There’s a loud bang. The crowd of men all look behind them at the same time.
“On the ground! Hands up!”
Vlad is so distracted, he drops his switchblade, and it clatters between my legs. Dozens of figures dressed in black and carrying huge guns infiltrate the warehouse. Vince’s tough, loud voice echoes through the crowd. He walks through the men dropping to their knees, hitting the back of their head with the butt of his gun if they don’t comply. Vlad reaches into his coat, but Vince spots him right away. Vince marches up to the table, and presses the gun into Vlad’s chest.
“On your fucking knees,” Vince demands.
Vlad lifts his hand, and sinks to his knees with a devilish smile on his face. Vince goes through Vlad’s pockets, and empties them of guns, knives, and other weapons. When he’s done, Vince turns to me.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
“Yes. Untie me,” I say.
Vince gets to work on the knot on my left hand.
“Vince, they knew you were coming,” I warn.
He gives me a puzzled look. I don’t think he’s heard me, so I repeat myself. As I’m saying the words, the air explodes with rat-a-tat-tat. The room fills with dark, thick smoke.
“Fucking machine guns,” Vince yells.
The rope is loosened enough that I can slip my hand free, but the room has erupted in utter chaos. Several people are shooting recklessly, striking people from both sides. I’m shaking, waiting for Vince to finish untying me. I look up, and notice he’s lying on the ground, blood pooling around him. My eyes land on Vlad, who’s sneering at me from the floor. He jumps to his feet, and starts to climb over my body.
My brain turns off, and my instincts take over. My free hand moves like lightening. I grab the knife between my legs. When Vlad is on top of me, saliva dripping from his mouth onto my face, I grip the knife, and with a grunt, plunge it into his temple. The blade sinks into his skull.
Only after I see the light go out in his eyes do I realize what I’ve done. I killed someone. A living, breathing person is now dead because of me. And I don’t feel one bit of guilt.
I hide under Vlad’s body while the gunfire rains down. I feel a few bullets strike the back of his body. Warm blood releases on to me, soaking me completely. While still underneath him, I cut the rope at my other wrist. I take three quick breaths, then push Vlad off of me. I work quickly to free my ankles. Once the ropes are cut, I roll off of the table and hide underneath it.
———————-
Leo
Don’t react. Wait for your opening.
I’d watched, helplessly, as five reds with machine guns emerged from the darkened streets after Vince and his guys and had gotten there, and swarmed on the warehouse like the cockroach infestation they are. The Russians set off a smoke bomb too. I can’t find Mia through my scope.
Anton is smiling while looking through the binoculars. “Didn’t expect that, did you?” he asks, smugly.
“You’re killing your own men,” I say.
Anton shrugs. “No one important. I’ve been needing to get rid of my more useless men for a while now. I am killing two birds with one stone. You see, efficiency is one of the keys to success.”
I have a knife strapped to the inside of my wrist. Ever since Anton showed up, I’ve been reaching for it, millimeter by millimeter, carefully controlling myself so I don’t make any sudden movements. It’s only a matter of time before one these assholes drops their guard. They don’t have my training. Only experience can teach you to stay still and wait when your body is screaming at you to act. Yury is already starting to get antsy. I hear him shifting between his feet, and sighing loudly. I take a breath, extend my hand a fraction of an inch towards the knife, then pause to take another breath.
Anton takes a half packet of chocolate candies from his back pocket, and starts popping them into his mouth.
“Boss,” the guy to my side says. “Can I get a look?”
“Yes, yes,” Anton says, tossing him the binoculars. He goes back to fishing candy out of the packet.
“Why’d they do the smoke bomb?” the guys complains. “I can’t see fucking anything.”
“Pass it over here,” Yury says.
My ears prick up. This is my chance. I just have to wait for the right moment. I listen very closely to their movements. I sense the binoculars being passed. Yury curses as he fumbles with them. This is it.
I simultaneously grab the knife from my sleeve, roll on my back, and kick the gun from Yury’s hand. It clatters across the roof. Yury goes for it. I grab his leg and slash the back of his ankle, grinding my blade deep into the bone. He drops to the ground, writhing in pain. The other guy fumbles for his gun. I grab the .22 strapped to my hip, and blast him in the chest.
