“Dead?” Dad asks flatly, and Mario chuckles gleefully.
“Killed by Tori, no less.”
“Tori?” Dad asks as Carla shakes her head.
“What did you do?”
“What I had to do to save the Russo empire. Gio was dead weight, completely wrapped up in his girlfriend. He even got the stupid bitch pregnant. I’d been the shadow head for this family since we thought you died. I deserved to run it, so I did what Ihad to do to get what I deserved. Now Xavier and I are the most powerful people on the West Coast.”
“And Sage?” Carla asks coldly.
“He became clingy. I needed him out of the way so I could marry Xavier. It wasn’t a big deal.”
I enter the program needed to add to the biometrics system and pull out the master hand scanner.
“If you could both place your hands on the scanner please, and let me warn you first. Mario has instructed Tristan to put a bullet in Carla every time you refuse.” I finally look up and face my father. I see confusion, fear, and worry in his eyes. He knows I don’t need Carla to put her hand on it, but I pray he doesn’t argue.
“You’re going to have to uncuff us,” he says, and Colton takes the key from Lance and does so. All of us are carrying tracking chips in the hopes that one of us will be able to slip it to them without anyone else seeing. When he releases Carla, she whimpers, and her arm dangles uselessly by her side.
Colton frowns, glaring at the goon. “You fucking dislocated her shoulder. Now we’re going to have to call in the doctor.”
“Bitch had it coming,” the goon growls, and Tristan spins and points the gun at him before pulling the trigger. There’s a silencer on the end, but the quiet pop still makes me jump in surprise, and blood and brain matter splatter the wall behind him.
“What the fuck?” Gregor yells. Lance grimaces but pulls out his phone and calls someone.
“Yeah, we need a cleanup in the boss’s office,” he mutters as I watch Colton gently lift my aunt’s arm, cradling it against her chest.
“Is there a first aid kit in here somewhere?” he asks me, and I pull open Dad’s bottom drawer and toss him a bandage. We’veoften needed supplies in the past. He fastens a type of sling for her to keep it immobile for now.
“Can she use that hand for the readings?” Mario asks, nodding at her good one. I almost roll my eyes at his question. Of course he isn’t worried that he has a dead employee, just whether or not he can get his grubby hands on our empire.
I give him a short nod and wave for my dad to put his hand on the scanner. He does, and it beeps, flashing green. I wince. Shit! I hadn’t considered it would make a noise. My eyes meet his, and he gives me a small, barely perceptible nod before stepping back as Colton ushers Carla forward. He holds her steady as she reaches out to put her good hand onto the scanner. It beeps, and I let out a small sigh of relief.
“Okay, I just need to add mine and then program a command, and then we will scan yours,” I tell Mario.
Colton moves Carla back, and Tristan waves his gun, encouraging them to move away from the desk. He places them against the wall then puts his body between them and the other goons. Xavier and Colton join him, creating a wall and blocking my family from the line of fire.
Mario isn’t even paying attention now. He’s practically frothing at the mouth and watches on eagerly as I place my hand on the screen. It beeps again, and the light flashes green. I enter a code into the computer program before waving my hand at the scanner.
“Anyone who places their hand on there now will be added to the system. Do you want to add Xavier and Gregor too?” I ask him, and Gregor steps forward to wait his turn, but Mario snarls at him.
“No, just me.”
“What the fuck?” Gregor shouts. “No, I’ve given up too much not to get what I deserve. I want full access too. It was my daughter who set her up to be vulnerable in the first place. Doyou think she would have looked twice at your children if she hadn’t been desperate and weak from my daughter’s betrayal?” he shouts.
I snarl, opening my mouth to deny his accusations. I was never desperate and weak, but before I can say anything else, Mario snaps.
“Your daughter almost fucked it all up. Tristan.” He waves his hand in his brother’s direction. Gregor pales and takes a step back.
“My fucking pleasure.” Tristan lifts his hand and puts a bullet in Gregor’s brain. More blood and brain matter splatter over not only the wall, but the remaining goons. They gag and grumble as Gregor’s body hits the floor with a thud. “Best wedding present ever. Thanks, Dad.” Tristan almost sounds cheerful.
I catch sight of my dad and Carla through the wall of men, and they exchange a bemused and confused glance.
Mario places his hand on the scanner, and it makes a weird buzzing sound and flashes red.
“Tori,” he growls, and I feel a moment of panic before I realize I forgot to hit enter. I do that and ask him to try again. This time it beeps and lights up green.
“You are locked in,” I confirm, looking at the screen.
