Chapter 22
Anna
I keep my eyes scrunched as suds run down my face, letting them wash over me until the water runs clear and I’m ready to get out. No matter how much I try to get it out of my mind, the same thing keeps rolling around in my thoughts.
The enemy can’t be that far away. It won’t take them long to figure out who has me.
Sure they’ll look in the normal and most logical places: Massimo’s, the Roselli compounds, the old Cassone hideouts and maybe even Addie’s parents’ house or her condo in the city, but at the end of the day they’ll look at the DeLucas.
If they aren’t already…
How can they not? They knew I was at the DeLuca’s casino.
Vincenzo either told them I was here, or somehow they knew, and at one point they were coming for me.
They may have stopped for a short while whether entertaining Vincenzo’s offer to buy me, or they’re just not as quick as I thought they would be, but no matter what the delay, if Bastian is anything like his brother Barcelo, and I’ve heard that he’s worse, this is only the beginning.
They will come, and when they do anyone standing between me and them will be in the line of fire, and if his cousins are with him, it could be a vicious and deadly attack on the DeLuca’s livelihood or worse yet, one of Vincenzo’s family members or even him.
By the time I’m completely dry and dressed, I’ve worked myself into a frenzy.
I know where the gun is, I could get it, and with any luck take out the two guards that are outside.
I’ve seen them standing by the elevator as Vincenzo opens the door.
But then what. Who knows how many he has positioned on the other floors or at the entrance to the casino?
There has to be another way to sneak by them without them knowing. Damn Vincenzo for getting rid of all the staff who could have brought trays of food or other things in for me, that I could do something with. I could have them bring up a cart laden with…
A smile creeps over my face…
But the sound of yelling in the hallway pulls me from my thoughts. What the hell. More yelling from loud angry males. I have no clue who the hell they are, but I know one thing, unarmed is not the way I’m going out if the enemy is already here.
I race to Vincenzo’s bedroom and right to the drawer with the gun, hoping against hope that he didn’t move it after I told him I found it. A deep sigh of relief hits me as my fingers wrap around the cold hard steel. The voices are getting louder, and a female screams for help.
Lanah!
I race back to the penthouse door, opening it to a world of chaos.
One man is standing by the elevator while the other one races into a penthouse across from Vincenzo’s.
Lanah is inconsolable. “My mom, it’s her heart!
Do something!” she’s screaming while he’s trying to keep her in a firm grasp but get to her mother too.
“You have to help her! Call 911!” she yells.
“The doc’s on the way!” the giant by the elevator says.
“It’s not good enough, she’s going to fucking die. Do something!” One look at Lanah’s face and adrenaline kicks in.
My feet move of their own accord and when the giant still standing at the elevator sees me and heads my way, I point the gun at his face. “When I shoot, you’ll be done. Get out of my way.”
I focus on Vincenzo’s sister. “Lanah! Take me to your mother! I’ll help her. I know more medical shit than anyone without a license should know.”
The giant who has her in his grasp turns and if they both come after me at the same time this is going to turn into a real shit show. “I know things that may be able to keep her alive until the doc gets here. You can be with me the whole time.”
They are quick and decisive, I’ll give them that. “Let her through,” the one at the elevator says and just like that I’m moving into the penthouse with my gun close to my side. “Which way, Lanah?” I yell.
“Right!” She catches up to me and grasps my shirt sleeves, guiding me to a room at the end of the hall where a middle-aged woman lies sprawled on the floor. I slide to the floor beside her and start to assess. “Any chance you have an ambu bag?”
I look up to blank stares. So much for that.
“We’re going old school. I run through the protocol, Delz’s training running through my mind the entire time, recalling his instruction as he barked out his orders, faster, faster, do it this way, until we were so proficient that he couldn’t find a thing to find fault with.
And just like that, we were on to another thing to learn.
But just like muscle memory it’s all coming back.
Every compression, every inhalation of air and rise of her chest leaves me hopeful and when the doc arrives with injectables and hooks her up to oxygen before instructing the men to get her to the gurney I know that maybe not today, but in the end, Vincenzo’s mother is going to be okay.
Tears fall down Lanah’s face more rapidly than she can wipe them.
I stand, my knees and legs like jelly and achy from being on the floor in that position for so long.
I hold out my arms and she rushes into them, crying against my shoulder.
“Thank you so much. I don’t know how to thank you,” she says.
“Shhh. There’s no need to thank me. I’m happy to have been able to help.” One of the guards advances, and I quicky move, keeping the gun by my side. He should have taken it when he had the chance but I’m sure no one wanted to be the one to cause me to stop working on the boss’s mom.
He gives me a nod. “You probably saved the boss’s mom’s life. Thank you.”
I give him a smile. “You’re welcome. Next time, don’t make me have to threaten to shoot you. The boss probably wouldn’t like it.”
He laughs, his dark mustache turning up with a grin. “You have yourself a deal. Now any chance I can talk you into getting back into that penthouse where I know you’re safe until the boss comes home?”
“Of course, it’s not like I’m always difficult.”
Lanah gives me a feeble smile. “Thank you so much.” She turns to follow the crew with her mom and the big guy steps in her way. Lanah glares at him. “I’m going. You can say what you want, do what you want, but in the end, you better get out of my fucking way.”
The big guy looks at my gun. It seems to be a deterrent, so I walk with Lanah to the elevator so she can be with her mom. “Go with her. Let me know later how she’s doing, okay?” I ask.
She nods, still wiping the tears from her cheeks. “As soon as I get a report from Doc, I’ll let you know. I better call Vincenzo and the boys. If I don’t, they’re going to be worried sick. We’re already in so much danger and now Mom is sick too. Why is this happening to our family?”