He’s going to do it. I sense Ari’s movement before it happens, his finger squeezing the trigger. With one swift motion, I push my gun harder against his skull, tipping his head back, skewing his aim and throwing him off balance as I shove his arm up with my other hand. His gun goes off, concrete raining down as the bullet goes high.
“Stop. Now,” I grind against his ear. “Or I’ll be the one ending your life.”
Ari’s chest heaves on staggered breaths. “You’d do that, little brother? Kill your own flesh and blood for this…puttana?”
“For my fucking wife? You can be dead sure I would. I don’t want to hurt you. I really fucking don’t.” Beneath the steel in my voice, I hear the pleading. “But my next move depends on yours. You take another shot at her, and I swear on our mother’s grave I’ll take you down.”
The look of betrayal in Ari’s face cuts deep. In this moment I hate us both for finding ourselves on opposite sides of a war we didn’t start but are going to have to end.
“There’s still time, Rem,” he says, struggling against my grip. “There’s still time for you to leave. Still time for you to get out of here alive. Still time for you to side with your actual family.”
Fuck, this hurts. From the unhinged look on Ari’s face, to the dread I can feel radiating off Lena, to the agonizing choice I’m being forced to make.
In the dark recesses of the restaurant, I see a flicker of movement. The steps are soundless. The men practically invisible. But I know they are there. Know that I’ve run out of time to talk my brother out of his insanity.
“You’re wrong, Ari. The clock’s run out.” I look over his shoulder, catching the glint of my uncle’s gun as he steps out of the darkness. “Our time is up.”
“Aristide.”
Ari whips his head around when Aldo says his name. “Uncle.” Ari’s eyes widen as he sees Aldo’s men flank each side of the restaurant. I’m impressed by how nonchalant he sounds when he says, “Can’t say I’m happy to see you.”
“Given the situation, the feeling is mutual.”
“So, what’s it to be?” Ari waves at the small army lined up in front of us. “You going to play judge, jury, and executioner? Death by firing squad, that the plan?”
“Not my preferred choice, but I’m afraid we’re running out of options.” Aldo locks eyes with me. “Rem, step away from your brother.”
I hesitate. How can I not? As much as I hate him in this moment, I’ve loved and looked up to him my entire life. It’s not something I can instantly turn off. A moment of weakness that costs me.
Ari takes advantage of my hesitation, using his considerable strength to whip me around so I’m standing between him and Aldo, my back to Ari’s front. The move catches me off guard and I see the knife too late.
Fire explodes in my left thigh as Ari buries a blade deep into my muscle. Lena screams, the sound tinny as shock hits me.
“Sorry, brother,” Ari whispers in my ear, “but I’m not going down alone. Family till the bloody end, right?” Louder, he says, “Let’s make a deal, Uncle. You take your daughter and go home. I’ll take my brother and leave the city. We’ll go our separateways. The alliance between the Cerretis and Cosenzas ends tonight, and we’ll agree none of this ever happened.”
Lena speaks before Aldo has a chance. “And what about me, Ari? Am I supposed to pretend this never happened? That you didn’t kill my aunt and destroy my life and take my husband from me? You expect me to just forget?”
I can hear the tears in her voice, but I refuse to look at her. I know if I do, I won’t be able to keep myself from going to her and God knows where Ari’s knife will end up then. Blood seeping through my fingers, I keep a hand pressed to my leg around the blade, trying to slow the flow.
“Quite frankly, little sister,” Ari says, sounding terrifyingly calm, “I don’t give a fuck if you forget or not as long as I never see you again.” He turns to Aldo. “Back the fuck off, old man. Take your soldiers with you. Rem and I will leave.La fine.”
“And if I don’t?” ourcapoasks.
Ari yanks the knife out of my leg. A fresh wave of agony hits. My knees buckle but I manage to stay upright, blinking back the black spots flashing in front of my eyes. I throw an elbow behind me, trying to break Ari’s grip on my neck, but I’m off balance, barely making a dent before he presses his knife to the inside of my thigh.
I hear Lena suck in a knowing breath. The kill strike. A slice to the femoral artery.
“You don’t,” Ari says, “and we all get to watch Rem bleed to death.”
“Asshole,” I spit at him.
“I’m sorry,fratellino. I am. But you knew what would happen when you chose them over your own flesh and blood.”
The stab wound on my leg burns while icy fingers trail up my spine. I risk a glance down and know by the color of my jeans that I’m losing more blood than I’d like, especially if I need to use my legs to get both me and Lena out of here.
Ari isn’t going to give up, no matter how dire circumstancesget. We’re down to our last option. A Hail fucking Mary I’m praying works.
I don’t look at Lena. Can’t. If I do, I won’t be able to go through with this. Keeping my attention fixed on Aldo, I give him the nod. The signal he needs to end this once and for all.