Chapter 37
LEO
The room goes still.
And tension is high.
But the only thing on my mind is getting Mia out of this house alive.
And I guess that involves her partner, who is the human equivalent of a dried-up sponge, standing next to her.
I couldn’t care less what happens to him.
Adrian could use him as his own personal chew toy, and I wouldn’t bat an eye. But he’s important to my girl, so now I guess I have to keep him alive too.
Lucky bastard.
Adrian laughs, rolling his shoulders. He’s acting like he doesn’t care, but I know better, so I press harder. “You’re not in control. You’re desperate.”
His smile cracks enough for him to try to cover it up by turning and heading for his discarded drink from earlier. He takes a sip of the watered-down liquor, frantically searching for his response.
“I’m glad you still have your arrogance. It’s exactly why I picked you.”
I blink once, my mouth wrinkling into a half smile. “You didn’t pick me, Adrian. You needed me because you’re too much of a coward to stand up to Enzo yourself.”
He parts his lips to respond, tripping over his words just long enough for me to continue my assault.
“You spent decades hiding behind a fake name, cops and politicians. You call yourself powerful, but you’re just a leech needing other people to survive off.”
That cuts deep enough to expose the blue vein pulsing on the side of his neck. He grips his gun tighter.
I don’t look at Mia, but I can see her out of the corner of my eye. I need to focus his anger on me.
“You ungrateful little—”
“And you know what the funniest part is?” I ask, smoothing my hands down my jacket.
“After years of hiding in plain sight, one small fuck up, and you ruined everything. Your perfect little plan collapsed because you got too cocky and thought you could evade the law. Too bad Vince figured you out. And killing him didn’t work because then Mia figured you out too. ”
Pride gleams in my chest as I fight the urge to look over at her. But that feeling is short-lived as Adrian smashes his glass against the fireplace and raises his gun.
I feel relieved when he points it at me rather than at her.
Mia takes a step forward, lifting her hand. I crane my neck just enough to make eye contact, hoping it’s enough to telepathically tell her to stop. Thankfully, Adrian is too engulfed in his anger to realize it when I turn my attention back to him.
“You think you’ve won?” he asks, his voice uneven as he tries to pull off his signature casual laugh.
The composed man I used to go to for advice and seek refuge in is gone.
Now all I see is Marco Bellini. Enzo Caruso’s ex-enforcer who’d do anything to survive. Even fake his own death and take orders from the one man he’s hated for years.
“No,” I reply calmly, letting my arms swing at my sides. “I think you’re terrified. Scared to lose everything you think you deserve.” I know that feeling a little too well. And I was blinded by it too.
Adrian clamps his mouth shut and the room goes silent. All except for some distant shouting I swear I can register from outside. Maybe Michael and Dante are finally doing their damn job.
I refocus on Adrian, watching the way his finger dances over the trigger. “You have no idea what I sacrificed. How long I’ve waited to finally get what’s mine.”
A humorless laugh slips from my lips. “You don’t deserve anything. You’ve been living off Enzo’s scraps, and now you think you’re owed more? That’s pathetic. Everything you have came from someone else. Hell, even your identity belonged to another man first.”
Adrian’s face darkens, the room shifts, and it becomes more difficult to predict his next move.
All I need to do is hold him off for a little longer. Michael and Dante should burst through that door at any moment.
“You think you know me?” Adrian snaps. “You’re just an arrogant child pretending to be dangerous. You think Enzo doesn’t know about your little plan? He figured you out the second I started bringing you around. Even if you walk out of here, your days are numbered.”
“You’re bluffing. I backed you into a corner, and now you’re grasping for straws.”
Adrian laughs in response, but this time it builds low in his chest and vibrates throughout his entire body. And then he makes a move.
Keith sucks in a sharp breath as Adrian grabs Mia’s arm and yanks her against his body. Then he sticks the barrel of his gun snug against her ribcage.
White spots pop into my vision and the only thing I see is her.
But Mia? She’s not scared.
She looks fearless, her chin held high.
“Really?” she deadpans. “This move is cliché even for you.”
Jesus Christ.
She really is magnificent.
I’m going to marry her if we make it out of this alive.
But then my vision opens up, settling on the crazed look in Adrian’s eyes. He looks moments away from snapping her neck.
“Mia,” Keith warns under his breath.
“Sorry,” she says, struggling against his hold. “I’m tired of playing hostage.”
A loud bang shakes the house, rattling the framed paintings on the wall. I take the opportunity to step closer.
Then one of Adrian’s men bursts through the door, clutching his nose with a blood-soaked handkerchief. Mia grins from ear to ear.
“Boss, they’ve breached the back entrance—”
Gunshots ring out nearby, followed by the sound of Dante Russo’s loudmouth screaming, “Where is my sister?”
