is still yelling at Matteo, forcing him to his knees. Heaven stands against the edge of the roof, hysterical. She can’t make a move or Conor will hurt Aisling.
She’s his leverage.
For what, I have no idea.
How the hell does he think this is gonna end?
“You forced me to do this,” he says, standing over Matteo. “And in a few minutes, I’m gonna be on my merry way while you and my sister grieve the loss of your kid.”
“No!” Heaven shrieks. “Please, Conor! She’s your family!”
“None of you are my family,” he growls.
“Conor, you have no escape,” Anya says. “Your guys are dead. You’ll never make it out of here.”
He grins at her, a leering, lecherous smirk that makes my gut twist. “I’ve got something better than my guys, Anya. I’ve got exactly what I came for, right here in my arms.” He points his gun between Heaven and Matteo. “And as much as I want to see both of you dead, I’d rather see you miserable and suffering.”
A whoosh of air blasts everything in its path, a deafening motor drowning out Conor’s crazed words. I keep my foot firmly planted in the doorway as the chopper closes in, hovering next to the side of the roof. I can see one of the guys inside, positioning himself to take a shot.
I have no shot at all from where I’m standing. I’m too far away and there are too many people in my path. I grit my teeth. The only way I get Conor is to charge at him, and if I do that he’ll?—
“Anya, no!” Heaven shrieks as Anya pulls the gun from the back of her dress and makes a run at Conor, who clearly didn’t expect a chopper to show up and cockblock him from ruining the lives of my family. Anya’s sudden movement startles him enough that he stumbles backward, tripping over a large metal box. He recovers too soon, though, not giving Anya enough time to pull the trigger.
Bullets explode into the air and Heaven shrieks as Matteo darts toward Conor, throwing himself on top of him. I take that opportunity to race toward them and grab the baby. Heaven runs over to us and I thrust Aisling into her arms. “Go!” I yell.
Gunshots pop and Conor scrambles to his feet, ducking down behind the metal box. He pops a few shots, a few of them ricocheting off the cement wall behind us.
“Fuck you, Matteo!” he screams. “Fuck you and your wife! Your baby will never be safe! No matter what happens tonight! I made sure of that. You are gonna suffer, do you hear me? Suffer the worst fucking pain of your pathetic life!”
Conor’s face is beet red as he clutches his gun and points it at Matteo’s head. My breath hitches as I squeeze the trigger…at the very same second that Anya jumps in front of Matteo, swinging her arm out to knock the gun out of Conor’s hands.
Her body buckles on impact and she crashes to the ground as it goes off.
“No!” I yell, emptying my clip into Conor. His body jerks left and right as the bullets ravage his body. He falls backward over the metal box, his arms limp at his sides, and the gun clatters to the roof.
Seconds later, a medic leaps out of the chopper after it lands and runs over to Anya. Her head smacked against the concrete when she hit the ground. “No, no, no!” I fall to my knees next to her. “She was trying to save your life,” I say to Matteo. “She took that shot for you, Matty,” I mutter, squeezing her clammy hand and bringing it to my lips. All of the harsh words I assaulted her with only minutes earlier come back to haunt me.
I told her I’d never trust her, never forgive her.
I said we’d part ways forever.
No looking back.
But as I stare down at her listless body, I’m painfully aware that without her, there’s no looking forward.
My heart thumps as the medic examines her and checks her vitals. “I’ve got a pulse, but we need to get her to the hospital now to see how extensive the damage is.” He peers at her right shoulder. “There’s an exit wound, which is a really good thing.”
Heaven runs back outside with Aisling in her arms. “Oh my God, what happened to Anya?”
Matteo grabs her and Aisling. “She was trying to save me from your brother, Conor’s gun went off, and she took the bullet.”
Heaven’s eyes widen. “Jesus.” She looks quickly around, gasping when she sees Conor’s body splayed over the metal box, full of blood and bullet holes. “Conor…” Her voice trails off and she bites down on her lower lip, clutching Aisling. “With a quick look back at us, she makes a face. “If I say I wish it’d been me to do it, would that be really evil?”
“Yeah, but we already know that poison runs through your veins,” I mutter, looking at the medic. “I’m going with you in the chopper.”
“Okay.” Another EMT rushes over with a stretcher and together, they load Anya onto it.
I climb onto the chopper, holding Anya’s hand tight and clutching it to my chest. “I’m here, babe. And I promise, I’m not letting you go. Ever.” I swallow hard. “Because I’m in love with you,” I whisper.
And when her fingers give mine the tiniest squeeze in return, I know she hears me.
That’s all I needed.
A little shred of hope.