“Oh right, like your little army will stop me?” He rolled his eyes. “Let’s see them try getting here before the deed is done, shall we?” He raised one eyebrow, then his expression changed. His eyes hardened into emeralds. “Now fucking move. You’re wasting my time.”
They walked to the stairs where Nico stumbled a few times since he couldn’t get his balance with his hands tied behind his back. The blade pricking into his back kept him moving.
They reached the cemented bottom floor. Winters walked him to the room at the very end of the hall. Winters stopped and placed a knife at Nico’s throat before they walked inside. The blade dug into his Adam’s apple as if silencing him.
“Leaving so soon, girls?”
Nico blinked in the semi-darkness. A single bulb hung above them in the center. Autumn’s friend’s arm wrapped around her shoulders while Autumn supported the woman around her waist.
Autumn blinked when she saw him with the knife at his neck.
He hoped the words he mouthed to her got through. Winters wouldn’t get the chance to kill him or the women. Mario had his back, and they were following Gregory's plan. Winters wouldn't get the chance to kill anyone.
Winters tossed Nico to the side like he was a bag of bones. He hit an open duffel bag. One eye on Winters and one on the bag, he peeked inside to see a bunch of metallic instruments. He maneuvered himself so he could cut the zip ties on his wrists with one of the pieces of metal.
Without making a sound, Nico grabbed a scalpel and put it behind his back.
“Tie her back up, Autumn.” The low tone was that of a madman trying for patience. At Autumn’s defiant shake of her head, Winters walked in Nico’s direction to the duffel. “You’ve been a naughty girl while I was looking for lover boy.”
Nico moved to the corner. He could have gone after the man, but he needed to wait.
Winters looked Autumn over as he rifled through the bag, “I should have tied you up as soon as you came in here.”
“That wasn’t part of the plan, was it, Elijah? You wanted my help, remember?” Autumn didn’t move from where she stood with her friend. “And now you gift wrapped me another present.” Her lips curled slightly. “How could I ever thank you?”
“Cut the bullshit, Autumn.” Spittle flew from Winters’ mouth. His lip curled in a snarl. “Either tie her back up or I cut your fucking lover into ribbons.”
Don’t plan on it, fucker.
From where he sat on the floor, Nico saw Mario standing by the steps. There was a silencer screwed onto his gun he pointed at Winters.
“That will not happen either,” Nico growled.
When Winters turned to him, he glowered and raised his knife. Nico moved and attacked the bastard in a downward swiping motion with the scalpel. Winters growled as Nico scraped him down the side of his neck.
The two men rolled, each fighting for dominance. Winters gripped Nico’s wrist and he lost the scalpel. He was beneath the fucker. Winters took his knife and raised it over his head. He was about to plunge it into Nico’s chest when a silent piff seemed to startle both men. Nico looked up to see red marking Winters on the side of his chest.
Nico moved as Winters fell to the side.
Nico looked into the doorway to see Mario still pointing his gun into the room.
The knife fell with a clatter to the concrete, which Autumn scrambled for. Nico looked to see her friend leaning against the table, her eyes on the bastard. “Is he dead?”
No one was able to respond as Elijah Winters got to his knees. He looked like a feral animal as he went after Autumn.
There was another piff as Mario shot at him again this time in the shoulder.
The fucker whined and seemed to be having trouble standing. No doubt from the exertion of a lung being punctured and the muscle in his shoulder getting shredded by the bullet. “I’m gonna fuck you up when I get out of here, Scala. You and all your mafia brethren.”
Nico narrowed his eyes. A grin tilted his lips up. “I’d like to see you try.”
Autumn came over to Nico and took a serrated knife from the back of her waist. “You’re a stupid man, Nico Scala,” she muttered.
“You wouldn’t have it any other way,” he stage-whispered. He looked her over. There were fingerprints on her throat. With a glance at Winters trying to get up, he saw red. He ground his molars and looked back at Autumn. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” she cupped his jaw and pressed a quick kiss to his lips, “I’m just glad you made it in time.”
Winters distracted them a second time when he cried out. Nico looked over to see the murderer was writhing on the floor again with another bullet hole in his thigh.
