Chapter 20 – Nico #2
And I was smart enough to claim her before some other fucker tried to snatch her up.
“Ready?” I clipped out.
Emanuele pulled the small semi-automatic rifle—which was legally registered as a pistol—from his backpack. “I’ve got your back.”
We approached a stack of green containers. The “private” security guys drew up straight as we approached. They didn’t reach for their holsters fast enough. Emanuele’s AR-15 sang a sweet song, cutting them down. They didn’t stand a chance. We drug their bodies between the rows of containers.
“Clear.” Emanuele watched from the right and left as I got to work.
Joey should have been here. His instructions were simple enough, but it still took me twice as long to set the chargers around the base. We always worked as a team, the four of us. I was practically adopted, and these were the siblings I’d never had.
“Dock workers,” Emanuele warned.
“How far?” I twisted a dial, setting the timer.
Emanuele barked a laugh. “Forty yards.”
I clenched my molars. “Hopefully their guardian angels keep them away.”
“Let’s clear out.” Emanuele tucked his gun back into his backpack. I took my now empty one, and we ran.
There was a shout ahead, but we blew past the crew with the crane unloading a ship.
“Keep your heads down, boys,” Emanuele called out.
I grunted, pumping my arms and flying around the corner—
Where Rae was in a heated argument with Luigi, the hood of the damned green car was raised.
My lip curled. “Ma che cazzo stai facendo?!”
Luigi’s head snapped up at my shout. He slammed the hood of his Corvette down. “Go, go, go!”
Rae’s frown of confusion turned into a slow smile. A smile for me. I couldn’t breathe. My chest tightened.
She’s majestic.
The smile wiped off her face as a terrible boom thundered behind us.
Her mouth fell open.
“Magnolia Rae, get that fine ass in the car! We need to get the fuck out of here,” I barked.
She stumbled, but with a quick turn, leapt and slid over the sleek front end of her car. The sight sent a burst of red-hot heat through me. It was probably the sexiest thing I’d ever seen.
We fell into her Camaro at the same time.
“You have a lot of explaining to do,” she snapped, slamming the stick into first gear and sending the wheels pealing over the asphalt.
“Sure.”
I twisted in the seat.
This was where the adventure turned tricky. Just because the main security system was down, didn’t mean the private shipping company we’d just attacked wasn’t watching.
“Dominico!” Rae blasted down the main thoroughfare of the shipping yard. “What the fuck did I just get myself into?”
“Relax.” I pulled two pistols from the holsters at my side. “Here.”
She gaped at me, before forcing her eyes back on the road. “Are you expecting company?”
“It’s just a precaution.” I flicked a glance in the side mirror. Luigi’s green racer was right on our heels.
“And who is coming for us?” Rae deadpanned.
Twin black trucks burst from a side road. Rae swerved, avoiding collision. Her curse ricocheted through the cab.
“Friends of yours?” She cranked the wheel, and the car sped toward the exit.
I laughed, the sound hollow and lacking mirth. “Foreign drug runners? Never.”
“Heavens to Betsy, you involved me with the cartel? The freaking cartel!” Rae downshifted and tore through the exit to the Conley Container Terminal. “They’re following us!”
“Not the cartel. These guys aren’t that organized.” I powered down my window. “You have ten minutes before the cops have their cameras back online.”
Rae blew out a long, growling breath. “Where am I going?”
“Take the next right. There’s a warehouse back in the industrial park where we’ll deal with these tails.” I poked my head out the window but quickly ducked back inside.
Gunshots rang through the air.
Rae veered the car and stepped on the gas. “Are they shooting at us!”
“Yes.” There was no point lying to her.
“My paint job!” Her words were full of fire. The anger was palpable, licking my skin and signing my ears.
I fucking loved it. “I know a guy who can fix that.”
“Fuck you, Nico,” she spat. “I hate your guts right now.”
She was pissed.
Her driving as though the hounds of hell were on her tail was such a fucking turn on. I was rock hard, my dick straining eagerly to have her again.
“Admit it, my little bomb, you like this.”
“I most certainly do not—”
A bullet glanced off the back windshield. I tugged her head down, rage ripping through me with a violent gust. For all her inner strength, Rae was trembling. This car was her safe space—the one thing she controlled. And this high-speed chase was putting that to the test.
Emanuele opened fired behind us, forcing the truck to retreat.
I brushed my hand over Rae’s neck, but she jerked, shaking me off.
“You trust me to drive?” she snapped, trying to cover her fear with anger. “I’m not a Made Man.”
I smirked at her mockery. “There are very few people I trust, but I’m not letting anything happen to you, Rae.”
She nodded once and swallowed hard.
