Chapter 55
Dean
Lily trembled but kept her attention on me, preparing for the inevitable as Gabriele pressed the blade to her skin.
He went to cut, and everything stalled, when suddenly a bang ruptured through the room.
The door.
The blade sliced past her throat as Gabriele jumped back.
I stared at Lily’s skin, waiting for blood.
None came.
He missed.
“What?!” Beatrice spat in frustration at whoever barged into the basement.
“Your father is here,” the man responded, sounding out of breath.
The triplets shared a look, their faces going pale.
Gabriele snapped his fingers at Lucia. “Check him for a wire.”
Lucia hurried over to me, masking her eagerness to get near me again with feigned concern. Her nails curled into the front of my black, button-down shirt and tore it open, unable to contain her smile as she ran her hands over my skin.
I looked away as she did, clenching my jaw and curling my fingers around the arms of the chair. My right hand was completely numb, save for a fluttering of a pulse whenever blood dripped from the wound.
Beatrice began speaking Italian, her voice fast and mildly panicked. “He wouldn’t be wired. You took him from her apartment.”
Gabriele began to pace, also speaking Italian. “Then how does he know?”
I rolled my head back, eyes closed. “Ever heard of a hunch?”
“Shut up!” he snapped in English.
“Calm down,” Beatrice hissed. “He might be here to tell us he changed his mind. We need to hide them.”
“Fine,” Gabriele said in English before barking orders at their men. “Hide them in one of the storage boxes. And tape his mouth shut!” he snapped, jabbing a finger at me.
They moved fast, cutting us from the seats, zip tying our wrists in front of us, and reapplying tape to my mouth. We were dragged off the stage and steered towards the back of the room side by side.
My head spun with every step. I didn’t know how much blood I was losing, but it was gradually taking its toll.
Lily looked at me, her eyes riddled with worry, until one of the men shoved her forward, and she fell.
“Mmphaphkha.” I grabbed his shirt with my good hand, not entirely sure what my plan was when a dozen guns were suddenly pointed at my head.
The faint sound of popping rang out from upstairs, and the room stilled.
There was distant shouting, more gunshots, and rushed footsteps in the stairwell before a final, much louder bang rang out. Several seconds later, one of the lackeys fell to the bottom of the stairs, spilling into the doorway with a bullet hole through his head.
There was a rush to have all guns on the door as Lily was dragged to her feet.
It was too late to hide us.
Two of the men shoved guns against our temples and pushed us together. At least she was beside me again.
The blood was beginning to drip faster, landing in large splats on my shoe.
Gabriele and Beatrice pulled guns too, but Lucia drew a short, thick knife with a diamante-encrusted handle.
She brought a knife to a gun fight…
I huffed a laugh into the tape.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the stairwell before several men in black suits walked into the basement.
It was like the fucking cavalry arrived.
In the lead was Vince, carrying a 9mm and wearing blood-splattered brass knuckles on one hand.
Behind him, Antonio was straightening the lapels of his jacket as he strode in with a gold-tipped cane.
His gold watch and rings glinted in that overhead spotlight, and there wasn’t a hint of care on his nonchalant expression.
The only thing missing was a cigar in his mouth and a martini in his hand.
He looked way too calm for someone interrupting a kidnapping and possible murder.
I did a quick count of how many he brought.
Fourteen, including himself and Vince — he could be considered two men with the way he was built.
Each of Antonio’s men likely had two guns on them, which was one gun more than what the triplet’s hired twelve men had.
It was a pure guess that the triplets had hired these men, but the way they shifted with uncertainty at the arrival of Antonio made me wonder how loyal they were to their bosses.
Meanwhile, Antonio’s guys were locked in and unflinching, forming a semi-circle around him as he stared down his kids.
“It seems we got here in time to negotiate,” Antonio said, adding a curt smile.
I wanted to feel reassured, but the gun poking into my temple wasn’t exactly helping.
Gabriele pulled a hand hastily through his hair. The man was anxious. “There will be no negotiations.”
“I think you’ll find negotiating with me easier than what the police have in store for you.”
The confused frown on the triplets' faces matched my own.
“What?” Beatrice said sharply.
Antonio shifted his weight to his cane. “They received a call earlier tonight, alerting them that the daughter of one of their own might’ve been abducted by someone they were investigating.
Now, while they are investigating me, they know I wouldn’t kidnap someone.
It’s not really my style,” he continued.
“We’ve arrived before them, but I’m willing to bet they aren’t too far away. ”
Gabriele scoffed. “You’re lying.”
“You think you’re the only ones with the law on your payroll?”
The look he gave me was brief but sent a chill down my spine. Or that was the blood loss… Either way, he knew I worked with the police. He had to.
I wouldn’t be surprised if we walked out of this unscathed, only for him to personally shoot me in the head once we were outside.
