Page 58 of Mafia Star

I can hear raised voices toward the front of the restaurant, but we’re headed toward the fire exit at the end of the hallway. We creep forward, and I notice Pauly changes his hold on Luigi. He puts the gun to Luigi's kidney and clutches the other man’s suit coat between his shoulder blades. He walks close enough to Luigi that no one can see the weapon.

The sign on the door says the alarm will sound. Luigi’s slow as he reaches into his pockets. Neither Marco nor Pauly seem concerned when Pauly’s captive draws a knife from each pocket. It shocks me to see how fast Luigi works as he uses the tip of his knife as a screwdriver. It’s hardly ideal, but it’s also obvious the man has done this many times before. The end cover of the bar on the door pops off as he pries it open the last half inch. Then he’s severing the wires and pushing the cover back on. The entire time, Pauly has the muzzle to his back.

Luigi keeps both knives out as he pushes the door open. I freeze, waiting for the alarm to sound. But there’s nothing. With his knives in front of him, he steps outside. I look around as it’s my turn to walk through the doorway. There are more voices, and I see black sedans on the street. These aren’t town cars. Marco herds me toward the back of the building.

“Stop!”

Marco shoves me into a run. I feel his body move away from mine, then I hear the soft whoosh of a gun with a silencer firing a moment before a bullet lands on the street two feet from my left foot. Pauly releases Luigi as his former captive pulls a gun from beneath his shoulder. I realize he could have drawn on Pauly or Marco at any time. He didn’t. He would have been dead before the gun came out of the holster. But he could have tried.

Pauly moves to one side and Luigi to the other, both turning toward the direction we came from and Marco fired. There are more people yelling for us to stop. And I hear footsteps pounding behind us. Marco checks over his shoulder, and I’m certain he fires again.

“Up there. Is that Tony and Vinny?”

I see men ahead of us at the end of the alley.

“Yeah. Can you go faster?”

I could if I weren’t in the ballet flats. I do my best without them coming loose from my heels. When Marco yanks me to the left, and I look over my shoulder to see him point his arm straight out to the right and squeeze the trigger, I find the strength to sprint. He’s keeping up with me, but now I’m pushing against his arm. I don’t want to see who he shot at or whether he hit them. Knowing Marco, he must have hit his target. He doesn’t shoot again, and no bullets come near us.

“We’re almost there, piccolina.”

He doesn’t sound winded in the least while I suck in air through my nose. I can almost make out Vinny’s and Tony’s expressions when three officers step out in front of us. Marco doesn’t think twice about reaching over my shoulder and shooting the officer on the right. I see the two guards bolt toward us. Marco swings me around and bends over me. I look up and watch Luigi and Pauly running toward us, aiming over us.

“Marco?”

Is he hit? He’s totally exposed to the man and woman he left standing.

“Andiamo!” Let’s go.

Luigi calls out as he passes us. Marco stands up, bringing me with him, as Luigi and Pauly fall in and now shield me as we rush forward. We just need to get to Vinny and Tony. I don’t know who felled the two officers, but we pass them. It could have been Vinny and Tony from behind them or Pauly and Luigi from the front. I don’t care. I truly don’t. It’s us or them. I’m not interested in dying or getting arrested because that would mean they get Marco too.

We’re almost to the car. We emerge from the alley, and we just have to get to the door one of the men left open. So fucking close. Pauly and Luigi are back to being behind us, and Vinny and Tony are running to the front seats, Vinny on the driver’s side. I don’t know what happens, but I’m suddenly flying. Or rather falling onto my left side. I hit the concrete hard. I know Marco tried to land first, but there’s someone on top of both of us. I’m disoriented as someone grabs my arms and tries to pull me from Marco, who’s still holding onto me. I flail and kick out, striking anything or anyone close enough to hit.

“Ms. Russo, come on.”

Pauly’s voice permeates. I look up and realize he’s the one trying to get me away from the fight Marco is now in. I scramble to my knees, seeing Marco’s gun just past his head. I lurch for it, grabbing it and rearing back. I put the pistol to the man’s head who’s on top of Marco.

“I will pull it. Get the fuck off.”

I lower it to his outer shoulder and put it against his sleeve before I squeeze the trigger. He howls and rolls away. I lift the gun again, ready to shoot him in the head as Marco grabs my wrists.

“Beth, no. Come on.”

I let him pull me to my feet before I look up and see his bloody face. I still have the gun, and I throw my weight forward as I prepare to shoot the man who hurt my boyfriend. I have no idea what possesses me. There isn’t a rational part of me right now. Flight has disappeared, and now I’m ready to fight. The protectiveness I feel is superhuman. He hurt Marco.

The man I’m willing to kill for is pushing my hands down as someone behind me pulls me toward the car.

“He hit?—”

“I know, Beth. We have to go, Beth.”

I hear my name, and it registers. Maybe that’s why he said it twice. But I’m still in a haze. One man takes the gun from me as Marco herds me into the car.

“Step back. Hands up.”

Vinny’s already in the car. Marco shoves me in, and I fall forward. I scramble to right myself as someone slams the door shut. Vinny pulls away from the curb. I hear a barrage of pings against the car. Metal on metal. I realize people are shooting at us. I search for the button and lower the privacy glass. There are cars with lights surrounding us. There’s no way for us to get past. There’s a woman tugging on the door next to me, but it’s locked.

“Vinny?”

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