CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Az
"Shouldn't you guys be, I don't know, planning or something? Going to this charity dinner seems like a bad idea, considering the circumstances." Victoria said, picking at the material of the dress she held in her hand.
"I won't sugarcoat it for you, Princess. We can't trust Rinaldo, but he did promise us time. The only thing skipping the charity dinner is going to do is make it harder for you when the dust settles and you get back to work. We can enjoy tonight and go right back to worrying about Rinaldo tomorrow, I promise." I replied.
"I'm going to have a hard time enjoying anything, knowing that he's breathing down our necks." She sighed, gathering up the dress and moving into the bathroom.
"I'm sure one of us can find a way to distract you if it's too difficult to get your mind off him." I chuckled, leaning against the wall while I waited for her to change.
"Not at an event for a children's charity, pervert." She called out from the bathroom, but I could hear the laughter in her voice.
We fell into a short, amiable silence as she shuffled around in the en suite, getting ready. I checked my watch after a while and sighed.
"Princess, we're going to be late if you don't hurry up in there."
"Don't get your panties in a twist, Az-hole. I'm coming." She said, stepping out of the bathroom.
The moment she entered the room, my breath caught in my throat, and I was transfixed. Her hair was gathered artfully, pulled away from her face, and accentuated her neck. She'd opted for a lighter make-up style that only served to enhance her already stunning features. But the dress… took my breath away. Shifting from a soft dusty pink to a deep black, it flattered every curve. The modest slit that rose to her knee, the keyhole at her neckline, and the plunging back gave the dress an allure to compliment the elegance.
As much as I was eager for us to try to enjoy the night out while we had the chance, I couldn't help but feel possessive, knowing I'd have to resist the urge to pluck out the eyes of other men who might let their gaze linger too long. A sentiment I was sure we'd all share once we left the room.
Victoria's eyes met mine, and a playful smile tugged at her lips as she caught me staring. "You see something you like?" She asked, doing a little spin, her voice laced with amusement.
"Absolutely," I replied hungrily. My phone went off, interrupting the moment, and I cursed as I fished it out of my pocket.
Joey: 911
"Shit," I hissed, striding toward Victoria's sitting room.
"What is it? What's wrong?" She asked, following close behind me.
"There's trouble, I don't know what, but it's serious." I replied, ducking down and yanking a gun free from where it had been taped to the underside of a chair.
"Christ, you guys really did stash guns everywhere." She muttered. "How long has there been a gun in my rooms?"
"A while." I shrugged as I turned to face her. "Listen, I need you to stay close behind me. We're going to make a break for the panic room, so you're safe while me and the others deal with whatever the hell is going on. Do you understand?"
Her eyes widened, but she nodded.
"Good. Stay close."
I turned and moved toward the door to the hallway. As quietly as I could, I turned the handle and opened it just enough to poke my head out. Light glinted off the barrel of a gun from the doorway to Rich's office. I didn't have to wait long before someone I recognized as a Jackal foot soldier stepped into the hall, his back to me.
I jerked my head back into the room and quietly closed the door. "Fuck. We can't go that way."
"What do we do, Az?" Victoria's voice trembled.
"You're going to stay put while I clear the hall." I answered, strolling to the other chair in the room and freeing the second gun we'd hidden in her sitting room.
Before I could close the distance between us, the power went out. Peeking into her bedroom, I let out a relieved breath at the lack of light from the outside. If someone was out there, they were far enough away not to set off the solar-powered motion lights. It would give me time to clear a path.
"Take this," I said, handing her one of the guns. "If anyone other than me enters these rooms, point it at them and pull the trigger."
"Az…."
I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers in a chaste kiss before pulling away. "Don't leave this room until I come for you, Princess." I ordered, pulling open the sitting room door just enough for me to slip into the hallway.
I could make out three shapes in the darkened space, still hovering around the door to Rich's office. As stealthily as possible, I made my way toward them until I was close enough to put the barrel of my gun to the back of the nearest man's head.
"Give me one good reason not to kill you where you stand." I spoke, causing the trio to jump.
