Mafia love

“You take no blame, none whatsoever. You had an affair with your best friend’s wife. That is the cause of all of this. Youuuuuuu!” I bellowed.

His face flushed red, and he rushed to me with the gun and pressed it to my head.

“Don’t you speak to me like that.” He snarled, nostrils flaring and eyes blazing.

“Kill me. Go ahead. I don’t care. Just know this. It was your fault. All of it. All of this. You, the disloyal friend who broke a family apart. Things could have been different. My mother would be here if not for you.”

I swore he was about to pull the trigger again, but he stopped when one of his lackeys burst into the room.

“Boss, Dino said he saw one of Raphael’s men on the second floor.”

The guy blurted in a hurried babble.

Tag straightened up in fury and growled. “What!”

I looked at the guy. He was scraggly looking with a scar on his chin. If one of Dad’s men was here, then that meant Luc was here.

My heart squeezed at the prospect. I didn’t think he would have been able to find me. I didn’t know how he had.

“That’s fine. Go after them,” Tag ordered. “I don’t know how your people found us, but they’ll pay. Let’s change things up and take this to the roof. I’ll bet you’ll look just like an angel hanging from it.”

Oh God…

CHAPTER 17

Luc

“Luc, stop.” Claudius grabbed my arm and pulled me close to him. He pointed up to the floor above us.

We were in the atrium that ran across to the other side of the building.

According to the map, it would take us up to the section we wanted to get to the fifth floor.

I looked up and saw three figures coming at us fast.

Fuck. I thought this might happen because the guys would have gone after Amelia and Gigi, and they were still looking for Gigi. It made sense that they’d come this way.

“Time to change things up, boys,” I called out.

Sinclaire flashed me a dark look and readied his gun.

“I’ll grab a spot high up. It’ll be useful.” Max pulled out his rifle.

I liked his way of thinking.

“I’ll watch your back,” Sinclaire added. I doubted he would have wanted to stay without Max.

They left us and moved up the set of stairs leading to the left. It went up to a tower.

“Let’s move, boys. Let’s draw them this way,” I ordered, and my men followed me into the hall to the right. I wasn’t sure what this place could

have been. Maybe a break room of sorts judging by the space it had.

However, it reminded me of my high school auditorium.

I hated it, and I hated this place too.

High school was always a reminder of how poor we’d been back in LA, and how miserable life was. Hopelessness and, to some extent, helplessness.

Just like now.

“Where to, boss?” Maurice asked.

“Spread out. They saw us come in here.”

“You heard the man.” Dante smiled, pulling out his favorite guns. Two Berettas with the Japanese symbol for earth engraved on the handle.

“Dante, you take the lead,” Claudius ordered. Dante gave him an odd look.

“And you?” he asked.

“Just do it.” Dante cocked his head to the left, and Gio, Jude, and Alex followed. They went behind a wall that curved down to another corridor.

“Let’s do this.” Claudius slapped a hand on my back. “Boss.”

“Yes, let’s. Maurice and Saul, take the corner. Let’s eliminate as much of them as we can.” I ordered.

Footsteps sounded now, echoing on the concrete.

We moved. Claudius followed me, but we weren’t going to take cover.

He knew what I meant to do without me having to say it.

“Luc, if I die—”

“Don’t you fucking dare,” I cut him off. “I need you. If I die, I need—”

“Lucian, don’t you fucking dare. If you die, I will kill you myself.”

Three goons ran through the door. Claudius and I ended them before they could get fully in. That warned the rest of the guys coming, and bullets sprayed in when they rushed in, coming at us from all directions. Just like at the facility, men came in, rushing in by the droves.

Like a plague.

Ten came. The bullets from The Four took them down, but they were replaced by more guys. Five got to us, and we started fighting.

A bullet from above took down the guy I was kicking.

That came from Max. He sent another bullet from his rifle straight to the head of the guy who was about to shoot Claudius.

More guys came. Fuck, there were so many of them.

Too many. Far too many.

The Four came out fighting and shooting, as did Maurice and Saul. It literally was like war.

Someone grabbed me, and I whirled around to face them. It was Claudius.

“Go!” he yelled. “Go find Amelia. We got this. You need to go.”

I didn’t want to leave him, but he was right. I should go. I realized this could be the last time I saw him. Our lighthearted jokes earlier aside.

I took the ring Raphael gave me off and handed it to him.

He looked at it, then back to me.

“The business is yours, just like I said.” I told him.

“I’ll clean it up,” Claudius promised with a nod.

That surprised the shit out of me, but I didn’t have time to be shocked.

I turned and rushed away, not looking back.

Best not to. Better to face what was ahead of me than look back.

I got to another set of stairs that led to the top, to where I needed to be.

To Amelia. God, I hoped she was okay.

I ran up the stairs and turned. That was when I got hit with a sink.

The fucking thing came from nowhere and hit me so hard it knocked me back, sending me back down the steps I’d come.

Shit, my back… it felt broken. Cracked. I didn’t know what the fuck.

The fall winded me, and the pain that rushed through my back nearly made me black out.

I blinked several times and took some deep breaths.

A bullet landed straight in my shoulder, making me scream.

“Fuck.”

“Got ya,” cooed Victor’s voice in that sing-song fashion that irritated me to the core. Then the fucking bastard practically jumped from the ledge he was on and flew down toward me. He carried a sword. Some katana-looking thing that was so sharp it glinted with a sparkle. The lighting from the windows was poor, but I could see that if that thing got me, it would be the end of me.

I rolled out the way and pushed the pain out of my mind. Pushed it right out.

He stood and held it gracefully in the air.

“You know, in Russia, I got the chance to learn sword fighting. Samurai style. This is Shi Shi Mushi. The Japanese believe in naming their swords.

Some for their deeds, some for their strengths. I gave it that name because of how I embued it.”

“I couldn’t give a flying fuck what you call your sword. Where’s my girl?” I pulled out my gun and pointed it at him.

“Luc, you got here too early. She’s not ready to see you yet. I mean, come on, dude. Raphael must have told you we’d contact you and give you the directions to get here for eight. When you think about it, the same result would have been achieved. Right?” He waved the sword around as he spoke.

“You know what? I’m bored now.” I fired a shot at him, but he was quick. He dodged it. Then I did something I didn’t normally do. I underestimated him.