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“Lil—”
She squeezed my arm. “I know you’re grateful, so there’s no need to say anything. I’m your sister. Of course I’ll help to keep the woman you love safe.”
I hugged her, thankful that I had two amazing sisters in my life. Never far from my thoughts, my focus snapped back to Summer and what needed to happen next.
Tony and I split from the group, exited the corded-off area, then weaved through the crowd until we reached the entrance to a dark hallway. Halfway down, the signs for the men’s and women’s bathrooms came into view. We passed them before Tony pointed to a staff lounge. He spoke into a handheld device, diverting employees from entering the area for the next hour while I screwed a silencer onto the end of my Glock. Once he opened the door, a bright light illuminated the large break room. Tony handed me a phone with several images of the first floor and all access points.
“You’ll be able to see the direction he’s coming from so that you can adjust. My guess is he’ll take the back stairs. My staff will encourage that path.”
“Thanks.” I moved back so that the shadows hid my location as Tony left. It wouldn’t help if he was spotted there. Everything needed to appear organic, which was also why we’d chosen tonight to do this. There was a slight possibility that Guido hadn’t received notification that Ben was dead.
I waited, cloaked in shadow, as patrons went in and out of the bathrooms, none aware of the threat coming or that I was waiting for prey. Five minutes passed then ten… time ticked by for another five before Tony’s voice sounded in my ear: “He’s coming.”
Then I saw him on the screen, flanked by three large men, all with guns drawn as they descended the stairway. Max entered the corridor then went into the men’s bathroom. Not even a second later, two guys rushed out while Emiliana hurried down the hallway and did the same with the women’s restroom. Neither reappeared. They would, though, when I needed them.
Summer’s laugh carried along the corridor, followed by Lil’s voice. I observed four men nearing the ground floor and the door that separated us. I slipped the phone Tony gave me into my pocket, needing both hands.
It was time. One foot away from where I waited, the door burst open to the rear stairwell.
I couldn’t risk a shot going off. I launched from the shadows, blocking the path to Summer. A shot fired. The man to the right of Guido jerked back then fell to his knees before faceplanting on the ground. My finger squeezed the trigger. The bullet sank into one of his men’s foreheads.
Guido raised his weapon, pointing it beyond my shoulder. With a roar, I tackled him to the ground, the gun going off with a loud crack. I felt nothing. Not the heat of the bullet too close for comfort or the eardrum-shattering noise. I focused only on him.
I took him down, falling on him. Two more shots went off. I reared back and slammed my fist into his face. Something cracked, and his eyes rolled back in his head.
Then I felt her. Summer fell into my back, her hands pressing against my side, a stream of garbled words that I couldn’t understand with the ringing in my ear. I pushed to my feet, turning then wrapping my arms around her and lifting her against me as I strode far from where Guido lay. I wasn’t taking any chances on him coming to and getting access to one of the guns I should have kicked away.
Max, Emiliana, and Lil were handling things behind me. Tears streamed down Summer’s face, and I stopped moving, horrified at the blood on her hands and the dark red staining her dress. Carefully, I set her down. “You’re shot?” I slipped my finger beneath the small strap and pulled her dress away from her skin so that I could see the damage. I glanced over her shoulder until I spotted Trey, who was already making his way to us.
Her small fist beat on my chest, her eyes wild. “No, Luc… you’re shot!” A sob cracked her panic-filled voice.
Trey gripped Summer’s shoulders and gently pried her away from me. I visually skimmed for injury then noticed the hole in my clothes and the wet area beneath it. Frowning, I slipped the jacket from my body then felt the twinge in my side. I hadn’t even registered it.
Trey set down his bag, poked at the wound, then looked at my left side. “It grazed you.” Sound was still muffled, but it was coming back. My other ear took up the slack, so his words penetrated. “There’s a large gash along your obliques. Nothing major was hit. You’ll be fine.”
I quirked an eyebrow at him. I was born to fight. This was nothing. “I wasn’t worried.”
He ignored me, taking out gauze and something to clean the wound. He gave me a shot of antibiotics. I held Summer’s tear-filled gaze as Trey patched me up enough with temporary bandages so that I could do what I needed. “It’s not perfect, but it should hold.” He glanced at Max, who’d thrown an unconscious Guido over his shoulder and entered the stairwell. “Maybe.” Then he turned to Summer. “You need to try to stay calm.”
She nodded then sidestepped him to come to me.
It was time to go. I was itching to get my hands on Guido again. Trey stepped back, and Summer’s hand latched on to mine. I bent and kissed her tearstained cheek. “I’m fine. And you’re not hurt anywhere?”
“No. Promise.” She shook her head, causing her long blond hair to dance along her back.
“Then let’s go.” I grinned, and by the way she mirrored my smile, I knew mine was dark, malicious. “We have an underboss to torture.”
I hit the bar to open the door to the stairwell. Across from where we entered, there was another door that required a code. Enzo waited for us, holding it open. We bypassed the stairs and went through to an elevator, where we had had to enter another code. Enzo released the door then punched in the number, and we were in. The doors shut behind us with a swoosh. He hit a button, and we descended a few floors. When the door opened, I wasn’t expecting a cement-floored room, where Guido hung by his chained hands.
I felt the anger pulsing off Summer and slipped her clutch holding her gun from her grasp. I knew she was devastated over the way her friend died and blamed Guido just as much as Ben—with good reason, but we weren’t going to kill him.
“Good move,” Max said under his breath as he took it from me. “Wake him up.”
I maneuvered Summer to a chair in the corner for her to observe. There was no way she would’ve tolerated not being there. She’d made that clear. Emiliana and Lil went over to her and opened two more folding chairs. Sofia had stayed above with the rest of our group to keep an eye on things. Besides, we didn’t need everyone down there.
I circled Guido as he hung there, unconscious for the time being. Several diamond-encrusted rings adorned his fingers, and a small nose stud winked in the light. His hair was longer on top and hung past his eyes. His head drooped forward. I slapped his cheek hard. Nothing happened, so I did it again. When he still didn’t respond, I grabbed the small piercing between my fingers and yanked it from his nose, ripping and causing blood to trickle from the torn skin.
His head jerked. Pain pinched his features. He blinked a few times as his compromised position filtered through his brain. I grinned as wariness darkened his brown eyes. Then he focused on me.
