CHAPTER 34
Enrico’s men regrouped at the turnoff indicated by the GPS tracking log. Dom was gone—Enrico’s phone showed him headed back to the lake, presumably going home. They would have to catch up with him later. His main priority was saving Kate. And getting Antonio out of the line of fire.
They waited for Antonio, Paolo, and Tommaso to pull up. Claudio and Santino were already there, both conferring with Ruggero. Enrico and Ruggero had decided to split forces, three and three. They had no idea what they were walking into, how many men they faced. It was best not to go in as one team.
Should he have called in more men? He was being selfish as it was to have asked anyone to accompany him. And what if Dom had recruited others to help him? These men, these were the only ones he could definitely rely on. His personal staff.
A car pulled up, and Antonio, Paolo, and Tommaso piled out. Antonio looked stricken as he approached Enrico. “Don Lucchesi, I have failed you.” He waited, head bowed, for his punishment.
Enrico put a hand on his shoulder. “Give me your phone.”
Antonio pulled out the phone, questions on his face. “My gun too?”
“You’re going to need that.” He handed Antonio his own phone, which was still tracking Dom. “I need you to do something for me.”
“Anything.”
“Find Dom and bring him to the safe house. If I do not return, execute him, but make it look like it was the Andrettis. The cosca will need Dom’s sons to run it—”
Antonio cut him off with a horizontal slash of his hand. “You will return, Don Lucchesi. I have no doubt.”
Enrico smiled. “I wish I shared your certainty.” He gave Antonio a light push. “Now go.” Antonio started to step away. What if this was the last time he saw him? “Wait.” A pressure built up in his chest, his throat tightening. He placed his hands on Antonio’s shoulders. “I want you to know, Tonio….” His voice trailed off, thickening. He squeezed the boy’s shoulders. “You’ve never disappointed me.” He paused, looking Antonio full in the face. “I never had the pleasure of raising my own son, but sometimes I’ve thought of you that way.”
Antonio’s eyes misted. “You honor me too much, Don Lucchesi.”
Enrico embraced him, his heart contracting when Antonio returned it. Then he stepped back and gave him another little push. “Go now. And be careful. He is capable of anything.”
Antonio nodded, not saying a word. He hurried back to the car and sped off. Enrico watched him for a moment, wishing he’d had more to offer the boy. More time, more love. There was never enough of the former, and the latter… the latter he’d held back out of respect for Nico. There was no replacing one son with another. But was there more room in his heart than he thought?
Enrico called Paolo and Tommaso to him and briefed them on what he and Ruggero had decided. Paolo could barely meet his eye. Enrico pulled him aside. “This is not your fault, understand? She made a mistake. Not you.”
Paolo shook his head. “I know my training. I shouldn’t have deviated from it.”
“You can’t protect someone who doesn’t want it.”
Paolo nodded, but still looked miserable. “I don’t deserve your forgiveness.”
“You’ll earn it tonight, I promise you.”
Enrico motioned for Tommaso and the others to rejoin them. “We’ll leave the cars partway, blocking the road. No one leaves without killing us.”
The men nodded.
“We have no idea what we’ll encounter. Hopefully we have prepared well enough.” Enrico gestured to Ruggero, who started handing out gloves, radios, knives, mini Uzis, and extra ammo clips in small backpacks.
“I’m leaving additional guns and ammunition in the boots of the cars,” Ruggero said. “That’s our fallback point, if necessary.”
Enrico stepped forward again, as all the men checked their weapons. “Remember, Kate’s in there, so be careful. This will all be for nothing if she’s killed.” He looked at each man in turn. “If any of you want to sit this out, I’ll understand.”
Each man held his gaze, giving a slight nod. Enrico smiled, his heart full. “Good. I knew you were the men I could count on.”
They departed for the house, stopping after several hundred feet and creating a roadblock with the cars. The men continued on foot, careful to make no sound. As soon as they saw lights, they split into two teams and struck out through the trees. The plan was for the teams to circle the location and meet up to exchange intelligence.