I grab Yury’s gun, then stand over him, my feet straddling his chest. Yury’s so lost in pain, he doesn’t even see me. I shoot him between the eyes and put him out of his misery.
I look around wildly for Anton, and spot him climbing down the fire escape stairs. I shoot at his head and miss. I run to the stairs, and swing myself down, feet barely touching the rungs. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I’m surrounded by four men.
Two of them grab my arms, and I quickly elbow them in the face, breaking their noses. They let go of me to bring their hands to their bloody faces. I throttle myself forward, and run full force into someone’s fist. I take the punch right in the jaw. I see black spots for a few seconds, and stumble forward. While I’m disoriented, my hands are pinned behind my back, and handcuffs slapped on my wrists.
They hoist me up. My vision clears, and I see Anton, standing in front of me. He steps towards me, and lightly smacks my sore jaw. I rear my head back and spit in his face. He chuckles, wiping my saliva from his eye.
“Come, Leo,” Anton says. “Someone is anxious to see you.”
———————-
Mia
The smoke clears enough that I can begin to see the carnage taking place. Most of the men who were eager to rape me are riddled with bullet holes. The Romano men are fighting tactically, taking cover, and shooting the machine gun armed men when they can. I look to my left and see Vince, slumped on his side. His black shirt is soaked with blood. I can’t see where he took the hit.
Mateo appears. His eyes dart over the table, looking for me. I stick my arm out and wave to him. He joins me underneath the table.
“Here,” Mateo says, slipping me a gun. “Let’s get you out of here.”
I shove the gun into my cleavage. Mateo grabs my arm, urging me to follow him.
“Mateo, look,” I say, pointing to Vince.
Mateo sees his brother, and his face turns white. He turns back to me, grabs the gun from my boobs and presses it into my hand.
“Cover me, Mia,” he says.
“I don’t know if I can.”
Mateo intensifies his gaze. “Just do it.”
Staying low, Mateo emerges from under the table and rushes towards his brother. There’s a Russian lying on the ground a few feet away. Blood runs from the corners of his mouth. He growls at Mateo, and reaches for a gun lying close to him. With shaking hands, I point and shoot, and completely miss. My bullet hits the gun, and it’s thrown out of the Russian’s reach. I shoot again, this time hitting him in the thigh.
Mateo hoists Vince up on his shoulder, then signals to me. The Russians that are still standing are engaged with the Romanos’ men. A few turn on us as we scurry along the wall of the warehouse. Mateo is a much better shot than me, and takes them out easily.
We make it to the hallway. Mateo sets Vince on the ground, and leans him up against the wall.
“You with me, Vince?” Mateo says, slapping his face.
I crouch at Vince’s side, and lift up his shirt. He has an ugly bullet wound in the side of his stomach. The exit wound is on his back.
“We have to stop the bleeding,” I say. I rip at my skirt where Vlad had cut, and tear off a long swath of fabric. It leaves me even mo
re exposed, but the men around me could care less. I tie it around Vince’s waist, applying pressure to the wound.
“Is he going to be okay?” Mateo asks.
“I’m not sure,” I say. “Maybe the bullet didn’t hit any important organs.”
Vince’s eyes flit open, and he slowly regains consciousness. He looks between Mateo and me, then his face scrunches as the pain registers.
“Vince,” Mateo gushes. “You okay, man?”
“It hurts like hell,” Vince groans.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” Mateo says. “We’ll get you to a hospital.”
Vince yells horrifically as Mateo helps him to his feet. Mateo gets under one of his arms, and I get under the other. Together, we carry him down the hallway.
“There’s the exit,” Mateo says, staring at the end of the hallway.
I focus on that door, and heave Vince’s heavy body as quickly as I can. We’re almost there, when I hear voices coming from behind a closed door.
“Wait,” I say.
Mateo stops walking. I press my ear against the door. I hear Anton’s voice, then Masha’s. There’s a dull thud, followed by a groan, like someone’s been hit, hard. I turn to Mateo desperately.
“They have Leo,” I whisper.
Mateo stops breathing, listening carefully. We hear the low, muffled tones of Masha and Anton. They sound practically giddy.
