My fingers were just inches from the butt of the gun, and as I sat there, hand outstretched and ready to grab it, I knew I wouldn’t be fast enough. Slowly, I looked over my shoulder at DeLuca. Raised on one elbow, his gun was aimed right at my head.
But DeLuca didn’t know Rob was behind him, with his gun pointed right at his head.
A smile spread across my face as I rolled to my butt.
“What are you smiling about?” he seethed.
“That would be me,” Rob said, walking around to the other side of DeLuca, his gun pointed at his face. He tsked playfully, kicking DeLuca’s foot. “Somebody hasn’t been playing nice with others.”
“Who the fuck are you?”
“Me? I’m the man you assumed was with your hooker. You know, sometimes you piss off the wrong person and bad things happen. That would be me. I’m that person. And the sniper on the roof? He’s the bad things that are going to happen.”
I didn’t know if I should move or stay where I was. The man still had a gun pointed at me, but I knew if he made a move, Rob would put a bullet in his head. However, that wasn’t the objective. So, I stayed where I was.
“You’ve been a naughty boy, DeLuca. Dipping into the Ratti Family profits is going to get you killed.”
DeLuca’s face pinched in anger, but there was no mistaking the look of shock he was trying to hide. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Rob looked around quickly. “Oh, you didn’t want me to say that out loud in case your place is bugged. Yeah, I get that. Ifthe boss ever found out you were stealing from him…well, that wouldn’t be very good for you. Or the men you’re paying a cut to keep this whole operation hidden.”
Rob patted his pocket with a wink. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep your secret safe.”
“You know nothing!” DeLuca shouted.
“Oh, I have plenty on you. Every foreign account you’re hiding the money in. Every date and timestamp the transactions took place.” He knelt down beside DeLuca and grinned. “And the beauty of it all is that with just the click of a button, the Ratti Family will know every betrayal their own underboss has made. Isn’t that beautiful?”
Rob stood, chuckling to himself, but DeLuca was scheming, trying to find a way out of this.
“Now, here’s what’s going to happen. Krista and I are going to walk out of here alive. If anyone makes a move against us, all this information will be sent to Ratti. And don’t worry, I’ve made many copies. You don’t have to worry about me losing this one.”
Kneeling again, he bared his teeth at DeLuca. “You will forget about us. You will forget about Alicia?—”
“The black box?—”
“I don’t give a shit about the black box,” Rob spat. “We have nothing to do with that, and if you were so fucking stupid that you allowed a hooker to outsmart you, you have whatever’s coming to you.”
He shoved back to his feet, pointing his gun at DeLuca’s hand. Slowly, the man lowered the gun to the ground and let it clatter to the floor.
“Now, Krista and I will be on our way. I expect a clear exit, and if you don’t, you can expect a visit from the Ratti Family very soon.” He grinned at the man. “Okay?”
Striding over to me, he hauled me to my feet and marched me out of the room, but the grip he held on me suggested we were still very much in danger.
After flinging the double doors open, he hit the button on the elevator, his jaw clenched hard. I didn’t dare speak. My heart was hammering too loudly in my ears to even think of saying a word.
As the doors slid closed, I let out a long breath. My whole body felt like it was collapsing in on itself.
“We’re not out of the woods yet,” Rob said. “Derek, how are we looking?”
“It’s a bit of a shit storm out here, but nothing we can’t handle. However, I would strongly recommend taking Krista out the back.”
“The back exit is blown,” he hissed.
I could hear gunfire over comms, but when I looked over at Rob, he didn’t seem worried at all.
“We’ve got you covered to the door. The SUV will be waiting out front.”
Rob tightened his grip on my arm. “Do what I tell you when I tell you, understood?”