Enrico chafed at not being able to charge up to the house and burst in. Anything could be happening to her. But it was quiet; that was a good sign. No screams, at least. Of course, Carlo could have her gagged. Or worse—she could already be dead.
Enrico and his men circled the building. It was large, three stories, made of stone. Thick vines had crawled up the walls; the structure appeared quite old. They counted the number of vehicles in back: only three, so the odds were good.
Creeping through the trees and underbrush that came up close to the house, Enrico wondered why Carlo had a place out here. It was inconvenient. But then it dawned on him—it wasn’t inconvenient. It was secluded. No neighbors, no one to see or hear anything. And plenty of places to dump bodies where they’d be found only by animals. It was the perfect place for dark projects. And now Kate was one.
They met up with Ruggero’s team. Together, the teams had spotted four guards outside, one near each corner of the house. They’d have to be dealt with first.
“Did you see anything inside?” Enrico asked.
“Two more guards. And Dario. They’re playing cards by the fire,” Ruggero said. “We have no idea how many are upstairs.”
“Did you see her?”
He shook his head. “She must be upstairs. Carlo too.”
The knot in Enrico’s stomach pulled tighter. If that bastard had laid one finger on her…. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to focus.
They could see front and rear exits, and part of the interior on the bottom floor, but that gave them little idea of the layout inside. Enrico looked up, studying the house. “How many lights are on upstairs?”
“I didn’t see any on our side,” Ruggero said, and Claudio and Santino nodded.
“I remember one,” Enrico said. He looked at Paolo and Tommaso. “What did you see?”
“One, maybe two,” Paulo ventured. Tommaso shrugged.
Enrico turned back to Ruggero. “I want your team and Tommaso to handle the guards outside. I’ll take Paolo with me through the back door.” He looked at his watch. “In two minutes, we head for our targets. Agreed?”
Ruggero nodded, sliding his knife out of its sheath. It was large, a hunting knife, the handle utilitarian black rubber. Claudio, Santino, and Tommaso slid theirs out as well. The four men faded away, sneaking through the brush toward their targets. As soon as Enrico and Paolo saw the others break cover, they were to run for the back door.
The plan went smoothly—Carlo’s guards had little time to react, and none of them managed to raise an alarm. Soon all four men lay twitching on the ground, their throats gurgling as they choked on their own blood.
Enrico and Paolo were at the back door in a flash. It was locked. Enrico heard a dull roar inside the house, then the sound of feet pounding up the stairs. No time to pick the lock. He smashed a window panel with the butt of his knife, then reached through and opened the door from the inside.
Ducking into a low crouch, he scanned the darkened room. It was a kitchen. Paolo came in next and raised his gun, squatting next to Enrico. They heard shouts and cursing from above, and then Enrico heard Kate’s voice. Grazie a Dio—she was alive.
Ruggero and the others slipped in behind them. They waited, but heard no one moving toward them. Had the broken window gone unnoticed?
They advanced toward the next room. When Paolo ducked his head out to see if all was clear, he was met by a machine gun burst. He slumped forward, his head a bloody mess. Enrico reached out to drag him back
, but Ruggero tugged on his arm.
“Leave him. He’s dead. And we’re trapped,” Ruggero said.
Enrico stared at Paolo. He shouldn’t have brought him here. He shouldn’t have brought any of them here. Then a scream from above—a woman’s scream—focused him back on Kate. He couldn’t wait. He turned to Ruggero. “Cover me.”
Before Ruggero could stop him, he rolled out into the room, aiming for the back of a sofa he thought would provide cover. Ruggero crouched in the doorway behind him, spraying the room with bullets. The bright muzzle flashes and the roar of the gun were disorienting, especially when Carlo’s man returned the fire. Enrico crawled around the side of the couch, looking for an angle to shoot his target.
He snaked under a coffee table, but heard the gunfire shift from Ruggero to himself, the bullets hitting the stone floor with sharp pings. Shards of broken rock flew up around Enrico’s legs. He flattened himself until Ruggero’s increased fire drew the man’s attention.
Enrico rolled for the far sofa. Behind it, he could see it was a straight shot to the end of the wooden staircase that led to the rooms above, and to Kate.
