by Ella Miles
I narrow my eyes. “Your penis?”
He laughs. “No, that’s not really a surprise. That’s expected. I got us another job.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Why is that a surprise?”
“Because the job is with Erick and Clive.”
A slow smile creeps up my face.
“Why? How?”
“It doesn’t matter how. What matters is you can finally get the one thing that still gnaws at you…”
“Revenge.”
6
Caspian
The look on Gia’s face when I told her that we had a job at her old home was precisely the reason why I arranged the job in the first place. Gia deserves to get her final revenge. She deserves to get her home back.
Which is why I’ve spent months having Vincent infiltrate Clive and Erick’s organization. So when the opportunity presented itself, we would be ready.
I’ve spent the afternoon installing a new security system in the house Gia grew up in. It’s strange being here. Knowing the history of everything that has happened in this house. But Gia loves this house, and I will do anything to make her happy. Whole again.
I let Gia work on her own, giving her space to get reacquainted with her house. I’m not sure her need for revenge is healthy, but I don’t care. Maybe when this is over, she can finally let go of all the ghosts of her past.
But I need her near now.
I pull out my cell phone and text her.
* * *
Meet me by the car in five minutes. I miss you ;)
* * *
I pocket my phone and head to the car. If I’m lucky, I can convince her of a quickie in the back of the car before we head home.
I lean against the hood of the car as I stare up at the mansion. I never understand why people want such large homes. Not when they can have a small quiet house in the woods.
I stare at the side door, waiting for Gia to exit. But she takes much longer than five minutes.
I sigh, pulling out my phone to call and see what the hold up is when I notice a text message from her.
* * *
Gia isn’t going anywhere. She’s ours now. I know what you planned. To take our house and kill us. We won’t let that happen. Leave now.
* * *
I can’t breathe. They have Gia.
I don’t think. I race to the door. It doesn’t budge.
I pull with everything inside of me, willing the door to open. But it doesn’t open. Not even a budge.
I scream as loud as I can, cursing the door and them for taking her.
My everything.
If they think I will just leave, they don’t know me at all.
“Clive! Erick! I know you can hear me. I’m not leaving without her!”
I kick the door with everything I have. I pull my gun out planning on storming inside and getting her back. I’m nothing without her. I have no will to live.
I move to the window next to the door and kick as hard as I can. The glass shatters, as instantly as my heart would. Our lives are risky, but I never thought I would have to say goodbye to Gia.
I jump through the open glass and storm through the house, searching for her. It’s not the smartest thing I’ve ever done. I should have a strategy. Call my sister first to let her know I need backup.
But with Gia ripped from me, I can’t think. She is what makes me whole. She is who I can’t live without.
“Drop the gun,” I hear a man say from behind me.
I can’t drop the gun. The gun is the only chance I have at getting Gia back.
I turn, ready to fire at the man before he gets a shot off. I’m not fast enough.
I’m not strong enough to save her.
I can’t even save myself.
7
Arlo
I would do anything to save my sister. Anything for my family. I just never thought the way to rescue my family would be returning to my old life.
I never thought I would return to this house. When I left with Nina, I thought it was for good. I thought we had escaped this life. But somehow every time I think we have left our dark past behind, it sucks all of us back in again. I’m afraid we will never be free of it.
“Ready for this?” I ask Matteo next to me in the passenger seat, as we pull up in front of the Carini mansion. A house that, at one time, belonged to us both. But now it serves Erick and Clive.
He growls as he looks at me. “Let’s go get our sister.”
I nod as I park the car in the driveway like a visitor. By the time we leave, this house will be ours again. Back in the Carini family. And Gia and Caspian will be safe again.
We could have hired our security team to handle this. But this is personal. We needed to handle this ourselves. Ensure that our sister is safe and our families are safe forever.
We both step out of the car, slamming the doors loudly so we can be heard. We aren’t going to sneak into our own home like thieves in the night. We are going to use the fucking front door.
We walk to the door. Each step loud and demanding. This is our house. We may have let Clive and Erick rent it temporarily, but now they’ve taken Gia, this is personal. We are getting the house back.
I thought running and staying away was the solution. I thought the only way to keep my family safe was to keep our distance. But running from our pasts won’t keep our families safe. We are Carini’s. This is who we are.
We stop at the front door, now decorated with a fucking wreath filled with red roses like this is an ordinary home. It’s not.
Matteo grimaces at the change as well. The door is a beauty, no decorating is required.
He takes his fist and pounds on the front door three times.
This may be the stupidest thing we’ve ever done or the best. Either way, we are either going to live or die in this house. The kids are hidden with Caspian’s sister. She will make sure they are taken care of if anything happens to us. But it is also why I know we will win. Matteo and I will do anything for our kids.
We hear footsteps, and we both brace ourselves for what we will face on the other side of the door. We both give each other one simple glance, letting each other know whatever happens we will be here for each other. We’d die for each other.
It can’t come to that.
The door opens, and guns are pointed in our faces.
