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More bullets fire off, and I take cover behind a stack of crates that used to hold bags of coffee and cocaine, and pick off men that start to come out of nowhere.

Who the fuck are they?

I need to get the door open and get the fuck out of here.

I start to make my way around the perimeter of the warehouse, ignoring the burning in my shoulder.

It’s quiet for a moment and then a series of bullets ring out and I hurry over to the chains that control the door and grab the remote hanging from it. I’m about to press the black button when a bullet rips through my side and I grunt.

FUCK!

This one hit something important.

Goddamn it.

I start to slide down the wall and my vision blurs, but I manage to fire my gun off and hit the two more guys coming at me before my arm feels too heavy to hold my gun up.

“Get the door open and get in the truck!” I hear voices yelling.

“Are they all dead?”

“Yes, get the door and let’s go!” the guy yells again, and I close my eyes, needing them to think I’m dead. I feel like I am. Or almost there.

Someone comes next to me and kicks me, then presses the button to open the door. He turns to jog back to the truck and I raise my shaky arm with what strength I have left and fire off two bullets, one of them hitting him in the back and taking him down.

“I thought they were dead!” The truck’s engine roars to life and the tires screech as the gas pedal is floored and the truck speeds out in reverse.

I try to move, to do anything, even reach for my phone, but my body won’t listen to my brain and I’m motionless on the concrete floor.

The room blurs, and as my eyes close, I send a silent apology to Mia.

Sorry, my bride. I won’t make it home. I love you, farfalla.

“Santino! Santino!” a voice yells in the distance. “Fuck! He’s over here! Hey, brother, stay with me!”

“Mia,” I mouth, trying to say her name.

“Mia’s fine, San. Just stay with me. Al, help me get him in the car!”

Emilio? Albie? They’re here?

I open my mouth to ask them why, but the ground suddenly rushes out from under me and I groan.

“You’re going to be fine, San. We’ve got you. Don’t fucking die. Think of Mia. You just got her.”

“Mia,” I whisper, and it’s her beautiful face I see as I slip into unconsciousness.

I wish I could see her one more time.

Chapter 27

Mia

I put the leftovers from dinner in the fridge for Santino when he gets home later and plop down on the couch. I pick up my laptop and start to scroll through websites for things for the house when my phone rings. I smile down at the name.

“Hey, Gia. I haven’t talked to you in what feels like forever.”

“I know! Aria is here too. You’re on speaker.”

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