Enrico crawled on his elbows and belly around the back of the couch. He drew his Glock, not trusting himself to fire the Uzi with any accuracy from such a position. He edged up to the end of the sofa. This was it.
He rolled out on his back, the gun up and sighted toward the guard, whose head flicked in Enrico’s direction when he caught the sudden movement. The guard swung his gun around, but he was too slow. Enrico and Ruggero caught him in a crossfire of bullets. The man jerked a few times, dropped his gun and fell to the floor. Enrico didn’t wait to see if he was dead. He was already on his feet and scrambling up the stairs. She’d just screamed. Again.
CHAPTER 35
At the sound of gunfire, Massimo ducked out the door, leaving Kate with Dario and Carlo.
“Give her to me. Now,” Carlo said.
Dario glanced at the corridor behind him. He pushed Kate toward Carlo and pulled his gun.
Kate stumbled and screamed when Carlo grabbed her from behind. He wound his fist in her hair and jerked her head up under his chin, bringing tears to her eyes. “We will not have time for much fun, mia cara, so I shall make it memorable.” He pulled a knife from his pocket, a switchblade that looked like the one Vince had tried to use on her. He pressed the point of it into the flesh below her right eye. “Such a shame,” he said, then he pressed the knife harder, breaking the skin. Kate screamed. Enrico was here. He was here, but he was too late. Her only hope was herself.
She kicked back hard into Carlo’s right shin, hearing a satisfying crack as the heel of her shoe connected with the bone.
Carlo howled in pain, and the knife moved away from her face, enough that she risked twisting to the left. He yanked viciously on her hair, and she was sure he’d pulled out a fistful. And maybe some scalp.
He slashed at her with the knife, the blade searing across her arm. Dario’s voice cut across the room. “Stop that!”
Carlo looked at him, and Kate saw her chance. Blood dripped down her arm. She drove her elbow back into his belly, knocking the wind out of him, and he let go of her. She was free. She ran for the door and Dario. No one would stop her.
Enrico was rounding the stairs, at the landing halfway up the first flight, when a burst of machine-gun fire whizzed by his head. Plaster chips hit him in the face, and he clamped his eyes shut and ducked down, retreating behind the wall.
When the firing stopped, Enrico peered around the corner. Massimo Veltroni, the huge man who’d threatened them in Rome, stood at the top, but this time his gun was real. He gripped a Steyr AUG in both hands. Behind him, light spilled into the half-lit hallway from an open door.
Enrico could see another man behind the guard, half in the doorway. Was that Dario? Dio mio, was he helping Carlo? What were they doing to her?
Kate screamed again, and all rational thought fled. He had to save her. He peered over the edge of the landing and saw Ruggero in the living room, taking cover to the left of the base of the stairs. “Cover me now!” he yelled at Ruggero as he darted forward.
Ruggero stood up and fired through the banister as Enrico crawled up the stairs, trying to duck low enough to evade Ruggero’s fire.
Veltroni took a bullet in the leg, but he didn’t stop firing. He fell down on one knee, and his shots canted lower. Bullets tore into the wood next to Enrico, who flattened himself against the stairs and the wall. He was pinned.
Enrico sighted the Glock at the man above him, but he didn’t have a clean kill shot. Not unless he moved to the center of the stairs. He had only one chance.
He took a deep breath, loosened his grip on the gun, then tightened it. He looked up, memorizing where Veltroni was.
In one swift motion, he rolled sideways, snapping the gun to the point he’d memorized. He squeezed off two shots before he landed on his side against the banister. His partially healed rib cracked, the pain sharp and immediate. Veltroni choked and fell forward, tumbling down two steps. He’d done it. Scrambling to his feet, he charged up the stairs.
And straight toward the barrel of Dario’s gun.
CHAPTER 36
Dario twisted toward the sound of Massimo’s gunfire, taking his eyes off Kate and Carlo. Massimo groaned and slumped forward, then Enrico Lucchesi rushed up the stairs toward him. Dario retreated through the doorway, straight into Kate, who hurtled into him.
She nearly knocked him off his feet, but he grabbed onto the doorway with one hand and shoved her hard with his gun hand, sending her back into the room. He saw murder in Enrico’s eyes. His only hope was to put Kate between them.