We both hold up our hands, anticipating this greeting.
Our hands are jerked behind our backs as the men tie our wrists together.
Matteo doesn’t glance at me. He’s focused on our mission. He’s back to his old self. Ready for a fight.
Good, we are going to need all of our old skills to get out of this mess.
We are shoved through our house. Through the dark hallways, now littered with paintings that don’t deserve to be seen. Past gaudy furniture and fancy crystal that doesn’t fit in with the rest of the house.
We stop in the large living room where Clive and Erick sit.
“We’ve been expecting the two of you, although I didn’t think you would be stupid enough to just walk in the front door unarmed,” Clive says.
I shrug. “We were never the smartest in town.”
“No, but your wives are plenty smart. Where are they?” Erick asks.
“Home, watching our children,” Matteo says.
Clive smirks. “I don’t believe you.”
“Call them, see for yourself,” I say.
Erick pulls out his phone and dials a number.
“Hello Nina, your husband is here, claiming you don’t have some big scheme to come save your sister-in-law.”
There is a pause, and I can barely hear Samuel crying in the background.
Erick hangs up, confirming our wives aren’t here.
“Now, let’s talk,” I say.
Erick cocks his head to the side. “I don’t think we have anything to talk about. You are tied up. You have no room for negotiation.”
“We want a trade. Us for Gia and Caspian.”
They both laugh.
Matteo growls, and I know he is losing his patience.
I hate this plan as much as he does, but it’s the best plan we have. I never wanted to end up tied up, but so far the plan is working perfectly.
“This is your last warning,” Matteo snarls.
Clive walks to us. “No trade. We are going to kill you all. End the Carini line, forever.”
8
Eden
My hand trembles as we sneak in the back of the house. I shake it out, trying to keep Nina from seeing. But when I glance back at her, I can feel her heart beating out of her chest.
We both have everything riding on the line. Our husbands are both risking their lives to try and keep us safe, so we have a chance to rescue Gia and Caspian. Our kids are safe, but we both know we would be horrible mothers without our husbands. We need them to feel whole.
Footsteps creep down the hallway toward where we are hiding behind a dresser in the bedroom we snuck into. It used to be Matteo’s bedroom.
Nina pulls out her gun, and I do the same, watching and fearing that the door is going to swing open and we’ll be caught.
Neither of us moves. Or breathe. Or let our hearts beat.
The footsteps grow farther and farther away.
Nina exhales. “We need to get going. The faster we get in and out the better. I’m not sure how long our boys can keep Clive and Erick distracted.”
I nod.
Every second longer this takes, the more at risk Arlo and Matteo are. We race to the door. I push my ear against it, listening and trying to ignore my feelings creeping back in from being in this room. My core sparks with a need to be near Matteo.
I shake it off. The best way to get back to him is finding Gia and Caspian. Then I get Matteo back. He’s going to survive. We all are.
I glance back at Nina who holds her gun like a pro. We’ve both been taught by the best, but hopefully, Arlo and Matteo are providing a big enough distraction that we won’t need to use our guns.
I open the door and slip into the hallway with Nina on my heels. We inch our way down the hallway looking for any sign of Gia or Caspian. Instead, we find an empty corridor.
“The dungeon maybe? Or…” Nina says.
I know what she’s thinking. Enrico’s bedrooms. Chills run up and down both of our bodies as we think about that. Neither of us wants to enter Enrico’s side of the house. In fact, if we get the house back, I’m sure those rooms will be destroyed. But we will do anything to get Gia and Caspian back.
I nod.
“Let’s start with the dungeon.”
Nina breathes again.
We start slinking down the hallway in that direction when we hear footsteps again.
We both freeze. Nina moves next to me as we both hold our guns out, ready to fire the second the person comes into view. It feels good to have my best friend by my side, even if we both end up dead at the end of this.
Breathe deeply in and out, I remind myself. Matteo always said you can aim better if you are calm.
The footsteps grow closer, and I close my eyes to steady myself. When I open them, I’m calmer. Ready.
I watch as the shadow appears in front of us. I freeze for just a second, and I know it’s all over.
The person standing in front of us lowers the gun aimed at our heads.
“Eden? Nina?”
“Gia!” I cry, wrapping my arms around her.
“Thank God you’re okay,” Nina says with tears in her eyes.
“How did you get free?”
Gia smiles. “Caspian taught me plenty of skills. I will never be captive again.”
“Are you okay?” Nina asks.
“Yea, barely a scratch on me.”
I grip her tighter. “Where is Caspian?”
Gia drops her head. “Somewhere in this house. I know he tried to save me and they caught him.”
“We will find him. Arlo and Matteo are serving as a distraction. And with your help, we will find him in no time.”
Gia nods. “I think he’s in Enrico’s old room.”
“Of course he is,” Nina says with a fierceness in her eyes I wasn’t expecting to see.
“We will follow you,” I say to Gia.
She gives me a tight smile and then leads the way down the hallway.