“Fuck you both,” Leo says, clearly.
Mateo clenches his jaw. Together, we lower Vince carefully to the ground. Mateo quickly whispers a plan in my ear, then leads me to stand with my back against the wall beside the door. He does the same on the other side of the door. I have no time to question Mateo’s idea, or offer an alternative. All I can do is trust him. Mateo presses his finger to his lips, signaling for me to be quiet. He lifts his gun, and taps the barrel lightly.
Masha and Anton go quiet. After some rushed whispering, the doorknob turns slowly. Anton walks out, holding a gun straight in front of him, his mouth set in a hard line. Mateo is behind the door, so Anton only sees me. Anton looks relieved, and lowers his weapon for a split second.
“You,” he says, his lips curling in disgust.
In the next second, Mateo pushes the door furiously, bashing Anton in the head. Anton’s gun fires aimlessly into the hallway, hitting a concrete wall. Blood rushes down Anton’s face, and he shuffles on his feet, dazed.
Mateo wastes no time. He grabs Anton by the collar, and throws him to his knees in the room. Leo is tied to a chair, his face bruised and bloody. There’s a fresh cut going down the middle of his chest. Masha stands in front of him, holding a knife. Mateo points his gun at her.
“Drop the knife, now,” Mateo says.
Masha presses the knife against Leo’s Adam’s apple. She pushes it into his flesh, and fresh blood trickles beneath the blade.
“Or what?” she says with a smirk.
“Do it now,” Mateo demands, holding the gun on her.
I pull at Mateo’s shirt. “Shoot her,” I beg.
Mateo shakes his head. “I don’t shoot women.”
This makes Masha laugh. She cranes her head back, her laughter rising to the ceiling. She drags the tip of the blade down Leo’s neck, leaving a shallow slice. Mateo hesitates, his eyes distant as he tries to figure out what to do. I realize he’s not usually the leader in these kinds of situation. I was happy to abide Mateo’s orders before, but now, it’s my turn to lead.
When I raise my gun, I’m surprised my hand isn’t shaking. I fire it, hitting Masha in the left ass cheek. She falls forward onto Leo, wailing in pain. She quickly gathers herself, and her eyes narrow in determination. She raises the knife above her head, preparing to plunge it into Leo’s chest. I bound over, grabbing Masha by the collar of her fine blouse, and throw her to the floor. I lean forward, and shoot her in the face, blowing her nose off. Her body goes very still, and her eyes close.
I stand up slowly, understanding what Leo meant by a kill rush. My head is swimming with adrenaline, and I’m intoxicated by power. My emotions are numb. I feel like nothing can stop me.
Anton is suddenly jolted into consciousness. He crawls over to his disfigured wife. “You fucking bitch,” he shouts, saliva and blood splattering from his mouth. “I’ll fucking kill you.”
I don’t take any time to think, I just act. I march over to Anton and kick him in the chest, knocking him on his back. Boom. I blast him right between the eyes.
I stare down at his corpse, knowing that it’s all over. Anton will never have me. He can’t keep me from Leo anymore. I’m not anyone’s victim.
The adrenaline washes away, and I break out into a cold sweat. A violent tremor overtakes me, causing me to drop the gun at my feet. Leo faintly calls my name. I rush to him. His wrists are locked together with handcuffs. I search Masha’s body until I find the keys in her back pocket.
Once he’s free, Leo wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me into his lap. I kiss his neck, tasting the mixture of blood and sweat.
“Damn, Leo. Your girlfriend’s pretty awesome,” Mateo says.
Leo pulls back and looks at me. The left side of his face is swollen, and there’s a gash in his eyebrow. “Careful, Mia. Your body count will be higher than mine soon.”
I hold his face in both of my hands. “I’m a fucking Romano, remember?”
Leo growls with desire, then crashes his lips against mine. His mouth tastes like sex, blood, and danger.
Epilogue
Femur, patella, tibia, fibula.
I am tired, so tired. I was in clinicals at the local hospital from five this morning until late afternoon, then had my anatomy night class. The knee bones run through my mind on a subconscious loop. I don’t know why I’m fixated on that, since we covered that material weeks ago.
