“Could someone have an issue with that?” I asked.
“Those that did are no longer around.” There was a warning in Vinnie’s eyes. “Carlos and I made sure of that.”
God, I hoped he wasn’t admitting to murdering someone. There were just some things I couldn’t ignore, no matter how much I wanted to. I was still an officer of the law.
I held up my hand to ward off whatever else Vinnie might have been about to say. “I don’t want to know anymore.”
Vinnie smirked. “That is wise, Lieutenant.”
I was glad we understood each other.
“The guys that attacked Eddie, Lyn, and Lany should be on their way down to the police station as we speak. I sent Eddie and Lany home with one of my men. Clarke will stay with them until I get home.”
“I can assign some men to accompany you.”
“No, that won’t be necessary.”
I hoped.
“Lany’s father hired him a bodyguard to keep an eye on him until this situation is resolved. Marcus wasn’t supposed to start until next week, but I may call him in earlier.”
“That might be a good idea,” Vinnie replied. “I will also put out some more feelers and see if I can find out who is behind these attacks.”
“Well, we need to figure it out,” I said vehemently. “Too many people could get hurt if this thing escalates.”
The words had barely left my mouth when a sharp ping echoed through the room and then the window shattered. Isabella threw herself over the top of Vinnie. I dove for the floor just as Isabella and Vinnie rolled off the couch.
I covered my head with my arms and prayed I wasn’t about to die as gunfire erupted, bullets slamming into just about everything. The noise was earsplitting. It was a sound I was very familiar with due to my line of work, and one I hoped I never heard again.
When it suddenly stopped, the lack of noise was almost as jarring.
I raised my head and glanced around. The room was a total right off. There wasn’t a space I could see that hadn’t been hit in some manner. Bullet holes marked the walls until they looked like Swiss cheese. Shattered glass was everywhere.
“Porca troia!”
Vinnie’s cry wasn’t one of someone pissed off because their home had just been shot up or even of someone upset because they had been attacked. His cry trembled with anguish. I realized why the moment I looked over.
Vinnie was hovering over the top of Isabella, his hands pressed against her chest.
“Merda!”
I scrambled across the floor, pushing the coffee table out of the way so I could kneel on the other side of Isabella. Her gown was drenched in blood, the deep red splotches spreading right before my eyes.
I pulled out my cell phone and dialed 911. “This is Lieutenant Salvador Delvecchio, badge number 24287. I need an ambulance and officers to 1345 West Madras Street. There’s been a shooting.”
I lifted my eyes and glanced at the destruction.
“Send SWAT and tell them to use extreme caution. The shooters could still be on the scene.”
I hung up and slid my phone back in top my pocket. “Vinnie, we need something to stop the blood.” Nothing. The man couldn’t seem to take his eyes off what he was doing. “Vinnie.”
When Vinnie didn’t answer, I jumped to my feet and ran behind the wet bar, looking for something, anything, to stop the flow of blood. I was lucky. I found a stack of towels under the counter. I ran back over and dropped down to my knees beside Isabella.
“Here, Vinnie.”
When the man didn’t move, I gave him a gentle push. Vinnie freaking out wasn’t going to help Isabella. I pressed a handful of towels down on her wound. If I could staunch the flow of blood, I might have a chance of keeping her from dying before the ambulance arrived.
“Vinnie, call down to the gate and let them know emergency personnel are on their way.”
