“Let’s go, assholes. I’m not afraid of you, and I’m ready for the fight of my life.”
TEDDY
As Teddy streetparked in front of his cousin’s Alexandria home, he eyed the two men guarding the front door. A team from Maverick Hott’s company, ThunderStrike Security, had been hired to protect the Santini family.
Teddy strode up the driveway, slowing as he stepped onto the walkway.
“Hey, guys,” he said. “How’s it goin’?”
“How you been, Tank?” asked one of the guards.
They held a scanner to his face, the light turned from red to green, and he was cleared to enter.
The delicious aroma of familiar spices filled his nose. First, garlic, then oregano, onions, and peppers. His stomach growled as he headed toward the kitchen.
Teddy loved his cousin, Carrera Santini, like a brother. The two had been close as kids, stayed close. Over the years, he’d grown close to Carrera’s wife, Slash, though initially, he couldn’t be within ten feet of her.
At six-thirty, the kitchen stood empty. He glanced onto the screened porch. No one was outside.
“Hello?” he called out.
No answer.
Concern had him pulling his Glock from his holster as he began clearing the first floor. As he walked past the open basement door, familiar voices filled his ears.
Down the stairs he went. His grandmother’s laugh snagged his attention, and his heart swelled with joy. His family—congregating at the downstairs bar—glanced over, then eyed his weapon, still in his hand.
“Whoa, brother, what the hell?” his older brother, Luciano blurted. “Riporre l'arma nella fondina. Holster the gun.”
“Everyone okay?” Teddy asked.
His grandmother, Elsa Santini, stepped forward. “Theodore Santini, put that gun away right now.”
He holstered his Glock, then kissed his petite grandmother on each of her cheeks. “Ehi, nonna.”
She beamed up at him. “Hey yourself, grandson.”
Luciano stepped over, pulled Teddy in for a hug. “Thanks for being cautious.”
“I got you,” he replied.
The family had been on edge since the eleven Haqazzii terrorists had vanished, but not before their leader, Muhammad Haqazzii, had threatened to kill all of them.
Slash sauntered out from behind the bar, hugged her brother-in-law. “Whatcha drinking?”
“A shot of Macallan,” he replied. “Who’s in?”
Someone bulled his way over, threw his arms around Teddy. “There’s my baby bro!”
His brother, Gabriel, slapped him on the back before letting go. “I texted you, but got nothing, fratello. You ignoring your fave?”
Teddy laughed as he unearthed his phone and turned off Do Not Disturb. His phone binged with all the incoming texts he’d missed.
“Did you see the one where we’re meeting in the basement?” Carrera asked.
Teddy chuckled. “I’m caught up now.”
Never ones to run for cover, the Santini Family had been keeping a low profile. For him, that was biz as usual. He did his best work in the middle of the night, when the monsters could hide in the shadows.