I just need to rest. I walk up to Leo’s penthouse apartment, looking forward to just that. It’s funny I still call it Leo’s apartment, since I’ve been living there for the past three months.
I shake my head, pushing away the anatomy vocabulary, and fantasize about eating the rest of the takeout in the fridge. Maybe I’ll draw a hot bath, and, maybe, Leo will be tempted to join me.
A smile plays on my lips as I walk into the apartment. I set my bags on the counter with a relieved sigh. Leo emerges from the hallway, and I’m shocked to see him dressed to the nines.
I can’t help but swoon at the deliciously tailored black suit he’s wearing. His hair, which he’s let grow out some, is slicked back. He fixes the cuffs on his sleeve while giving me a devilish grin. I feel a rush of heat, and start to think that the takeout can wait.
I walk up to him, and slip my arms through his suit coat. Leo gives me a warm kiss on the lips.
“Where are you going so dressed up?” I ask.
“Bello’s, with the family,” Leo says, as if I should know this.
I feel a sting of disappointment. So much for my relaxing night of staying in.
“I didn’t know there was a dinner planned,” I say.
Leo takes my hand. “You better start getting ready.”
He leads me into the bedroom. I immediately notice the gorgeous black gown hanging from the door. Beneath it, a black pair of Jimmy Choo heels are balanced carefully on the floor. I rush over to the gown, and run my hands over the shimmery fabric. I pick up the shoes, admiring them as if they’re the holy grail.
“What’s this for?” I say, in disbelief. “It’s not my birthday.”
“It’s a special night,” Leo says.
“It is?” I ask with a clueless expression.
“There’s one more thing.”
I stare in confusion at Leo as he searches through his pocket. He pulls out a small, suede box, and drops to one knee.
My hands clasp automatically to my mouth. I gasp, unable to speak. Leo flips open the box, revealing a princess cut diamond erupting in sparkles. The air lifts inside of me, and I feel like I could float up to the ceiling. Leo takes my shaking hand, and slips the ring on
my finger. He stands up, slipping his fingers into my hair.
“I want you to be my wife,” he says, intensely.
“Yes,” I say, hoarsely. “Yes.”
———————-
The entire family is there, including a several members I haven’t had a chance to meet yet. When Leo and I walk into the private room at Bello’s, the table erupts into cheers. Everyone rises to their feet and clamors towards us to offer their congratulations. Pop gives me a huge bear hug, lifting me off my feet. Uncle Tony gives me a kiss on each cheek. Ma sweeps towards me. She is such a beautiful woman, and carries herself with grace. She lays her hands on my cheeks, and looks deeply into my eyes.
“I’ve always wanted a daughter,” Ma says.
“I’ve always wanted a mother,” I say, meekly.
Ma pulls me in for a warm hug. “You have one now”
“Does that mean you’ll give me your risotto recipe?” I ask.
She throws her head back and laughs. “A quick wit, and an even quicker trigger finger. You remind me of myself.”
Mateo and Vince approach us. They pat Leo on the back, and hug me, calling me Sis. I’m happy to see Vince’s complexion looks better. After being shot, he was in the hospital for two weeks with a bout of sepsis. Since then, he’s been recovering at home. This is the first time I’ve seen him out. He’s completely healed, but I can’t help fussing over him.
“How are you feeling?” I ask, pressing my palm to his forehead.
“I’m fine,” Vince says. “Ma’s cured me with her chicken soup, or so she says.”
Mateo grabs my hand and gawks at the diamond.
“How can you lift your hand with that heavy rock?” Mateo says. “Damn, Leo. What’s the mortgage on that thing?”
We step away from Vince and Mateo, and greet more family members. Leo pulls me away from the crowd, and whispers in my ear.
“There’s someone over there,” he says.
I glance to the back of the room. When I see Dani, I gasp. After everything went down, Dani felt so guilty, she couldn’t talk to me. I explained to her repeatedly that I understood why she did what she did, but it didn’t matter. She stopped answering my calls, and I think, changed her number. I thought I’d never see her again. I rush up to her and give her a big hug, spilling her drink in the process.
Witness: A Dark Mafia Romance (Romano Brothers Book 2) Page 29