Shots ring out, and we freeze.
“What kind of distraction are my brothers doing?” Gia asks.
My heart stops. “Whatever it takes.”
We use the distraction to run to the other side of the house. We pause for a second as the hallway passes the living room. Matteo glances our way. His hands are tied behind his back, but he has a gun in his hand firing away.
He winks at me and turns back to aim his gun.
I swallow hard keeping the anxiety deep in my stomach from coming up. Please don’t let that be the last time I see him.
I run to catch up with Gia and Nina. Nina never glanced Arlo’s way. I know if she did, she’d run to his rescue. Arlo and Matteo don’t need us right now. This is where they are at home. Caspian needs us.
Gia fires her gun just as I reach her and Nina. She shoots again, and I watch as two men drop to the floor in front of us.
“You are such a badass,” I say.
Gia nods. “I know. Come on.”
We race through the house, and when we reach Enrico’s bedroom, Nina is the one to open the door. She’s just as badass for facing her fears.
Gia races inside, and we run after her.
Gunshots ring out, and we all duck down. I raise my gun and fire, hitting a man square in the chest. A few more minutes of gunshots continue, and then Gia suddenly stands up.
“Caspian!” she yells. Her voice full of the fear of someone losing the only thing that matters in the world.
Gia runs at a full sprint to the other side of the room. I can barely see in the darkness.
Nina and I follow after her until we find Caspian tied up. Gia flings her arms around him, and that’s when I see the blood trickling down his body.
“Caspian, please! Wake up!” Gia undoes the ropes tying him up, and he falls limp into her arms. Tears stream down her face as more blood flows from his stomach.
I rush over and place my hand on his throat trying to feel for a pulse.
“He has a pulse,” I shout, looking from Gia to Nina.
“Oh my God!” Nina cries.
I pull off my jacket and apply pressure to his stomach wound, while Nina pulls off her belt and uses it as a tourniquet around his leg. Gia works on the wound on his head.
“Keep breathing, Caspian,” Gia whispers.
“We need to get him out of here,” I say.
Gia nods.
“Text the boys to get out of here, and we will meet them at the car,” I say to Nina.
Nina pulls out her phone, while Gia and I start lifting Caspian. He’s stable, but we need to get him to a hospital. His body got hit with too many bullets, and it’s clear Clive and Erick weren’t as kind to him as they were Gia.
Nina pockets her phone and helps us lift Caspian. It takes all of our energy to haul him out of the house. None of us breathe as we carry him, afraid he will die at any second. We get him to the car and into the backseat before he finally wakes.
“Gia?” he whispers.
“Shh, I’m here,” Gia says, crying, as she climbs into the backseat with him.
Nina and I scan the yard, waiting for Arlo and Matteo to appear. But after five minutes of waiting, we fear they aren’t coming.
Gia appears standing next to us. “My brothers aren’t back yet?”
“No,” I whisper, feeling the loss already. A loss I have no idea how to handle.
“We should go in after them,” Nina says.
I nod agreeing.
“We need a distraction. We don’t have enough people to rescue them if they are captured,” Gia says.
“What sort of distraction?” I ask.
Gia pulls a lighter out of her pocket. “Fire.”
9
Gia
I set the house on fire.
What the hell was I thinking?
I love this house more than anything. And now I’m watching it burn.
“Let’s go,” Eden says to Nina, running off to save their husbands. They don’t expect me to go. They assume I will stay to make sure Caspian is safe, but I can’t let them go on their own. If my brothers really are captured, they will need my help. I’m the most skilled.
“I’ll be right back,” I say, kissing Caspian on the forehead and hating leaving him when he’s this injured.
He moans. “I know.”
I blink back my tears. “Hold this on your stomach and don’t let go.”
“Go,” he says, holding his hand on his stomach like I asked.
I nod and run before I change my mind. I’m not going to lose anyone. Not my brothers. Not my sisters-in-law. Not Caspian.
The fire has been burning free for a few minutes now. The flames start shooting through the house, spreading faster than I ever imagined. If people don’t start running out soon, they will die from the smoke or the flames. We decide to lay in wait for any escapees before running into the house.
Men start running out, and I pick them off one by one with my gun. It’s my fault we are in this predicament. I’m going to be the one to end it.
Nina and Eden fire their guns, occasionally hitting a target, but it’s up to me.
Nina and Eden run into the house first, and then I finally do. Smoke fills the house, and I’m afraid I made the biggest mistake. I thought the smoke would give us an advantage, but now I may have just sentenced my brothers to death.
“Arlo!” Nina screams.
“Matteo!” Eden yells.
My soul suffers from their heartache. My heart feels the same. Because even though Caspian is out, it doesn’t mean he’ll survive. I may have gotten to say goodbye, while they may not get the same chance.
I run after them, searching the smoke as it fills my lungs. I cough, and I know we don’t have much time left to find them. If we don’t get out soon, we will all die. I can’t let Nina and Eden die. They have children at home who rely on them.