He shook his head. “The minute we step out there–”
“Ten!” Ajay’s manic laugh cut across the courtyard. “Nine!”
“Fuck.” I slammed a fist into the wall, welcoming the dull ache to my knuckles. “They’re fucking innocent, you piece of shit,” I hissed, not wanting to give away our position.
“Eight!”
Lorenzo’s eyes met mine, his faltering expression a dead giveaway he was also disputing the odds. He didn’t say anything, just studied my face with that intense gaze. I could see his brain working a mile a minute.
“Seven!” Ajay laughed like a lunatic.
“We can trying fighting our way out?” Dario suggested yet his voice sounded just as unconvinced as we looked.
“Six!”
There’d be fucking hell to pay when I got my hands on the bastard.
“Nervous yet, asshole?” Ajay taunted. “Five!”
Anger flaring my nostrils, my breathing resembled a raging bull ready to enter the ring.
“Four!”
Mary’s sobs echoed through the night air while her husband, the estate’s gardener, prayed loudly. The others remained rigid statues, too scared to move.
“We need to get out there, Renz.”
“Three!” Another dark laugh bellowed around us. “Two!”
Lorenzo looked torn for a moment, and I knew his concern was focused solely on my wellbeing. “Stay here,” he ordered, quieting my argument with a glare.
“Renz–” I tried to stop him just as Ajay called out the last number.
“One and–”
“What the fuck’s going on here?” Rayden’s confused voice rang out.
In the split-second Lorenzo and I shared a look; the color drained from his face the same time concern washed over mine. “I fucking warned Rayden to stay away,” he seethed.
But Rayden never listened. He chased danger like it was a lover and my brother knew that.
We all charged the door. Gunfire erupted, raining down on the building, driving us back. Murderous rants fell from our lips, our bodies hitting the only wall offering us protection. The blast stopped as suddenly as it began.
“Oh, this is even better than I expected.” Ajay’s laughter ricocheted through the bullet riddled door, now hanging on one hinge. “Rayden Princeton, a pleasure and such perfect timing.”
“I’m going to kill that motherfucker!” Lorenzo growled.
Our movements cautious, we stepped toward a side window in time to see Ajay release Mary and stride over to a fighting Rayden surrounded by several men. He threw wild punches, catching at least two fuckers in the face and another with a knee to his groin. The boy never failed to surprise me and I silently praised him, hoping he’d get the drop on them and escape. But they quickly overpowered him.
“Feisty fucker, aren’t you?” Ajay scoffed, two of his men pinning Rayden’s knees to the ground and his arms behind his back. “Not to worry, we’ll see how well you fare in a minute.”
“I can’t get anyone on the phone,” Dario pulled our attention. Phone in his hand, he shook his head. “They must’ve used a signal blocker.”
Hot tension radiating off my brother, he paced the floor, rubbing his jaw and cursing under his breath. Dario and I exchanged hopeless looks.
Guilt burdened my shoulders. “I’m sorry, Renz.”
He stopped pacing to look at me. “For what?” I jerked my chin toward the window, apologizing for Rayden’s dilemma. Lorenzo offered me a small smile. “You’re just as important,Fratelloand just as pig-headed as he is,” he said the last part on a sigh. “He seems to relish the danger I carry around me like a second skin,” he muttered. “We’ll get them soon enough.”
