Chapter 44 #2
“You’re lying,” Tony grated out, shoving her away from him. Her body pitched backward and to the side, her shoulders straining from the pressure of holding her up.
“Why would I lie?” She shook her head, assaulted by a quick bout of dizziness. Nausea churned in her gut as the room danced around her. “You should ask Angelo. He can tell you I’ve spent it all on renovations for my business,” she bluffed. “I’m surprised he’s not here.”
Bringing up her brother stung—he was a wound that would never heal—but at least now she had confirmation that she’d seen him that day outside the restaurant.
How long had he been stalking her? Weeks? Months?
And why had he waited so long to tell Tony where she was? She’d probably never know.
“Angelo?” Tony spat her brother’s name, dropping his hold on her hair abruptly.
He turned from her, pacing toward the barn door. He turned back toward her just as quickly. “I gave that slimy fuck so many opportunities. I let him join my crew, showed him the ropes. Opened his eyes to all the endless possibilities that awaited him. And you know how he repaid me?”
Nessa stayed quiet, her tongue darting out and swiping at her wounded lip. It stung, but the pain grounded her.
Tony sneered. “He abandoned me, just like you did. Filthy piece of shit threw away years of loyalty, years of mooching off me, and for what?”
Nessa’s brow furrowed in confusion. Angelo had left Tony’s crew? So she hadn’t seen him in town?
Then how had Tony found her?
Before Nessa could speak, the barn door creaked open.
Tony turned toward the noise.
A man dressed in a dark suit, similar to the other men present, was shoved through the opening. He tumbled into the barn, eyes open and vacant as he slammed to the ground, unmoving.
The three men guarding the barn door scrambled for the guns holstered to their sides, but before they could pull them free, another man filled the doorway, his own gun aimed and at the ready.
Even after all these years, Nessa recognized Angelo instantly. He looked so much like a younger version of their lolo, her heart stalled in her chest, certain that her grandfather had come back to protect her from harm.
Logically, she knew that was ridiculous, but hope sprang to life inside her anyway, her brain trying to process what the hell was happening.
Her brother had come here to save her? She didn’t believe it, even as the truth stared back at her.
A flare of determination swept through her, along with a fierce desperation to escape. She tugged her arms, trying in vain to break free of her bindings while Tony was distracted.
Angelo fired at the three men by the door in rapid succession. The tip of the silencer attached to the muzzle of his gun flashed with each shot, the dull pop of sound like music to Nessa’s ears. The men jerked backward, blood staining their chests as they collapsed, dead, to the floor.
Holy shit.
Her brother stepped fully into the barn, barely sparing her a glance as he fired again, aiming at someone to her right.
Tony ducked to the ground. Then all hell broke loose. Gunfire erupted in the barn, Tony’s men finally reacting.
Angelo crouched down, throwing himself into a stall to avoid a spray of bullets. Wood exploded near Angelo’s hiding place, and then her brother peeked out from around the corner, opening fire again. Just as quickly, he disappeared back into the stall.
“Give it up, Angelo,” Tony warned, pushing himself back to his feet and pulling his own gun free. He held up a hand, and his men stopped firing. “Your sister and I were just talking.”
“I know your version of ‘just talking,’” Angelo called out angrily.
Tony scoffed, though he didn’t deny it. Instead, he asked, “How did you find us? I haven’t heard from you in nearly a fucking year, and you show up now?”
“Let her go, Tony!” Angelo ordered. “I’ll pay off her debt right now. Just stop hurting her.”
Nessa’s eyes widened in shock. Why would he do that? And how had he gotten his hands on millions of dollars?
Tony paused, and then curiously, he asked, “Do you have it with you?”
“Yes,” Angelo bit out in exasperation. “Release her and it’s all yours.”
“Fine,” Tony agreed easily. “Go get my money, and you can have Vanessa.”
“Angelo, don’t believe him!” Nessa shouted anxiously. Tony didn’t negotiate, and he never forgave a slight against him.
After a brief, tense silence, Angelo stood to his full height, his upper torso and head unobstructed from the walls of the stall.
He’d barely taken a step when Tony fired, a bullet hitting Angelo in the shoulder. Her brother went down hard, and several men rushed the stall. She heard a scuffle, a few grunts of pain, and then her brother was dragged out, a man on each side of him holding his arms.
Blood pooled from the shoulder of his T-shirt, but he was awake and furious as he fought to break free of their holds.
They dropped Angelo to his knees in front of Tony. Her ex-fiancé shook his head. “That was foolish of you. But then again, you always were a fool when it came to your precious little sister.”
Nessa glanced at the back of Tony’s head. What the hell did he mean by that?
“Did you really think I’d let you waltz in here, shoot my men, and then leave with what you wanted?” Tony pistol-whipped Angelo, the butt of his gun connecting with Angelo’s forehead.
Her brother grunted, clenching his jaw. He looked up from beneath his dark lashes, his eyes meeting hers. So much regret was reflected in his gaze that Nessa had to look away, unable to deal with her brother’s own inner turmoil right now.
“What did you think you’d accomplish with this little stunt? Fucking morons, the both of you.” Tony scratched his chin with the barrel of his gun. “I think, just for killing my men, I’ll have you watch me torture and fuck your sister for a few hours. Then you’ll take me to my money, Angie.”
Nessa sagged against her bindings, her final hope fleeing instantly.