Page 90 of That Time I Accidentally Took Over the Mafia

“Luca.” I can’t hide the tremor in my voice now as I see how close the horde is getting to the house.

“I have a strong suspicion he helped fabricate the evidence that convicted Jax. He’s the reason Jax was put away on a murder charge—for life.” Luca’s jaw tightens as he looks at the screen, urgency building in his eyes. “He’s the secret to the strange transactions, the last-minute land purchases in Enzo’s territory—all of it. He’s the one helping whatever boss is trying to kill you.”

“So, what does that mean?”

Luca tilts his head, tucking a few stray hairs from my bun behind my ear. “It means I’m going to beat him to a pulp until he stops breathing.” He cups my face and kisses me.

“Okay,” is all I can answer, the impending doom weighing heavily on me.

“This is a safe room. Once I close those doors, no one will know you’re here. You can get out anytime, but no one can come in. Got it?”

I nod, trying to swallow the knot in my throat while twisting my hands around the spatula.

“It’s nearly dark. They’re going to swarm the house. It will be quiet. Nic knows better than to come in here with guns blazing.” I nod again, pretending to understand the strategy. “You can watch me on the screens, but no matter what happens, you can’t leave this room, Lenny.”

He bends down so his eyes are level with mine. “I mean it. No matter how many bullets you see enter my body?—”

“Stop it!” I cry out, tears welling in my eyes.

“No. This is serious.” He kisses me quickly. “No matter what, promise me.”

I can’t. I can’t promise that. But I can lie so I nod.

Luca relaxes slightly and glances at the blinking red light. “When it turns green, Enzo and Jax are on their way. Okay? They’ll get here.” He kisses me again. “Fucking Christ, Lenny. Please stay in here.” He leans his head against mine, and I can’t lie to him again. He already knows the truth.

“Don’t die.” I take his face in my hands, holding him just like he’s holding me.

He pulls me into a kiss that feels too much like goodbye.

“Go,” I choke out. “Go kill everyone and get your ass back here. They’re here to hurt your incredibly sexy girlfriend who has no gag reflex.”

He gives me a crooked grin. “Say that again.”

“That I have no gag reflex?”

“No, silly girl. Say you’re my girlfriend again.”

I smile, and for a moment, amid the chaos surrounding his family’s old home, there’s peace. I stand on my tiptoes to reach him better. “I’ll say it again when you come back to me. So don’t fucking die, or I’ll come out there and kick your ass myself.”

His smirk widens as he cups my ass with one big hand and kisses me, his tongue sweeping into my mouth. “Yes, ma’am.”

Iwatch Luca, my chest tight with nerves, as he slips out of the safe room. The door clicks shut behind him, and I hear an ominous lock further away. It’s the false door being closed, sealing me in here, hiding me from the mayhem that is about to take place. The seconds stretch into what feels like hours. My heart beats too loudly in my ears as I stay frozen in place, waiting. I need him to be okay—I need him to survive this so we can all be together.

If he thinks I won’t come out of this room when he needs help, he’s sadly mistaken.

The silence in the room feels suffocating, the weight of everything about to unfold pressing down on me, making my heart thump in my chest and sweat roll down my back.

The screen of small grids shows me the feeds from all the security cameras. I watch the shadows moving toward the house, the assassins closing in like a swarm. They’re calm, controlled—trained to kill without a sound. It’s impossible to tell how many there are.

They move as one, flowing toward us with deadly precision. A few are already inside, creeping through the hallways like ghosts. They’re professionals, probably just like the men Luca has faced before. But he’s alone, and that makes my stomach coil with dread.

I glance at the lightbulb in the corner behind me: still red.

A wave of heat crawls up my spine when I catch sight of Luca standing in the shadows just outside the room, his back against the wall, knife in hand, so still I nearly miss him. The gleam of the blade catches the low light from the hallway. His posture is tense, but his movements are controlled and ready. He’s a predator, waiting for the first of his prey to get close enough.

This is the quiet stillness of a man who knows he’s untouchable, who’s ready to tear through anything that stands in his way.

I watch as he shifts, silently putting the long knife away and retrieving something else—too small for me to identify. Four attackers come into the room from four different locations, all of them just as silent as Luca. One opens the front door; another climbs in through a window they’ve quietly opened. Two come from opposite hallways.

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