33. Sly
Nixon’s hand slaps over my mouth the moment her name falls from my tongue, pulling me out of the way of the window. Caught off guard, my body slams into his.
“You idiot,” he reprimands gruffly as the door to the office swings open.
Joseph strolls through it with his hands in his pockets and a smug look on his face as looks around at us. “It’s about time you showed up.”
Nixon releases me, training his weapon on Joseph, so I have time to remove mine from its holster.
“Joseph,” Maurizio says in disbelief. “Tell me it isn’t true. Tell me Vinnie isn’t here.”
Rolling his eyes, he ignores his father, still focusing his attention on me. “You took entirely too long and my patience has worn thin. I’ll tell you the same thing I told her. One of you isn’t leaving here alive, and since you brought every single person you know, it looks like several people won’t be leaving here. It’s a shame you’ll have so many deaths on your hands, Lucchetti. But your family has always only thought about themselves.”
Sirens cut through the quiet night air and Joseph’s eyes turn dark, zeroing in on me as he realizes this is all about to be over.
Faster than I would have ever given him credit for, he withdraws a handgun and fires a shot in Nixon’s direction, only narrowly missing him. Fast on his feet, Nixon sends a shot of his own and hits Joseph in exactly where he intended—his shin.
Joseph’s howls pierce the air as he drops his gun and doubles over in pain. “You motherfucker!”
At the same moment, Vinnie screams, and my heart nearly explodes when I hear her, relief washing over me that she’s conscious. As I rush into the building, I see Luciano walk over to his brother and kick the gun further away from him.
Pulling open the door to where Vinnie’s being held, I don’t stop moving until I reach her. Dropping to my knees, I work as quickly as I can to untie the ropes that hold her.
Tires squeal outside, followed by doors opening and shouts of, “Hands where I can see them!” and, “Put your hands in the air!” as the police officers navigate the chaos in front of them.
As quickly as I possibly can, I work through the knots around Vincenza’s wrists.
“I’m here, amore mio. Tell me you’re okay. Please tell me you’re unharmed.”
“I’m okay,” she croaks, her voice scratchy and strained. “Thirsty, and exhausted, but I’m okay.”
“He didn’t hurt you?” I question, frantically working to loosen the ropes. Freeing one of her hands, I start on the other.
“No. But…but he killed Ross.”
My heart sinks. “Did you have to witness it?”
“Yes.”
“I’m so sorry, piccola ladra.” Anger spikes through my blood, furious that she watched her brother take her driver”s life.
Twodeaths she’s had to witness in the last month. One by me, the other by her brother. That’s two too many, and I feel immense guilt for my part in the devastating memory she has to live with.
She chokes back a sob.
I wish I could rub her back and settle her, but I know I must continue on the ropes holding her in place, so instead, I soften my voice and try to comfort her with words. “It’s okay, Vinnie. You are so strong, piccola ladra. You will get past this. Let it out.”
And she does, shaking her head as she hangs her head and cries. But her cries quickly turn to hyperventilation, and suddenly she’s gasping for air. The strangled sound of her breaths nearly shatters me.
The second her wrist is free, I rush around, pulling her from the chair and into my arms.
“Shhh,” I soothe, holding her tight with one arm as my other hand strokes her hair. She trembles against me, her body vibrating with adrenaline and unshed emotion from the last several hours.
She bawls in my arms until her tears turn silent, and her body begins to relax. She’s exhausted, and I can feel her physical strength diminish as she lets me care for her. As I hold her, I look past her and watch the scene outside unfold.
The officers have their guns drawn and pointed at Joseph as he tries to negotiate his way out of the situation he’s put himself in. Unfortunately, their guns are pointed at Nixon as well, but I am not worried about him. There are enough witnesses around to ensure he is not taken away in cuffs.
From my peripheral, I see Maurizio speaking to a man wearing smart pants and a dress shirt. Their discussion looks like it is getting heated. Maurizio’s arms fly up into the air while he speaks, and the man looks irritated. Closest to us, an officer clears the office space. His eyes dart around the room while he keeps an eye on me and Vinnie.
“Carpenter, call for transport,” an officer outside yells to the man Maurizio is speaking to. “He’s been shot in the leg.”
“Hey!” another officer yells over the commotion. “We have another body over here!”
La polizia begins to spring into action, pulling out radios and barking orders to each other.
“We need medics in here, too,” I yell over Vinnie’s head, letting them know I want her evaluated.
“I don’t need an ambulance,” she insists, but I don’t answer. Instead, while everyone is distracted and frantic, I catch movement from the corner of my eye and everything happens in a blur.
Somehow, Joseph has managed to reach his firearm, and despite the many officers that surround him, he aims it directly at me and Vincenza, and fires the gun.