Weapons dangle off me like some kind of arms dealer, and I glance up at one of the many automatic guns hanging high on the shelf. I could cause a lot of damage with a gun like that, but I haven’t had any practice, and knowing my luck, I’d accidentally shoot the boys before I could even get a clear round off toward Giovanni and his men.
I let out a shaky breath. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.”
What the hell have I gotten myself into?
Footsteps pound against the marble floor in the foyer, and my heart kicks up a gear. My eyes widen, listening to the sound of feet storming toward the garage. “Roman?” a voice calls out. “The fuck you at?”
Roman’s brows furrow for a moment before stepping out of the armory and looking back toward the internal door. “Back here,” he calls out. “Load up.”
It’s only moments before the boys’ four cousins come bolting into the armory and I gape at them in surprise. I would have thought they’d have taken off at the first sign of Giovanni like the rest of this family. They quickly scan the room, seeing what they want before diving straight in.
“How long?” Levi grunts, grabbing a grenade and looking it over.
“He’s close,” the eldest cousin says. “Maybe a minute. Two if we’re lucky.”
Marcus shakes his head. “Thirty seconds.”
My eyes bug out of my head and a cold sweat settles over my skin. “Fuck.”
Roman and Levi both look my way, and I don’t miss the strain within their obsidian gazes. They don’t want me here just as badly as I don’t want to be here, but it’s in my blood. Gia Moretti is my mother and I’m apparently some kind of heir to her fortune. Backing out now would make me a coward. Besides, where the boys go, I go. They were the assholes who decided to make me their second in command, so I have no choice but to forge full steam ahead into battle.
Seeing the resolve in my eyes, the boys get back to loading up what they need, and as Roman slips a final knife into his belt, he looks back at his cousins. “You don’t have to do this,” he tells them, knowing what the odds are of each of them surviving. “There’s still time to slip out the back door.”
The eldest cousin checks over a gun and snaps his gaze to Roman’s. “We pledged our loyalty,” he mutters, his voice dark and rich with determination. “What would that make of us if we were to turn our backs now?”
Roman scans his gaze over the four boys before coming back to the eldest. “The likelihood of you all surviving this…”
His words trail off and all four of his cousins nod. “We know,” the eldest says. “Now, where is the rest of your fucking army?”
Marcus grins, and throws his gun up over his shoulder, a dark sparkle in his eyes. “You’re fighting with us now,” he says, a wicked smirk pulling at his lips, reminding me just how fucking lethal these guys are. “We don’t need a fucking army.”
We hear the shouts of Giovanni’s men outside and Roman glances over his brothers. “This is it, boys. The moment we’ve been waiting for. Remember, my son is our priority. We get him first, and then we get to play.”
Darkness swirls in all of their eyes, and I see nothing but bloodlust. They’re savages, complete psychotic heathens with the most sinister craving for blood. They’re brutal, lethal, and violent, and I fucking love it.
“Let’s go,” Roman calls.
Our group pours out of the armory, and rather than wasting precious minutes going back in through the foyer and down the massive stairs, Roman slams his fist down over the button for the automatic garage door, keeping us on ground level.
They’re going to expect us to come through the front, so whatever edge we can get, we’ll take.
We stand in front of the massive garage door as it slowly rises, and with every inch, my stomach swirls. Marcus moves in closer to grab my waist and turns me into his chest. His hand falls to my chin and he yanks my head up, forcing my eyes to his. “I’d tell you to go and hide, but I don’t think you’re going to do that. So, whatever the fuck happens out there, stay behind one of us. We won’t be able to protect you every fucking second, so you’re going to have to come to the party and do your part, but if you keep behind us, then those fuckers will literally have to go through us first to get to you.” I nod as he pauses, his dark eyes boring into mine. “Don’t try to be a fucking hero. If someone slips past us and they’re coming for you, call for us. Someone will help you. Is that understood?”
I nod again. “Got it.”
His lips crush down on mine in a quick bruising kiss that takes my breath away, and as he pulls back from me and we find the garage door high enough to slip under, my nerves start to get the best of me.
“Marc, go.” Roman demands.
Marcus doesn’t hesitate, slipping under the open garage door and taking off like a fucking rocket toward the thick brush around the property. “Where’s he going?” I rush out as Levi takes my hand and pulls me toward the garage door.
We all slip under it, the boys’ cousins sticking to us like glue. “Marc has sniper training,” Levi explains as we rush around the side of the property, far out of view of Giovanni and his men. “He’s got the best shot out of all of us. He’ll be able to take out a few of them before they even reach us.”
“Shit, but wouldn’t your father have men hidden out in the woods? You could be sending him right into a trap.”
Roman glances back at me, his eyes softening just a touch. “Marcus can handle himself,” he explains. “I don’t want you going into this worrying about us. We’ll be fine. You need to be thinking about yourself.”
Levi nods as we slam our backs up against the side of the house, lying in wait. “If things get dicey,” he says, “if something happens and we can’t save you, then I want you to find an out. Take off into the woods. Call for Dill and Doe and run for your fucking life. They’ll guide you out of the woods and to safety. Just know, whatever happens, we will find you.”