Adrian curses under his breath, his head swiveling from side to side, trying to figure out what to do next.
That’s when I know we’ve won.
Because like he taught me, desperate men make mistakes.
Mia’s eyes light up as Adrian loosens his grip, clearly distracted. She locks eyes with me, and I want to scream at her not to do anything reckless. But it’s useless.
She spins into action, thrusting her body against his hard enough to knock the gun from his hands.
It’s a risky move.
But it works.
Adrian stumbles back, caught off guard long enough for her to reach for the gun in her pants and point it directly at his chest. At the same time, she kicks the discarded gun to Keith and within seconds, the power has shifted.
Adrian’s eyes widen, his mouth agape for the first time all night.
There’s real fear sitting on his face as he realizes he’s not the one pulling the strings for once. He finally has to face his inferiority, and I’d be lying if I didn’t feel a small twinge of joy from that.
Keith scrambles for the discarded weapon and then aims it at the remaining guard by the door.
“Don’t,” he warns when the idiot reaches for his waistband. “I think your nose job is a huge improvement, Mia.”
Mia’s mouth quirks as the man rolls his eyes, but then it flexes into a calm and level straight line once she looks back at Adrian. I step behind her, ready to back her up.
“It’s over,” she spits, keeping her gun steady and her shoulders locked.
Adrian lifts his hands even though I know his brain is already calculating a way out of this. Unfortunately for him, I’ll never let Adrian Moretti get the jump on me again. And neither will Mia, judging by the sharp look in her eye.
“You’re not going to shoot me. You don’t have the stomach for it.”
A moment passes by as I watch her back tense up and her jaw flex. She’s thinking about it. Ready to end his life. But she’s smarter than that.
“You’re right,” Mia tilts her head, “but not about having the stomach for it. Killing you would be too easy. You’re going to prison and whatever happens after that is out of my control.”
Adrian scoffs, throwing his head back. “If you think you can lock me up, you’re more na?ve than I thought. You’re forgetting about my network. Besides, you have no proof.”
“Vince left records. And I have back-ups if you think you destroyed them. Not to mention we have proof of your real identity and your connection to Enzo Caruso. Maybe enough to put you both behind bars. All your supporters will quickly abandon ship when they realize what a colossal fuck up you are,” Mia explains, sharpening her knife with every word.
The color from his face drains.
I move closer to her. “It’s over, Adrian.”
“No,” he says, his composure completely gone. “Enzo will kill me before he lets me testify.”
“That sounds like your problem,” I shrug. “I’m guessing he won’t help you fake your death a second time.”
Before he can let out a scream, pounding footsteps echo down the hallway, and Dante storms into the room like a homicidal tornado with Michael close behind.
Dante takes one look at his sister and swells up with rage.
“You fucking bastard—”
Michael grabs his shoulder before he can launch himself toward Adrian. “We need him alive.”
He eases back and rests his eyes on Mia again, his gaze hovering over the bruises and scrapes on her face.
“I’m okay,” Mia says, reading his mind.
“You don’t look okay,” Dante growls.
“If I say I’m fine, then I—”
Movement flashes in my peripheral.
It’s quick.
I’d miss it if I wasn’t on high alert.
The injured giant by the doorway rips out a second gun from inside his boot and points it straight at Mia.
“Mia!” I yell, slamming into her and sending us both crashing toward the floor right as the gun fires.
I don’t hear the shot as it explodes through the room.
All I feel is the pain tearing across my shoulder and leaking out onto the floor.
Mia screams my name, but the sound is muffled.
I think people are moving behind us. Probably shooting too. But all I care about is Mia beneath me, frantically grabbing my face. Is this a bad time to kiss her?
“What?” she says, flipping us over and straddling me.
I must’ve said that last part out loud.
I grip her hips and smile. She feels warm when everything else is growing cold. “Is that a yes?”
She shakes her head, smiling while applying pressure to my wound. “Don’t flirt with me while you’re bleeding out,” she snaps.
I hiss through my teeth. Fuck it hurts. “I think a dying man deserves one last kiss.”
Her eyes well with tears despite the smile she’s trying to fight. “Leo, for the love of God—”
A heavy thud shakes the floor beside us, followed by someone shouting, “Somebody tie up this motherfucker before I change my mind.”
Sirens wail somewhere in the distance. It’s the first thing I can pick out of the chaos.
“No, no, no,” Mia says as her hands tremble against my shoulder. Her delicate fingers are soaked in my blood, its color reminding me of the dress she wore that night at the gala. She looks amazing in red.
“You’re not dying,” she whispers, applying more pressure to my wound.
I grin wide, even with pain paralyzing every movement. “So that’s still a no to the kiss?”
She laughs, shaking her head before leaning down. And then she presses her lips to mine, and everything feels okay as I slip off into the darkness.