“We’re aware and not opposed to it.” I speak on behalf of my brother as I know he won’t object. Giulio is a good guy. Whip-smart and focused. It won’t take him long to get up to speed, should he decide he wants to do this. Though I don’t care what Luca thinks. I won’t force any man into a position they don’t want. We need someone who is all in. There can be no half measure.
“We’ve got to go.” Caleb rises to his feet.
“Was there anything else?” I ask, pocketing my cell and standing.
Both men shake their heads, and the four of us exit the conference room together.
It’s eerily quiet walking the hallways of the Accardi Company as we make our way toward the underground parking lot. We’reonly operating a skeleton staff today with most employees still on vacation leave for the holidays. It’s one of the changes Caleb and I made when we took over the business. Mom said family time is sacred and facilitating vacation time would endear loyalty within the employee base. So we increased the number of vacation days, staggering it in accordance with length of service, and made it so the business can operate at a basic level, at key times during the year, so we don’t need all hands on deck during busy holiday periods.
We make small talk in the elevator as we descend to the underground parking lot.
Our shoes slap off the asphalt, and our voices bounce off the concrete pillars as we walk toward our cars. There are barely any vehicles in the lot today, and it’s also eerily quiet down here. All the fine hairs lift on the back of my neck for some inexplicable reason I know not to ignore. I reach for my gun the same time Caleb does.
“Get down,” Marino shouts, shoving me to the ground and covering my body as a bullet whizzes over us.
“No, Caleb!” Luca roars as I push our underboss off me and spin around with my gun raised, scanning the area for the threat. I turn around in time to watch Luca take three bullets to the chest that were meant for Caleb.
Caleb emits an ear-shattering roar as he holds our cousin upright when he loses control of his body. I fire at the two assailants hovering by a pillar in the corner while I pull out my cell and send an SOS message. Benedito is moaning on the ground at my feet. Shots are fired back as I drag Marino behind a car, and Caleb places our seriously injured cousin on the ground beside him.
“Watch him,” Caleb barks at Marino before dashing to his car. Our underboss is clutching his shoulder with blood trickling through his fingers, but I doubt it’s serious.
“I called it in. Help is on the way,” I say, straightening up and firing in the direction of the two men, but they’re no longer there. “They’re getting away!” I yell.
“Not on our fucking watch.” Caleb hands me a rifle and nods.
“Keep him alive,” I tell Marino, hating to leave Luca bleeding out on the ground, but we can’t let the men who did this get away.
I ditch my jacket and take off running with my twin after the men. We jump down to the lower level when we hear a car starting up. “Take the left. I’ll take the right,” Caleb yells, and I duck behind a pillar on the right as he does the same on the left. The car is approaching at speed, and the guy in the passenger seat is firing out the side window at us.
I take aim at the windshield as Caleb shoots out the front left tire and then the right. The car spins out of control, crashing into a side wall with a deafening screech. The scrunched hood pops open, obstructing our view as we approach. Steam billows from the open hood, and glass crunches underfoot as we approach cautiously with our guns raised.
“Don’t move!” Caleb calls out when the driver’s side door pops open, training his weapon on the guy behind the wheel. “Fuck!” my brother yells racing to the man slumped half in and half out of the car. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Caleb slams the butt of his rifle down repeatedly on the top of the car as I round my side, still keeping my gun poised and ready even though I suspect it’s too late.
I lower my weapon when I see the two dead men in the car, froth bubbling in their mouth and a cherry-red color on their skin.
“Cyanide pills,” Caleb surmises, and I nod, pulling out my cell and placing another text for a cleanup. We search the men’s pockets, grabbing their wallets and cell phones. Then we search the car, but there’s nothing of use.
“Come on. We need to check on Luca.”
We run back upstairs, but we’re too late.
“He’s gone,” Marino says, cradling Luca’s head in his lap. “I tried CPR, but it didn’t work. He died in my arms.”
Caleb drops to his knees, a muscle popping in his jaw. “He died protecting me.”
“He died with honor,” I say. “He’d be happy about that.” I clamp a hand on my twin’s shoulder as we stare at the dead body of ourconsigliere, our cousin, our family. He didn’t deserve to go out like this.
Caleb’s cell rings, and he snaps out of it, standing and answering in a clipped voice. His jaw pulls tight with anger at whatever he’s hearing. “Is he okay?” Caleb looks at me. “We were targeted too. No, no, fuck, don’t tell Mom. We’re both fine.” He looks to the ceiling, rolling his neck from side to side. “We’ll take the necessary precautions, I promise.” He clears his throat. “Luca didn’t make it. He took the bullets meant for me. The stubborn fucker wasn’t wearing a vest, and I am.” He barks out a bitter laugh. “He died for nothing.”
“How’s the shoulder?” I ask Marino as he places Luca down on the ground. I grab my jacket off the hood of the car and drape it over my cousin’s face and upper body.
“It’s not deep, and I don’t think the bullet embedded.”
“Get it checked out,” I say as a medical team van appears in my peripheral vision, heading toward us. Thank fuck Mom wasn’t on duty today. She shouldn’t have to see this. She will be upset. She was fond of Luca.
“What happened?” I ask when Caleb hangs up his phone.
“Rowan was targeted too.” My eyes pop wide in shock, and I’m opening my mouth to ask a question when he answers it. “He’s fine. Not even a scratch. His bodyguards shielded him. One of them died at the scene, and the other is in emergency surgery but expected to pull through. It happened at the highschool, and it’s a major shit show with cops and the media involved.”
