I hear a voice, then another. They’re speaking in Italian, but the responding voice is English. I crane my neck and listen. It’s coming from my left.
I crouch, my gun gripped tightly in my hand.
If they had cameras on that guard, they’ll know I’m coming.
“Tavi, you alright?”
I shoot Orlando a text. Fine. Trying to locate the voices
Orlando: Wish I was there
Me: Me, too
I’d give anything for one of my brothers right now.
A few feet away from me, I hear a voice. I go absolutely still.
“He’s here. Let’s bring him in.” He speaks in English.
Santo.
A door creaks open beside me, and bright yellow light nearly blinds me.
“Ottavio. How nice to see you.” I don’t recognize this voice. This one isn’t Santo. “Put the gun down and come here.”
I put a hand up to block the light and see three men in suits sitting around a small, circular table. A quick glance around the room shows they’re not the only ones here. Santo’s with an older guy with graying hair, and a guy that looks a lot like the deceased Piero, but isn’t him.
I’m guessing it’s his brother, since it’s not uncommon for brothers to join the mob. If Elise saw him…
“Where’s Elise?”
“Elise?” the older man says with a scowl. “She isn’t here. Don’t tell me you brought her?”
I don’t respond. It won’t help me now.
“I said weapon down, Rossi.” It’s the gray-haired guy calling orders now.
I glare at Santo, but his face is impassive. He shows no guilt at all but doesn’t meet my eyes. He acts as if I’m not even there.
I put my gun down, acutely conscious of the knife at the back of my harness and the second gun I have tucked in my boot. I’m hardly without weapons, and fast on a draw.
“Kneel, Tavi.” The man chuckles. “Never thought I’d reach the day where I could tell a Rossi what to do.”
He knows us, then. I glance quickly around and note the exit in bright orange at the door. Uscita.
“You got any more weapons there, Tavi?” Santo asks. I glare at him. Of course he knows I don’t go fucking anywhere with one goddamn weapon.
“He’s carrying more?” gray hair asks.
“Drop them, Tav.”
I hate that he’s using my nickname. I hate that he’s betrayed us. I will find a way out of this, and I’ll beat the ever-living shit out of him. I’ll happily drag him back to America and restrain him in the dungeon where he’ll await the verdict. Give my brothers a chance to pay him back for this, too.
“I don’t have any other weapons,” I tell Santo. I stare him straight in the eyes.
He shakes his head from side to side, then talks to gray hair. “He does. I know he does. I’ll take them from him if you let me.”
Oh, bring it, motherfucker.
Gray hair nods.
Santo rises and stands in front of the other two, facing me.
Then he does something strange. With his back to them, he slightly lifts his shirt sleeve to reveal the rose tattoo on his forearm. Holding my eyes, he traces the rose.
It’s a signal. A reminder of his oath to the Rossi Family brotherhood.
I take a breath and wait. He holds his gun in his right hand and his left hand up to his belly. Slowly, so slowly the other two don’t see, he holds up one finger.
Two.
On three, he pivots and shoots. He’s so fast, they don’t react. I don’t wait to see him hit his target but grab my second gun and pull the trigger. I hit Piero’s look-alike straight in the chest.
“Fuck!” he shouts, but I pull the trigger a second time as Santo stands over the old man and pulls the trigger again, and again, and again.
“Dead or alive?” I ask him.”
Piero’s look-alike stares at me, wide-eyed.
“Dead,” Santo says. “He tried to kill your wife.”
I pull the trigger again. His body flails beneath the onslaught of bullets.
Santo turns to me. “I’ll explain everything.”
A door flings open. I look up to see Elise, wide-eyed and fearful.
Elise.
I exhale a breath I didn’t know I was holding before I realize she’s brandishing her weapon.
She sees Santo holding a gun beside me and bodies strewn on the floor. I know exactly what she thinks, half a second too late.
“No! Elise! Don’t shoot!” I yell. I need answers. But she’s already pulled the trigger.
She hits Santo’s left shoulder. He screams and grabs at it, then falls to his knees. Elise screams and drops the gun on the floor. It clatters and spins away from her.
“I didn’t kidnap her,” Santo grates through gritted teeth. “I knew they were coming for you, Tavi. I grabbed her so you’d get away. Kept her safe. I swear to fucking God, I hid her in the holding spot. They didn’t even know she was there. I took her to save you.”
Jesus.
I kneel over Santo and see he’s injured but not badly.
“Gun away, Elise. Please.”
She’s kneeling beside the Piero look-alike with a look of confusion on her face. Then she closes her eyes and shakes her head. “I thought—I thought I saw him. I thought it was him.” A tear rolls down her cheek. “His brother was due to be inducted into our family. Looks like they did that after his death.”
She looks to Santo. He’s gone white as a sheet, and his lips are pressed together. His hand is pressed to his shoulder which is leaking crimson blood onto his fingers.
“I’ll tell you everything,” Santo says. “I promise, just get me the fuck out of here.”
“Anyone else here?” I ask. “Are there any other shooters we need to look for?”
He shakes his head. “They took a flight out ten minutes ago.”
“Who?”
“Anna Regazza.” He sighs. “Leo too, Tavi.”
Leo.
My Uncle Leo.
I remember the day I came to claim the body. I called Leo, because it was his brother’s son I went to identify.
How’d he know they were ready early for me? I thought nothing of it at the time, but if he set it up…
It all fits. It all fucking fits. Leo didn’t remember seeing Santo at the wedding, said he was too piss drunk. He wasn’t. He had a hand in this.
Leo, with his mistress in Tuscany.
Romeo never found our mole after Elise’s father was killed on our property. He fired every member of staff and hired new people.
We never questioned Leo. We didn’t know we had to.
“Don’t trust him,” Elise says, her voice shaking as she glares at Santo. “I don’t trust him.”
“You’ll see everything,” Santo says. “I promise, you will.”
“Stand up, Santo.” My voice is hard. I still don’t trust him. I still don’t know why he’s here. “Where’s Leo?”
Santo grimaces, in such obvious pain I cringe. “On his way to Bali with his mistress. Set up a team at the airport. Catch him when he lands. Trust me, Tavi. You’ll see everything soon.”
We have to bring him out of here bleeding.
Elise cringes when I kneel to help him and nearly slip on the blood that’s spilled on the floor, but she doesn’t apologize or make any excuses. She only walks to his other side while he tells us where we’ll need to go through gritted teeth. Apparently there are lots of exits if you know where you’re going.