“Listen, I’m all for reunions, but we’re leaving. You’re not going to stop us unless you want a bullet in your head.” I usher Luca toward the stairs as Massimo walks backward toward the boxes.
I can’t help but wonder if he’s hiding a weapon, waiting to shoot us from behind. I let Luca lead the way while I keep my back to Luca, facing Massimo, gun trained on him while we head for the stairs.
A handful of boxes topple over, the contents of red and black lingerie tumbling out onto the floor.
Luca’s breath catches in his throat. “You’re trafficking women.”
Don DeLuca grins as Luca stops at the bottom stair.
“Keep moving,” I mutter under my breath. Now isn’t the time for him to get all noble.
“Women. Children.” Don DeLuca tilts his head with a sinister smile. “How about I make you an offer? The wife or the son. Which will you give me and you both can have your freedom?”
Luca brushes past me, charging at Massimo.
I should have fucking shot Don DeLuca when I had the opportunity. He was unarmed. I’m not a murderer.
But now, Luca has him by the neck, blocking his chest, making a kill shot difficult without risking that I’ll hit Ricci.
Massimo’s eyes widen as he coughs and chokes, Luca’s hands tightening around his throat.
Don DeLuca lands a brutal blow to Luca’s chest, where his ribs have taken a repeated beating, and his grip immediately slacks.
Luca doubles over, and I take the shot, firing off several rounds.
Luca is gasping for breath, grimacing, and I know he just needs a minute to recover, but we don’t have time.
“Get your ass up!” I grab him under the armpits, hoisting him to his feet.
He winces and groans.
“Upstairs. Now!” I shove him up the rickety staircase, and I skirt past Luca, opening the door, making sure we’re not about to be surrounded by more of DeLuca’s men.
There’s groaning in the basement. Sounds of men stirring. There’s at least one man who wasn’t shot, and while I got several rounds off on Don DeLuca, I’m not sure I killed him. My aim wasn’t what it should have been.
Adrenaline.
Anger.
Perhaps even a little bit of concern for Luca took precedence. I’ll keep that little bit of information to myself. No sense in boosting Luca’s ego.
“Get to the car.” I usher Luca outside. The wind whips at my face and stings my cheeks.
Luca shivers, and I open the door for him, practically shoving him inside the vehicle. I’m worried that he’s about to go into shock, or maybe he’s already there.
Gunshots fire from the forest behind the cabin.
“Shit,” I curse and duck, trying to avoid getting shot while hurrying to the driver’s side of the car. There’s broken glass on the seat, but I ignore it as I jump onto the seat. The keys are thankfully still in the ignition.
I put the car in drive and slam the gas. Their vehicle blocks the road, but I push it with Luca’s car, tapping it once, twice, and then letting it roll down the mountain.
“Fuck, yeah!”
“My phone,” Luca’s voice is rough, coarse.
I focus on the road, heading down the snowy one-lane path, the same way we came up. “I don’t know where your phone is. We’ll get you a new one.” It’s certainly not the biggest priority. I reach into my jacket and shove my phone into Luca’s hand. “Call Dante. He needs to know what we found.”
Luca grumbles. “Still no signal. And my phone is on the floor, by your feet.”