My rapidly adjusting eyes caught the other two drawing their weapons in response. I wrapped my arm around the throat of the man I held at gunpoint and pulled him flush against my chest to shield myself if they chose to pull the trigger.
"You're an idiot if you think holding me hostage will save you, Casadei." He scoffed.
"Yeah, well, maybe not, but I'm gonna make sure you fuckers go down with me." I replied.
Victoria's muffled scream from inside her suite caused my muscles to tense and my focus to break. The Jackal I was using as a human shield took advantage of my momentary distraction to elbow me hard in the stomach and drop his weight to the floor, causing me to lose my hold on him. The other two opened fire the moment their compatriot was out of danger.
Muzzle flashes lit up the space, nearly blinding after the lack of light. Ducking low, I let instinct take over and fired haphazardly toward them. The distinct thud of a body hitting the floor reached my ears just as searing pain flashed through my right arm. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to keep a hold of my gun. I blinked quickly, trying to make my eyes adjust faster as I fired another couple of rounds in the direction of my attackers. One of them yelled out as my shot struck him, followed by the sound of his body hitting the floor.
More wild shots were returned, and I felt a cutting pain on the side of my head seconds before I was nearly sent sprawling backward from the force of a bullet in my shoulder.
"Fuck!" I yelled, pressing myself as low as possible and firing several more times. Thankfully, the last one's lifeless body hit the floor.
I sighed heavily as a few more assailants emerged from the darkness, and I retreated back toward Victoria's rooms. They spotted me, and I fired behind me as I moved, trying to keep them at a distance. Where the fuck was everyone? The darkness of the hallway worked both in my favor and against me. The sting of my wounds was annoying and only fueled my anger.
As I reached the door to her rooms, I slipped inside quickly and hastily attempted to barricade the door. It wouldn't hold, but I needed to buy more time. They were relentless, and I knew they wouldn't stop until they were successful or taken down.
Victoria was crouched in a corner in her en suite sitting room, fear etched all over her face as I approached. "Are you okay?" I asked, keeping my voice low as I took note of the motion sensor lights flooding into the room.
"I am now. There were men at the patio door banging and one looked like he was trying to pick the locks. They startled me, but they left when I waved the gun at them." She nodded, gripping the gun tightly in her hand. She saw the blood on my face and shot out of the corner. "Az! You're injured!"
"I'm fine, Princess. They'll heal." I reassured her.
As I spoke, the glass from her patio windows shattered, and several men entered the room. Simultaneously, the door to the hallway slammed open, throwing the chair I'd used to barricade it across the room. I moved swiftly, pulling Victoria behind a large piece of furniture for cover. The attackers fired blindly into the sitting room, the noise deafening.
Taking a deep breath, I checked my remaining ammo before leaning out and returning fire. Several shots landed their targets, taking down a few of our attackers. They dispersed and found cover of their own from their different vantage points. It became a game to outmaneuver each other.
As the chaos intensified, I could feel them pressing closer into the sitting room where we had sought cover from the firefight. This was far from ideal, trapped in a room that seemed to get smaller as time passed.
I kept firing over the furniture every time one of those bastards poked their head out from cover to take aim. I took a couple more out in the volley and made a silent promise to join Joey at the range more often after this. I wasn't as fast on the trigger as he was, and with a handful of men left, it wouldn't be anything but spite and rage that got us out of this.
My ears were ringing after a short time, and my heart pounded in my chest. Every movement caused the pain from my injuries to intensify. I spared a glance behind me to check on Victoria. She was doing her best to stay low and hidden, pressed against the wall, and her eyes filled with fear. They'd have to kill me to get close to her, but there wasn't time for reassurances.
Counting each shot, I motioned for her to trade guns with me when my ammo got low, and I crawled to the edge of our cover to get some kind of aid while I handled the rest of our attackers. Spotting a group of them moving from behind the wall that separated our room from her bedroom, I fired several shots. I sighed in relief as four more bodies hit the floor.
Just one left now, and if my count was correct, I was now out of ammo. A moment later, a frustrated curse came from the far opposite corner of her sitting room.