“Hey, you’re doing great,” I breathed. “Turn here.”
Some part—maybe the brakes, maybe the wheels—screamed as she flew off the road. My hand slammed on the dash, the other shot out to grab her thigh. I couldn’t say if it was anchoring me…or her.
Either way, it felt right.
“You’ve done this before,” I muttered, as she zigzagged around the buildings.
“The sheriff’s boys never shot at us!” she hissed. “I learned how to survive young.”
One of the trucks took a left behind us, disappearing behind an abandoned cannery. Luigi shot down the next break in the brick structures, giving chase. That left the other vehicle to pursue us.
“You don’t have to anymore,” I growled, giving her thigh a squeeze before leaning out the window with my gun. “I’ve got you.”
She snorted. “Yeah, in the middle of a warzone.”
But I wasn’t talking about that. What I meant was that she was mine. My protection. My wealth. My life. They were hers.
I just had to get us out of here first.
The pistol wasn’t ideal. A rifle would have been better. But I aimed at the tire and fired.
The truck swerved, and my shot went wide.
Just as I lined up another shot, Rae shouted. “Oh, HELL no!”
The second truck popped out in front of us, cutting off the path. Rae jerked the wheel. The Camaro spun, nearly slamming into a brick wall.
I was out of the door a second later. I barely remembered aiming. The pistol became an extension of my hand. When planning this attack, I’d anticipated needing a fast escape. But this? A high-stakes shootout in broad daylight? Where my woman was in danger? These men were dead.
The driver in the truck that cut us off dropped onto his steering wheel, a large hole decorating his forehead. The man in the passenger seat got caught as he tried to leave the vehicle.
The second truck pulled up short.
“Nico!” Rae screamed behind me.
In the time it would have taken me to turn and address the new threat, it would have been too late. Three quick shots rang over the area.
The passenger in that truck slumped backward against his driver, who was in the process of escaping.
Luigi’s Corvette launched around the corner. Emanuele’s rifle sang once more, and then a quiet fell on the warehouse. The contrast was loud enough to create a buzz.
Rae leaned on the door of her car, eyes squeezed shut and breathing hard. “Hallelujah, I’m done.”
Keeping an eye on the enemy, in case there was a surprise from the backseats, I moved to her. “Hey, it’s over. Just breathe, okay?”
Rae squinted at me before screwing her eyes closed. Her beautiful face was pale, with a green tinge to it. “You think you can just show up and take over my life?”
Frowning, I stepped closer. “What do you mean?”
Rae waved my other pistol, the one I dropped when I bolted from the car, in the air. “I came to this stupid, cold city for a fresh start, Nico. You just had to mess it up for me!”
I cupped her jaw, prying the weapon from her outstretched hand. “Look at me.”
She shook her head. “Can’t. Going to be sick.”
“Slow breaths.” I inhaled deeply, showing her what to do. “You just need to manage the adrenaline spike. Breathe with me, okay?”
Her jaw clenched tight in my grip.
But she breathed.
“That’s it,” I murmured.
Behind me, the boys were opening the truck doors and slamming them. I ignored the chaos, focusing on the sweet southern bloom who’d just had her first taste of the underworld.
Madonna santa, she was doing fantastic.
This woman was built for this life.
I didn’t want to think about what she meant when she’d said she learned to survive young. But it was clear that her past forged her into this beautiful visage standing before me.
“Mercy me,” Rae choked—
And vomited on my shoes.
She’s perfect.
I rubbed her back as she heaved and spat. “You saved us, Rae. I’m not taking over your life; I’m not taking your power away from you.” I pulled her hair back and gently brushed a firm touch across her spine. “I’m keeping you alive to use it again.”
“I can’t need you,” she snapped, wiping her mouth on her sleeve.
“Too late.” I’m already yours.
She just didn’t know it.
Clawing her hands back through her hair, she stepped out of my touch. “Start talking, Dominico.”
I shot a glance to my men. Luigi gave me a thumbs up, while Emanuele climbed into one of the trucks to drive it into a warehouse we owned.
We would come back later to dispose of the bodies and the trucks.
I should really go help them. Cops, and Feds, would be crawling over this part of the city if they weren’t already.
But I turned to the pretty, shaking flower.
“There’s another crime family that runs this part of the city. I happened to save the life of the boss’s son the other day. We’ve been working together—off record—on a few projects.” I slid my weapons back in their holsters as I spoke.
Rae gaped at me. “Wait, hold up.” She raised her hands. “You’re just admitting your business dealings to me? An outsider?”
I planted my hands on my hips. “You asked for an explanation.”
“Yes, but!” She threw her hands up and stepped back. “Oh, shoot fire! That’s fucking gross.”