“We have five or so minutes until they arrive. The only people they plan to let walk out of here alive are Lily and Dean. Everyone else is optional, depending on your reaction. Based on the way you all pulled guns the second we walked in, they won’t hesitate to kill you.
” He spoke like he was reading the terms and conditions of a product.
There were no fucks given. “So, unless you want to die, hand them over to me now so we can all clear out before more blood is spilled. Threaten either of them during the handover, and Vince here won’t hesitate to shoot. ”
Vince cocked his head back in acknowledgment of the triplets.
“How do we know this isn’t a trap?” Lucia said from behind her hand, nursing her broken nose.
Antonio deadpanned. “If I wanted you dead tonight, you would already be dead. Hand them over and we’ll figure something out later.”
Gabriele chuckled. “You’ll have to forgive me when I say I don’t believe you, Father.”
“If it’s money you want, you’ll get it.”
The triplets paused and communicated through looks alone before Beatrice nodded to the men with their guns at our heads. “Untie them.”
Lucia balked. “What? No.”
“Untie them,” Beatrice reaffirmed with a glare at her sister.
Gabriele wasn’t happy with the plan either, but money seemed to outweigh his hunger for murder, so he agreed and stood by as Lily and I were cut free.
I took Lily’s hand as soon as I could and tore the tape from my mouth, aiming for Antonio.
He was on the other side of the room. We had to pass the enemies first, and even as they lowered their guns, there was still tension. Especially in Lucia as she fidgeted on the spot, eyeing me until her eyes dropped to Lily as we walked by.
I swear I saw movement outside the windows that sat high on the basement walls along the mezzanine.
“Lui è mio,” Lucia scowled.
He’s mine.
She lunged, one arm going around Lily’s throat as she raised her knife. When Lily’s hand slipped from mine, everything seemed to slow right down.
A shot was fired, and Lucia’s head snapped back before she had the chance to plunge her blade into Lily’s stomach.
As Lucia’s body collapsed with a fresh bullet hole between her eyes, Beatrice screamed in agony while Gabriele roared at Vince for shooting their sister.
Gabriele was closer to me, and so was the gun in his hand. But it was Beatrice near Lily, grabbing Lucia’s knife to finish the job, that flooded my veins with adrenaline.
Beatrice grabbed Lily, holding the blade to her throat, and I grabbed Gabriele, locking him in a chokehold with my arm as I pressed his gun to his temple.
He gasped for air and clawed at my forearm.
I tightened my grip, leveling Beatrice with a glare. “Don’t you fuckin’ dare.”
Lily’s terrified whimpers echoed into the silence of the room. Everyone had a gun on them now, but no one dared to make the first move.
“That was your daughter!” Beatrice screamed at Antonio, pointing the tip of the knife dangerously close to Lily’s jugular. The faintest drop of blood slid down her skin.
I began calculating how fast it would take to shoot Gabriele and then Beatrice before she could cut Lily further.
“We’re out of time,” Antonio said.
Gabriele, barely getting air, choked out, “What?”
There was more movement outside those high windows. They were waiting for the right moment, and right now was the best chance with a detective’s daughter’s life at stake.
Each window was suddenly kicked in before a tactical team dropped in from above, guns ready. They barely reached the ground before the two dozen men beneath them started firing. In turn, they fired back.
I ducked as bullets whizzed past my head, letting go of Gabriele.
He scrambled off somewhere, but before I could attempt to stop him, someone grabbed the back of my shirt and pulled me behind one of the large storage crates.
I stumbled to my ass, thanks to Vince’s manhandling, and found Antonio beside me. Phone to his ear — potentially talking to his police source. Or maybe his wife.
“What happened to you?” Vince asked, referring to my hand.
“Small cut.”
I peered out from behind the crate, searching the chaos for Lily. My eyes flicked to the stairs leading to the mezzanine as Beatrice made her escape up them.
Lily was in her grasp, pulling against her.
With Gabriele’s gun in my hand, I went to go after them, but a bullet clipped the corner of the box before I could step out. When I looked to the stairs again, Lily and Beatrice were nowhere in sight.
“We move to the exit on three,” Vince said, already moving to guard Antonio’s side.
I shook my head. “I’m not going anywhere without Lily.”
“You won’t make it across the fuckin’ room.” He ducked as a bullet ricocheted nearby.
“I’m stayin’…” I addressed Antonio next. “Sorry, boss. For everythin’.”
Antonio shook his head, mildly disappointed. “This isn’t the time for that conversation. Just survive this.”
“If you’re gonna do this, go now,” Vince barked. “I’ll cover you. But then we’re gettin’ out of here.”
I nodded once and crouched behind the corner of the box again, preparing to move.
People were getting shot at or stabbed, and none of the three sides were planning on teaming up any time soon to take down the other. It had become a situation of every person for themselves.
Finally, there was a clear path to the stairs. I made a run for them under Vince’s cover, keeping low.
I had already said goodbye to my mother today. I wasn’t about to do the same with the woman I loved.