"Weren't counting your shots, were you?" I laughed, standing as I heard the soft click of his now useless gun. A wicked grin spread across my face as I taunted him, my voice steady despite the exhaustion and pain in my injured limbs. "Come on then, show me what you Jackals are made of."
His grip on his gun tightened, frustration evident in his expression. He lunged at me, using his gun as a makeshift weapon. I dodged his desperate strike just as a loud crash near us startled our would-be attacker and caught him off guard. Seizing the opportunity, I charged forward to close the distance between us.
I wouldn't back down and kept the momentum going with a series of blows to his torso and face. He stumbled back a few steps from me, tossed aside his weapon, and rolled his shoulders before facing me again, rage painting his features.
We clashed hard, trading blows harshly, knowing only the victor would survive this fight. I punched his face, hearing the sickening sound of his nose breaking under my fist. He returned a powerful blow to my side. I don't know how long this back-and-forth went on as the sounds of our struggle filled the room.
After a while, my breaths became heavy, and my movements slowed. The pain in my arms radiated out from the bullet wounds, making it difficult to keep my power up. My assailant's attacks, however, intensified as I struggled to keep up with his assault.
He landed a crushing strike to my jaw, causing me to stagger backward slightly. I tasted blood in my mouth as my head spun. Before I could regain my balance, he rushed and was on me again, raining his fists down on me with brutal force.
I managed to block some of his punches, but the impact sent waves of agony through my arms. He dodged my attempts at counterattacks, and I knew I had lost my earlier grip on the upper hand. I was screaming inside, knowing if I fell here, there wouldn't be anything I could do to keep Victoria safe.
With a swift move, he swept my legs out from under me, and I crashed to the ground hard enough to knock the air out of my lungs. He stood over me, grinning maliciously.
"Pathetic." He sneered as he grabbed me by my collar and hauled me up, pushing me forward onto my knees. "Looks like your protector isn't a very good one, girlie."
"Az!" Victoria screamed.
All I could do was watch in horror as she charged at the man, brandishing her stilettos. She wailed on him, trying to distract him from where I was on the floor. I growled in anger as the Jackal snatched her hand in his before backhanding her hard enough to knock her to the ground. I tried to push up to stand before I heard the dramatic sound of a gun being cocked behind me and a low chuckle that didn't belong to my attacker.
"This position is fitting for you, Casadei. I wouldn't try to get up if I were you. You're not faster than my friends here. They're just waiting for me to pull the trigger." Rinaldo's haughty voice made me see red. I gritted my teeth, and anger boiled inside me. "You, go help the others deal with the rest of them," he said absently, presumably to the man who'd just handed me a beating.
"I thought you said you'd give us time," I managed to say, trying to keep my voice steady.
I could hear the cruel smirk in Rinaldo's voice. "I never said how much time I'd give you. And it would seem it's run out."
I heard shuffling and raised my head to see Victoria standing with the gun I'd given her earlier. She pointed shakily at Rinaldo as she moved from behind the couch.
"Now, Victoria my dear," he said with a twisted sense of civility, "why don't you hand over that gun like a good girl so no one gets hurt? Let's not make this any more difficult than it needs to be."
Her grip on the gun tightened a moment, her knuckles turning white. She glanced at me briefly, uncertainty flickering in her eyes. I wanted to tell her not to trust Rinaldo, but I stayed silent, watching her. She lowered her arm and started moving towards us slowly. She held the gun out like she would present it to him.
My breath caught, and my chest tightened. She wouldn't. She couldn't. She inched closer, and I realized I couldn't even be angry with her if she was choosing to protect herself now. Still, something inside me started to crack and threatened to shatter.
She was within arm's reach now, and I couldn't see Rinaldo, but I could all but feel the victorious look on his face as she approached us. I looked up at her, and she met my gaze just before she shifted her stance. In one swift and fearless motion, she pointed the gun at Rinaldo and pulled the trigger. The gunshot echoed through the room, followed by a long silence as Rinaldo's lifeless body crumpled to the floor behind me with a soft thud.
