Chapter 17 #3
“Got it.” He moved off, shifting into protective mode while I continued hunting.
The labyrinth of hallways was supposed to maximize space. It only created a different kind of maze that could allow for his escape. That wasn’t going to happen. Damien had pissed me off to the point I would toss his ass in a holding cell for a day or so until he was ready to talk.
I moved silently while the music vibrated through the entire floor. When I heard a slight noise, my hackles were raised.
A voice. Not a male voice.
Female.
The moment was equally as jarring when I moved around the corner, the employee bathrooms only a few feet away.
Damien had a gun in his hand. Standing next to him was someone intimately familiar.
Anna.
What the fuck was going on?
My hackles were still raised, my mind trying to process what I was seeing. The two of them working together? I should have followed my instincts the first go-around. She’d been the lookout for Damien.
As soon as he detected movement, he reacted by turning against his own partner.
With the quickness of a pro, he dragged her against him, using her as a human shield. Well, this hadn’t been in the day’s planned activities.
Even over the music, her cry was shrill.
Everything about the situation was wrong. Completely off. Totally unexpected.
And highly dangerous.
With a Beretta in his hand, he’d shoved the barrel into her temple.
“Damien. Don’t do anything stupid,” I told him.
Anna had her hands up, studying me with eyes that should be full of terror, even hysteria. They weren’t. In them I noticed the same level of frustration and anger I’d seen earlier in the day.
Projected at me.
“I don’t plan on it.”
I moved closer, taking a deep breath. “What were your plans, Damien? Was it all about money so the two of you could run away together?”
Anna’s eyes shifted into full blown rage. “What are you talking about? I don’t know this asshole.”
“Looks tell me otherwise.”
When she shifted, perhaps forgetting she had a weapon pointed at her head, Damien was quick to remind her, pulling her tightly against his chest.
There was no real reason for the reaction I had, including being furious with him for touching her, but that’s exactly what happened. She’d proven herself to be a liar, yet in my mind, I’d already claimed her as a possession.
The thought would have been amusing had it not been for the situation we were in.
“You are an arrogant prick just like your sister said. Gli uomini americani sono tutti uguali. Cocciuto.”
American men are all the same. Pigheaded.
The words tossed from her mouth were mildly amusing. “E le donne italiane non sanno quando è il caso di stare zitte. Se vuoi rimanere viva, farai come dico io. Ci riesci?”
And Italian women don’t know when to keep their mouths shut. If you want to live, you’ll do as I say. Can you do that?
I cocked my head. “Yes, you did fool me, Anna. I thought you were a nice girl.” She gripped Damien’s arm, blinking solidly once to indicate she knew I was doing my best to try to keep her from getting killed.
“You don’t know me.” Her response was calculated.
“I guess not. But I’m about to. Quando sposto la mano destra davanti alla sinistra, si muove.”
When I shift my right hand in front of my left, move.
“Talk English. I just want to get out of here and nothing else, Mr. Prince. You don’t know what Sergio will do.
This was supposed to be nothing more than an easy money-making operation.
I’m not here to hurt anyone. So you’re going to allow us to walk out that door.
You’ll never see me again. That much I promise you.
” Damien was under some crazy assumption that I had any intention of letting him go.
“That’s fine, Damien. Just let the woman go once you’re outside.”
She opened her mouth to retort but was smart enough to realize I was trying to save her life. Once again, the fact she wasn’t terrified told me much about her personality and her past.
She’d been taught how to handle potential kidnappings and basic violence.
Which was exactly what my sister had been taught as a teenager.
I took a deep breath and acted as if I was going to lower my weapon. At the same time, I sensed a presence behind me. A human and a canine.
There was no time to waste. The second I placed my right hand over my left, she did exactly as she’d been taught to do.
She slammed her foot into Damien’s, effectively managing to push herself away. It was classic, calculated, and executed perfectly.
Pop!
The single gunshot was all that was needed. Damien hadn’t expected I’d kill him, his eyes opening wide before he sagged to the floor.
Woof. Woof. Woof.
Donatello flanked my side, shaking his head. “Well, that didn’t go as planned.”
“No, it did not.” I turned my attention to Anna, who was currently on the floor after being tackled by Zorro. He was doing his best to keep her protected. “Have Malcolm handle the cleanup. Get the crew here. I want the place spotless.”
“Yeah, I came to find you to let you know there’s a group of trainees here tonight.” He motioned toward my lost angel, who was currently glaring at me. She was also in a cocktail waitress uniform.
Hold on. She’d gotten a job here?
My Capo was trying to tell me that the lovely Anna was supposed to be here. It was far too convenient as everything else around her had been. “Find the goddamn club manager whether he’s working or not. I need to know whether she’s authorized to be here or not.”
“Yes, sir.”
Her glare remained hot and heavy and had the opposite effect of what it should.
My cock was at full attention.
Her sudden appearance was just something else I hadn’t been expecting.
Tonight was going to be a very long night.