Sophia
The sound of an engine, crashing glass, and shouting causes me to race from the bed, sliding into a sundress and not worrying about undergarments at all.The only thing on my mind right this minute is finding a fucking gun.The closet.I rummage around in Massimo’s suit coats before looking to the side of the closet where belts and clips hang, along with a nice-ass black revolver that will work just fine for me.
I climb the stairs as stealthily as I can, hurrying faster as gunshots explode all around me and more yelling echoes through the yacht.There’s no sense hiding in the bedroom, because that only works for me if I can’t get out the door.I try to sink into the wall, behind the door frame, wishing this pale-yellow sundress were any dark color in the world instead of one that screams look at me, I’m here.
Three large men lie on the floor of the main cabin, their blood oozing all over it.I peek my head out again, scanning quickly for Massimo who has the advantage from his spot behind the couch, keeping the other intruders from proceeding farther into the room, but only until he runs out of ammo.
I slink to the floor and wait behind the door, keeping my breath shallow, my eyes scanning all of the chef’s knives only a few steps away, but the minute I step out of the shadow, they’ll see me.If I knew he had bullets left I’d chance it, they’d shoot at me, and he’d take them out, but that’s not going to work if I’m dead and he’s out of bullets.
Three men advance into the room, all large, and I’d recognize those fucking tattoos anywhere.The Amorte cousins.They only have a beef with Massimo because of me.They are doing this for Desiree, who must still have feelings for Massimo whether the feeling is mutual or not.
“Every single one of you Amortes are dead.Do you understand me?Dead!”Massimo growls.
One cousin laughs and makes the mistake of taking a step forward, incorrectly calculating whether Massimo was bluffing or not.He shouldn’t have taken that bet though, because with one expert shot, he falls to the ground, lying in a pile with his other cousins, with a hole right between the eyes.Massimo doesn’t fucking miss.Everyone fucking knows that.
We’re down to two of Desiree’s fucking Amorte cousins.As long as Massimo has one shot left, I’ll take the other, but we don’t get time to strategize before the other two rush the room, charging toward Massimo.One of their guns goes off but not before I’ve unloaded two shots in succession and watch them fall to the floor.Because I don’t fucking miss either.
Massimo looks at them, the one he shot, and the two who now have bullet holes center mass made by me.He stalks toward me, running his hands down the length of my face, down my arms, his finger brushing the skin of my face.“You’re okay, kitten?”
I nod, the adrenaline of those shots, and what it means suddenly seeping deep into my bones.He knows exactly what’s on my mind.“Give me the gun.My brothers will be here soon.They’ll take you to a safe place.You were never here.Do you understand me, Sophia?”
The only thing I can think of is them racing into the room, and the fact that they were going to overpower Massimo, that they could have killed him right before my very eyes.“They were going to kill you.I didn’t know if you had any bullets left.”I swallow through the lump in my throat.Shit this is bad, really bad.
Massimo strokes a finger down the length of my cheek.“Shh, kitten.I would have taken both out, but there was no way you could have known that from your position.It was self-defense, but still, better that you were never here.Repeat after me.“I spent the day at the house and talked to both Leandro and Elsie at different times.”
Tears leak from my eyes as the sound of another loud engine gets closer.“Leandro?”
He wipes them and kisses my lips.“We’ll go with him, but will be questioned in the morning.No conversation about it on the boat with the other men.Capische?”
Massimo and I are not so different, both trained under fathers who ensured we knew how to navigate difficult situations, stay alive when the odds said we won’t, and to kill, maim and lie our way out of any situation we must.
Leandro races into the room, concern etched into the lines on his face.“Fuck, I thought you were dead.Three others who look a lot like Massimo and Leandro are not far behind.“Angelo, Renato and Tristano, this is Sophia Cassone.She’s coming with us.”
“Captain?”Massimo asks Leandro.
Leandro shakes his head.“Dead up top.”
Massimo glances at the others.“We don’t have long.Gasoline on board?”
Angelo nods.“Damn straight.”
Massimo sucks in a breath.“Let’s get Sophia to safety and then sink the fucking yacht.She was never here, capische?She was here earlier in the day, and Leandro took her home.What she did from there, you don’t know.She was upstairs.”
My eyes grow wide as his brothers leave the cabin, presumably to get the gasoline.
Massimo walks up to the body of the guy who threatened him, pries the gun from his hand, and shoots toward the wall where not moments ago I was standing.Then he walks into the galley where I was, points another gun, fires a few shots into the couch, and wipes the gun I was using carefully before placing it into the ungloved palm of his hand.
Leandro walks back in and doesn’t miss anything.His eyes narrow but he doesn’t say a word, only waits until his brother looks around at his yacht, and we head out the door.The minute we’re downstairs and situated in the small race boat, and far enough away, Massimo’s yacht goes up in an explosive ball of flames.
33
Massimo
All the way back to shore all I can think about is the fact they almost had me with my pants down.A few minutes earlier, and Sophia and I would both be dead.No one fucking knew we were on that yacht but the captain.I didn’t even tell Leandro until earlier in the day when I responded to his text and told him to bring Sophia.No one fucking knew I was on the yacht.Damn my arrogance for thinking that Enrico and Mario weren’t needed and that the Amortes couldn’t form an attack while we thought we had them all in our sights.Weaselly fucking family.This is on me and they will pay for this dearly.A vow I will make them understand as I put them in their grave.
Because I wasn’t fucking followed.I know a fucking tail when one is on my ass.No, somehow someone got close enough to me to plant a bug, a device that can tail me or hear every fucking word I said.Or someone got close enough to Leandro to put a bug on his phone and followed him when he brought Sophia.It can’t be one that sends out a signal because the sweeps would have picked it up, but damn it, technology is getting more advanced and the hackers keep getting better and better too.
The minute we stop at shore, I hold up my phone and Leandro’s.Each and every one of my brothers knows exactly what’s expected without saying a word.They each dig into their pockets and then crush their own phones under the heels of their boots while I do the same.
