Chapter 36 – Magnum #2
Hawk and I are just behind him, but I’m on the far left of the sidewalk, so I can see more of Moretti’s profile than Hawk can.
Moretti’s jaw clenches, and his head whips up, swiveling as he scans the area. He shoves his phone into his pocket, and a half second later, three men spill around the back of the SUV that’s waiting for us.
The guys are armed and aiming directly at us.
Grigoryan comes into view next, but he’s unarmed. Several men follow him around the back of the vehicle while another few stream around the front.
They all have weapons trained at the four of us.
It’s strange that Grigoryan doesn’t have a gun. Perhaps he trusts his team will be enough to take us out.
Two. Four. Six. Eight. Nine.
Nine fucking guys, all with weapons, and Grigoryan.
It rubs me the wrong way that he doesn’t feel like he needs to participate in executing us.
What kind of leader doesn’t fight right alongside his men?
Why would anyone follow him if he’s just going to leave all the dirty work up to them?
Damn.
Maybe I’m thinking things here run like they did with the club I grew up in.
Mafia families are passed down through succession, from everything I’ve heard. Maybe the man has never had to fight for his life.
Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t freak out about nine-on-three odds, but I’m down my good arm, and that just leaves Hawk and Moretti.
I swear to God, I better not fucking die before I get to bury myself balls deep in Vanessa.
Just the tip was fun to test the waters, but I want dirty marathon sex with that woman before I die.
Moretti shakes his head.
There’s no way to be sure whether he’s trying to communicate with us or the driver of the SUV.
It could be both.
He’s telling all of us not to act prematurely.
He straight-up warned me not to pull my gun right before we left the warehouse.
That son of a bitch.
If he knew this was coming, he should have warned us. He definitely should have left Vanessa inside, safely tucked away with the warehouse security team.
“You’re late, Stavros,” Moretti says, his voice firm and unwavering. “The party just ended.”
“Desperate to play games until the very end.” Grigoryan chuckles darkly. “Huh, Moretti?”
“This is neutral ground. The treaty has been respected for thirty years,” Moretti says calmly. “Are you sure you wish to break that accord?”
“You’re too much of a child to remember what life was like when every encounter between the families ended in blood,” the portly man says, and even the tone of his voice grates on my eardrums. “I’ve had enough of your shit.”
“I’ve always thought it strange that everyone trusted the system.
” Moretti’s hand on Vanessa’s hip pops up, and he holds out his pointer finger.
“I suppose it was complacency for some, but you should know I don’t put faith in anyone or anything that I don’t have full control over.
” He moves swiftly, pulling her behind him.
Pure fucking chaos ensues.
The cracks that fill the air remind me of what long-range rifles sound like when they’re shot, and I brace for the boom, which follows instantaneously.
That means the snipers aren’t too far out.
The men in a cluster around Grigoryan drop like flies, and all I can do is watch with my mouth hanging open.
Hawk steps up and grabs Vanessa’s arm, dragging her back. It puts her next to me, but on the side with my injured arm.
I circle around her, pulling her into my chest as Hawk heads up to stand at Moretti’s side.
She buries her face in my pec, and I’m smacked with the scent of her fear. She shouldn’t be able to see much, but I’ve got a small view between the two men.
Hawk pulls his gun, shooting one of the men at the front of the SUV, but the other two fall in quick succession.
“Just remember, you started this when you broke the accord.” Moretti shoots Grigoryan with no additional warning.
Grigoryan’s kneecap explodes, and the sight is gruesome. The outer tissue of his knee stays mostly intact, but bone shards are visible through the rip in his pants.
I lean to the right and then the left.
Everyone outside of the boss is down.
By the time I circle back to Grigoryan, he’s leaning against the rear of the SUV with his leg out at an awkward angle.
“Check them,” Moretti growls, stalking toward Grigoryan. It takes a half second to comprehend he’s telling Hawk to ensure Grigoryan’s men are dead.
From the looks of the carnage, they’re done for.
Every single adversary has a head shot.
How many guys did Moretti have covering our exit?
The doors on the vehicle open, and Mario and the man who was in the passenger seat the night they picked me up file from the vehicle. At least, I assume that’s Mario who just hopped out of the driver’s seat. He was the one who drove us here tonight.
Flashbacks of the night I killed Blade file through my mind.
It wasn’t an easy choice.
Taking out my president meant I was risking losing the only family I had left. My mom still won’t talk to me, but I know I made the right call. It was time to cull the herd and take out the old-timers before they could completely poison the next generation.
Damn, I’m a little out of it.
“You’re okay,” I tell Vanessa, running my hand down her back as Grigoryan wails.
Maybe I’m comforting myself a little too. I’ve adapted to living with carnage, but at my heart, I’m a lover, not a fighter.
“Yeah, I know. Are you?” she asks, blinking up at me.
I nod, taking note of how pale her cheeks are.
Damn.
Here’s hoping we can wrap this up and get home without the cops showing. This bullshit was loud, and that’s a lot of bodies that need to be handled.