“You’re afuckingliar!” Tony pulls out his gun and leaps at Adrian, pushing the barrel against his head.
I gesture at Dante, who immediately takes out his gun and aims it at Tony.
In the large window behind Adrian, life goes on as normal, people hurrying to and from meetings, couples walking hand in hand, unaware that any second bullets could start flying.
“You stupid fuck,” I growl, glaring at Tony. “Why would you kill Nico? How far does this go? Did you send those men after me last year? Did you force Nico to lie about Ava being dead? Why, Tony?”
Tony prods Adrian with his gun. “This motherfucker’s lying!”
“Killing him won’t change anything,” I snarl. “We’ll get the footage either way.”
I’ve got to give it to Adrian. He stares at Tony without a hint of fear, his eyes dead calm, his breathing not even picking up. Adrian looks at me, even with Tony pushing the gun barrel against his head.
“Tale as old as time,” he grunts. “A mafioso who thinks he should be king.”
“Shutup,” Tony hisses.
“You’re going to eat a bullet if you drop him without my say-so, Cousin,” I growl, glaring at my cousin. “Put. The gun. Down.”
Tony licks his lips, looking at me with a manic glimmer in his eyes. His buffoon exterior falls away as a sick grin forms on his lips. And I realize my mistake, far too late… this prick has been playing me.
“How long have you been a rat?” I snap.
“I’m no rat,” he counters. “I’m just a man who understands all your high-and-mighty shit isn’t going to get us very far. I know what it means to makerealmoney, not just money playing the Good Samaritan. You think I’m the only one who wants to make some real cash?”
“So you betrayed your kin so you could turn our family into a drug-dealing, human-trafficking mess,” I say coldly.
Behind us, the door swings open. We all turn instinctively.
When I see Ava, my heart clenches in my chest. She was never meant to see this side of my life, and now she’s just walked straight into it.
Ava’s eyebrows shoot up. “Adrian?” she yells.
Adrian bellows. I turn to see him wrestling with Tony for the gun. The gun goes off, shattering the window of Adrian’s office. Adrian grunts and backhands Tony. The gun drops in the process.
Tony steps back, mouth agape.
“This is it,” I growl. “Time to surren?—”
I never would’ve thought Tony had it in him. Instead of surrendering, he turns and throws himself out the window.
I rush to the window, staring down in disbelief as he runs down the street. Lamenting we’re only on the second floor.
CHAPTER 17
AVA
Istep aside, heart pounding, feeling like I’m in some kind of alternate world as Rafael and the tall, tattooed man rush past me for the staircase.
“Fucking find him!”Rafael roars, his footsteps pounding down the stairs.
I stare at the broken glass, sunlight glinting off it. Adrian stands at his desk, hands gripping the edge, breathing hard as sweat slides down his face. I arrived at work with a skip in my step, my soul alight with last night, sparkling with all the possible miracles I might experience with Rafe. Now… darkness, bleak decay, a rotten core expanding inside of me.
I approach the desk and gently lay my hand on Adrian’s shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay,” I murmur.
He hacks out a cough. “I’m fine.”
“You’re shaking,” I tell him. “I think you might be in shock. Here, sit down.”
