Page 68 of Little Rabbit

“But no one said anything,” she argues.

“No one said anything about Sienna either,” I remind her.

Gia purses her lips and looks away. “What is it, topolina?” Nico asks her. “You’re clearly sensing something about this.”

She sighs. “I’m probably being stupid, but I just feel like there is more to this than we are realizing. And the fact Marco is bragging about it means it’s big enough he wants us chasing our tails to find it. He’s a liar, but when it comes to gloating, he’s going to take every opportunity to put it out there. Whenever he beat me, he always made sure that my other brothers knew about it so they would know he got to me first. That wouldn’t stop them from coming and doing the same or trying to get to me first the next time, of course,” she finishes bitterly.

“I’m going to feed Hades his balls,” Sienna mutters. I look at her in surprise, arching a brow when her gaze lifts to mine. She holds my stare, and I realize how serious she is. I’m not sure if I should be afraid or amused. Instead, I turn back to Gia and Nico and push that thought aside for now.

“Where do you think the other baby was from, topolina?” Nico prompts Gia.

She sighs. “I don’t know. I’m probably reading too much into this. I mean, after I was born it would make sense my father would insist my mother make it up to him by giving him another son. So it could be that she had another baby a year after me or so, and she managed to get them out before anyone discovered it was another girl.”

“How old was your mother when she died, Gia?” Pietro asks.

“Ummm, I’m not sure,” Gia frowns. “Father is in his sixties now, and she was a bit younger than him, so in her thirties maybe?”

“Then she would still have been of child bearing age,” Pietro nods. “If she were older, it might not work, but at her age, it’s entirely possible she had another child. Aurelio has his contact on it, and so far they haven’t steered us wrong. I’m sure they’ll find something. In the meantime, we have other things we need to focus on.”

“Mainly—”

BOOM!

The sound of the explosion is so loud that instinctually, I tackle Sienna to the floor, as Nico does the same for Gia. Gia screams, but Sienna only gasps, allowing me to roll us both underneath the desk and away from the windows that shake. I hear screaming and shouting in the hallways and outside, and then I hear Nico curse when another explosion rips through the air, followed by gunfire.

Adrenaline rushes through me and I can’t help but grin despite the circumstances. The war has begun.

“Dante!” Nico yells over the sounds of gunfire that are getting closer and closer.

“I’m already on it,” he yells. “Get Gia and Sienna into the passages, they’ll be safe there. Everyone else, we’re ending this now.”

“We need to know who it is,” I call out even as I follow Nico’s lead and urge Sienna to follow them toward the inner wall of the office near a bookshelf. I watch as he puts his hand on the wall next to the bookcase, and then as a slice of the wall opens next to it. I’ll give it to the man, he’s a clever bastard hiding it so close to what would be obvious.

“Go, topolina,” Nico urges Gia, who is pale and looks terrified. “You’ll be safe in here. Don’t come out for anything, and don’t open any of the doors no matter what. If they can’t find you, it gives us more time to get rid of them. Do you understand?” She nods mutely, but she doesn’t release her grip on him. He gives her a quick hard kiss before he looks at Sienna with cool eyes. “You’ll keep her safe.” It’s a direct order.

Before I can blast him for daring to speak to her that way, Sienna nods and replies, “I need a gun.” Before I can reach for my own, Nico moves to the bookcase, presses his palm against the top of one of the lower shelves, and a hidden drawer opens from the bookcase wall revealing two handguns with full magazines. Nico grabs both of them and hands one to Sienna, along with a full mag. She takes it and loads the gun expertly.

“We’re going to talk about your James Bond shit later, Boo Bear,” I tell him before I look at Sienna. She looks tense, and a little apprehensive, but also so damn strong. “Coniglietto, you will remain safe, or I’ll be taking it out on your ass later,” I warn her, reaching out to grip her by the back of her neck. I pull her mouth to mine in a hard kiss, needing the connection with her.

She kisses me back, her free hand coming up to grip my shirt. “If you get hurt, I’m going to be pissed,” she gasps when I pull away. “So be careful, or this time, I’ll put the knife to your balls instead of your throat.”

“Always, cara mia. Especially when I have such exciting things to live for.” I grin.

“Shut the fuck up and save your fucked up foreplay for later,” Nico barks impatiently, stepping away from the open passageway.

“He’s just jealous,” I assure Sienna, who grins. “Now go.” She nods, steps back, and we shut the door. I quickly lose my smile, turn to Nico and ask, “Where are the other hidden stashes? The number of bodies I’m about to drop are going to require a lot of ammo.”

Nico moves briskly across the room and puts his hand on the wall, another concealed door opening to reveal a room full of weapons. “Load up and let’s go,” Nico barks at Dante and I as we begin to grab everything we might need.

“Again, are you trying to be James Bond with all these hidden rooms and passageways?” I ask him as we head for the office door.

“My father was incredibly paranoid,” Nico replies absently, checking his guns one more time.

“Well thank fuck for that,” I chuckle. “Now, let’s have some fun, hmmm?” Nico and Dante give me a look that tells me they’re not amused by my humor.

We leave the office, all of us splitting up as we go. I head to the right, aiming for the back stairs, while Nico and Dante go the other way. Mario is waiting for me, but there is no sign of Tommaso, a fact that I’m sure Nico has noticed as well, but that’s not my problem. “Where is she?” Mario demands, following me.

“She’s safe, but for now you will guard this door with your life,” I tell him firmly. “Giulia Armani is with her as well, and they are the targets. Our enemies are not to get to them. Call in whoever you have to to help you. Understood?”

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