Relief flooded over me as the realization of her plan washed over me. It wasn't doubt, betrayal, or self-preservation that had made her hesitate and shuffle forward. It'd been strategic so she could get close enough to catch him off guard and ensure she wouldn't miss her target.
Victoria's hands trembled as she lowered the gun she'd just used to end Rinaldo's reign of terror on her. Her face was pale, her eyes wide with shock at herself. I could see the turmoil in her expression rising as the reality of what she'd done started to sink in.
If I was honest, once her actions settled in, shock mixed with the relief that had flooded my system. She was a strong, capable woman, but I'd never expected her to take a life to protect me. Yet, here she was, standing before me with blood on her hands. It was a haunting reminder of how fast the brutal world we were entangled in could corrupt someone.
"Victoria," I whispered, slowly rising to my feet, my voice hoarse with an emotion it wasn't the time to put a name to. "You did what you had to do. This is not your fault."
"I killed him, Az. I killed a man," she said, her voice also low and trembling. She looked at me, her eyes still wide.
I stepped closer to her, gently taking the gun from her hand and holstering it in my jacket. "Yes, love, you did. But he left you with no choice. It was either him, or me," I said, trying to soothe her, reaching to pull her close to me.
Just then, a deafening explosion shook the manor, causing the walls around us to tremble. Panic surged through me as the thought took over that this attack was far from over, and we'd only just survived the assault we'd faced here. We needed to get out of this bedroom and find the others. If there was an all-out war raging in the rest of the manor, we needed to regroup and protect one another until we could escape.
"Love, we need to move," I said urgently, taking her hand in mine and pulling the gun from its holster again. "Stay close to me."
She nodded, her numbness giving way to urgency. Together, we made our way out of the bedroom and into the darkened hall. The once comfortable environment was now dangerous and uncertain.
As we approached the now ruined foyer, the scene before us was both horrifying and surreal. Piles of bodies littered the once grand entrance, testaments to the fierce battle that had taken place. Smoke and debris were still hanging in the air from the apparent explosion that had cleared the room.
Leighton and Joey, ahead of the others, nearly ran into us as they'd obviously been coming to Victoria's rooms. I locked eyes with Leighton briefly before his gaze flitted to Victoria, practically attached to me in her attempt to stay close to me. I could see the relief in his expression that we'd made it out alive. Craig was just behind him, supporting a seriously injured Rich, who clutched his stomach where a severe gunshot wound was bleeding heavily. Despite the apparent pain and blood loss, Rich's eyes were alert as he refused to give in.
"We cleared the attackers out here," Leighton said, his voice steady, even somewhat chipper. "I'm glad to see you're both alive."
"Gotta say though, Az, you look like shit," Joey chimed in, a hint of a smile on his face despite his brows furrowed in concern.
I chuckled weakly, the tension in my shoulders momentarily easing. "Looks like you're the only one coming out of this without a new scar, Little Brother."
Before he could respond, Victoria's trembling voice drew all of our attention. "What… what are we going to do now?"
Still holding on despite his numerous injuries, Rich managed a weak smile in her direction. "Now, we run, Babygirl," he said, his voice painfully strained. "War has started, and we need to find a safe place to regroup."
But as he spoke, he slipped from Craig's grip to collapse on the floor in a heap. Panic surged through the five of us as the gravity of his condition became apparent.
"Rich!" Victoria cried, lurching toward him.
Joey intercepted her, his arms going around her waist as she leaned around him, sobbing. Giving him a quick nod of thanks, I knelt beside Rich, checking for a pulse. This close, I could see the gray tint to his unnaturally pale skin. The knowledge that I'd seen many of our enemies with the same pallor as they died played on a loop in my mind.
I nearly shouted in relief when I finally found his pulse. It was weak and thready, but it was there. Rich was alive, barely, but alive.
"He's got a pulse, but it's weak and fading. We have to get him somewhere safe and do something or…" I trailed off, not wanting to finish the rest of the sentence. We didn't have time to waste making a plan. We needed to do something now if we wanted to keep him alive.