Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 43928 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 220(@200wpm)___ 176(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43928 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 220(@200wpm)___ 176(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
Shock widens the man's eyes as he stares at the Capo. But Rafe doesn't give him time to react. He points his gun at his head and pulls the trigger. Brutal. Efficient. Cold.
The sound of the silenced shot is negligible.
Rafe catches the man before he hits the ground, easing him down.
Without a word, he steps over his body, glancing back at us as if to tell us to move our asses.
We move our asses.
Thirty seconds later, we pause, eyeing the doors. There's no one standing between us and them.
"Now or never," Diego mutters.
Rafe nods, stepping out of the shadows into the sliver of the courtyard between our hiding spot and the expansive porch.
No one breathes as he runs the short distance between the two. As soon as he's clear, I follow behind him.
One by one, so does everyone else.
Coda and Domani go to work on the locks. There isn't one that can keep them out. If they want in, they're getting in.
They prove it now. Within seconds, they've got the doors unlocked.
"Let's go," Rafe says. "And don't fucking die."
It's not a great pep talk, but it'll do.
He slips through the doors, his gun in his hand.
Unlike outside, there's no sneaking through the fucking mansion. That much is obvious as soon as we're over the threshold. Brio's men are crawling all over the goddamn place like ants milling around, as if they've been waiting for us.
Shit. They probably have been. Brio's a calculating motherfucker. I'm sure he's had them on red alert since I carried Aurelia out of her prison. He wouldn't leave anything to chance.
Which means we need to find her mother now. Before he has the opportunity to kill her.
Rafe takes aim at an enforcer leaning against a marble column, his head tipped down as he looks at his phone. He doesn't say a word as he strides toward the man, his finger on the trigger.
The man glances up at the last second and sees us. He shouts a warning, dropping his phone as he reaches for his weapon.
Rafe pulls the trigger.
The bastard crumbles to the floor with a muffled thud, his blood staining the expensive marble. The sound acts like a fucking call to arms.
Everything erupts into chaos as his buddies come pouring out of the fucking woodwork.
Within seconds, the air fills with the acrid scent of gunpowder and the sharp, metallic tang of spilled blood as we take down one of Brio's men after another.
Rafe surges ahead, a shadow among shadows, lethal and precise.
To my left, Luca fires off two shots in quick succession, dropping two guards who were attempting to flank us from the living room. Gabriel is close behind him; his usual wildness tempered into a cold, calculated anger that's somehow more terrifying.
Domani and Coda are a two-man wrecking crew, killing everything in their path without even flinching.
I follow in their wake, making a path through the fray. Every so often, I glance over my shoulder to ensure no one is creeping up on us.
Diego grunts in pain behind me as a bullet slams into his shoulder. "Fuck," he curses, spinning to the side.
Coda steps in front of him, dropping the motherfucker who shot him. Someone else takes his place. Brio's men are fucking relentless, swarming like insects, but we're an avalanche, unavoidable and devastating.
"Mattia!" Rafe shouts, pointing toward the stairs.
I don't need further instruction or explanation. I know exactly what he's saying. We're going for Brio. We don't have time to waste with this shit.
We barrel up the stairs, leaving the rest of the family to deal with his people. Each door we come across is kicked open and swiftly cleared. Some rooms are empty, while others are filled with more of Brio's fucking lapdogs. They don't have time to react before they die.
There is no room for sentimentality here—it's kill or be killed.
In a room halfway down the hall, we finally find the motherfucker. He damn near shoots Rafe when we kick the door open.
The bullet lodges in the wall beside Rafe's head.
The room is set up like a hospital room, but aside from Brio, it's empty. It looks like it's been empty for days.
Fuck.
"Look who finally made it," the prick sneers, his green eyes filled with contempt. His body is tense, ready for a fight. Physically, he and Rafe are nearly the same size. But he's a fool if he thinks he stands a chance against Rafe. "You think you can just waltz in here and take me down?"
"My son?" Rafe snarls, stepping into the room. "You targeted my fucking son?"
Brio's smile is cold. "I wouldn't have had to if you weren't a miserable fucking Capo, Valentino. You don't deserve the throne. You know it. I know it. So does everyone else. Taking it off your hands is doing you a favor."
I bristle at his words, clenching my fists as I watch Rafe's obsidian eyes darken with fury. He's an idiot if he believes that. Rafe is the only reason this city hasn't descended into chaos. The families are what they are and have what they have because of him.