“What do you want?” I called out, stalling for time so Iago could get into position.
“I want you to understand who you’re involved with. Mauro sent his regards, and a present for his daughter.”
“And what’s the present?”
“The present’s a very pretty bullet with her name written on it. He said to deliver it straight to her skull.”
I clenched my jaw. “That’s very clever, Cezary. But you do realize you’ve started a war, don’t you?”
“Oh, Carmine. That war was already started. This was simply one battle in a long line of battles to come.”
A shot rang out. Sharp and bright, coming from upstairs. A man shouted in pain, but a whistle screeched again, and silence returned.
Cezary spoke again. Pain laced his voice.
“Bad move,” he grunted.
I grinned to myself. Iago shot the bastard. I hoped it was a killing blow, but from the sound of it, I suspected the biker gangster would survive.
“I’ll offer you a deal, Cezary. One last chance to turn your back on Balestra. Throw down your guns and walk out with your hands on your heads, and I’ll only kill half of you. The rest can go home.”
“You’re a dead man, Carmine,” Cezary said, his voice ragged and edged with rage and pain. “You’re a dead man walking. You and your friends. I’ll burn this whole damn city to the ground.”
“I’m sure you will.” I smiled to myself. I hoped the people out back heard him. If it came down to making a choice between me and Balestra, I had a feeling they’d choose me. I was much more willing to play ball, and much less interested in killing and slaughtering my way to the top.
One last whistle. Then the bark of motorcycles roaring to life. Gunfire erupted from the roof and I looked out the window as Cezary and six men rolled away on their hogs, roaring into the distance. Iago took a few more shots, but he missed. Blood streamed from Cezary’s arm as he turned into traffic and sped away.
I stood and stared at the destruction.
Several bodies bled in the afternoon sunlight. The parking lot was dripping with blood. The Lowdown was torn to shreds from high-powered rifle fire, and scared people were huddled in the back still, some of them in cover and hiding, unable to get outside.
My hands balled into fists as Mal picked his way toward me. His face was a terrifying, calm mask, but I could see the pure, murderous rage that roiled in his eyes.
“Is everyone okay?” I asked quietly.
“Guests are fine. Cap’s okay, but shaken. She heard what that bastard said about her father.”
I sighed and wiped my face with a palm. “This crossed a line. Even for Balestra.”
“We have to kill them now.” Mal moved closer. “All of them, Carmine. Each and every one.”
I nodded, meeting his gaze.
“Each and every one,” I said, and put a hand on his arm, squeezing hard.
Chapter 11
Jules
I barely slept that night. The sound of gunfire echoed in my head. The screams of pain, the broken glass, the fear all around me. I tossed and turned and finally resorted to dry swallowing two pills. They took the edge off enough to get some weak, fitful rest.
Carmine was in the kitchen drinking coffee when I came out with my school stuff ready. He looked up and nodded, his eyes hard. “You ready?”
I looked around. “I thought Oscar was taking me?”
He flinched slightly and looked away, like he was disappointed in my reaction. “I’m going to take you there and back for a while. Oscar can be extra backup for a while.”
I chewed on my lip and nodded. Relief flooded me, but it only took the edge off the panic and anxiety that still swirled around my mind.
We walked out together and were quiet on the elevator ride down. He was preoccupied, staring at the floor with an intense glare like he wanted to kill the tiles. I’d heard most of the conversation the day before, and watched the way him and Cap and Mal spoke to each other after all the guests had gone home safely. They were pissed, and this bloodbath war was only going to get worse.
We stepped off the elevator and into the parking garage. He caught my wrist and held it tight, keeping me from striding off to the Mercedes.
“Hold on,” he said, glaring around like he was searching for something. His other hand twitched toward his belt, and I caught sight of a holster tucked into pants, hidden beneath his jacket. He wore a suit, but no tie.
“You think they’ll come for you here?”
“I’m not sure what Balestra’s capable of. I don’t think he’s dumb enough to hurt you, but I can’t take that risk.”
“He’s more likely to come after you, right?”
Carmine let out a breath and smiled. “He could try if he wanted. I welcome it.”