He spun and wrapped an arm around her chest, pulling her back against him, her arms pinned to her sides. Perhaps he could talk his way through this. Perhaps he’d survive, as long as he had the woman. And as long as Enrico didn’t see him as a threat.
Enrico stalked toward Dario and Kate, holding his gun straight out in front of him, the muzzle leveled at Dario’s head. “Let go of her. Now.”
Dario shook his head and retreated farther inside the room. Enrico followed. His eyes flicked to Carlo, who was standing by the bed, close to the nightstand.
“Come away from there,” Enrico said to him. “Into the center of the room.”
“Shall I put my hands on my head?” Carlo said, his voice a lazy taunt.
Enrico risked a long glance at him. “Do it.”
Carlo moved to comply. When Enrico returned his attention to Dario, he heard a noise coming from his left and turned back to see Carlo yank the nightstand drawer open. Reaching inside, Carlo tore out a gun taped underneath the top. Raising the gun, he pointed it at Enrico, who shifted his position so he was midway between Dario and Carlo. Ruggero came up on Enrico’s right through the open door and trained his Beretta on Dario.
Enrico quickly shifted his full focus to Carlo. He barely met Kate’s eyes—he couldn’t chance being distracted by her. All he could risk was a glance that told him she was bleeding, but seemed largely unhurt. He had to trust that Ruggero could keep her safe.
Carlo smiled when Enrico met his eyes. “So here we are at last.”
Enrico held his gaze. “It didn’t have to be this way.”
“This was... inevitable. Despite what my darling Toni wanted. You have never stopped wanting to kill me. Just as I have never stopped wanting to kill you.”
“You murdered my family.”
“And you and yours threatened everything I hold dear.”
Enrico snorted. “A few percentage points was not going to make you weak.”
“Obeying your family’s pressure to go back to the old ways was going to do just that. I couldn’t give in on the money and the drugs.” He gestured with his gun up and down the length of Enrico’s body. “Look where your precious principles have left you. Your cosca is too weak to challenge mine. It is only a matter of time before I own the entire lake and all of Milan. Soon, all of the north.”
&n
bsp; A hot coal of anger burned in Enrico’s chest, but he tamped it down. He couldn’t afford to lose control. “How petty you are. You want vengeance over money. I want mine for the wrongs done to my blood.”
Carlo’s composure wavered; his face darkened. “What about Toni! You spat all over her grave.” He took a deep breath. “I should never have agreed to the marriage. You and Rinaldo lied to me and hid your bastard from me.”
“I’m not proud of that.”
“You lie. It’s what you do best.”
“What else could I do? You would have hunted all of us down like animals.”
Carlo laughed. “Rinaldo finally paid his price.”
The coal in Enrico’s chest flamed hotter. He wanted to roar out his rage at Carlo, wanted to rip him limb from limb. But Kate was there; he couldn’t act the savage in front of her, however much he wanted to.
Carlo cocked his head to the side. “Nothing to say? You were so full of yourself the last time we met. Did you use up your entire store of wit?” He waited for a reply; when none came, he continued. “I was quite disappointed I couldn’t eliminate your bastard son as well. My men have been unable to locate him. Apparently he is somewhere remote and out of communication. An assignment, we were told. So, so lucky,” Carlo said, shaking his head slowly. “So imagine my pleasure when I discovered that eliminating this troublesome... puttana here”—he gestured to Kate—“also eliminates your heir. Imagine how I felt.” Enrico’s stomach roiled, but still he said nothing, not trusting himself to speak. He concentrated on breathing, in and out.
Carlo smiled. “I felt happy. Finally at peace. Toni’s honor would be avenged. And you would suffer to the end of your days, however short they would be.”
Enrico found his voice at last. “You are talking about killing two innocents. Do you think Toni would feel honored by that?”
Carlo’s brows shot up. “Innocent, our dear Kate? She murdered her own husband.”
“He earned it,” Kate spat. When she struggled against Dario’s hold, he pressed his gun to her temple.
Killer Romances Page 35