Page 147 of The Devil Can Be Kind

An outstretched arm barred me from moving any further and I glared up at the man who couldn’t have been much older than me with a look of pure outrage.

“I’m sorry, Ma’am. Don La Torre has ordered that no one, especiallyyouare to leave this room.”

My teeth snapped together in frustration.

I knew Marco was trying to protect me by keeping me here. I knew that and yet…rejection had me sucking in a heavier breath of air. He had never shut me out before, and regardless of whether or not it was for a good reason, now wasnotgoing to become the exception to that rule.

I had had enough of being shut out by my own family and that certainly wasn’t going to repeat itself within my new one. Regardless of whether it put me in danger or not, Ineededto be part of this.

I would not be shut out anymore.

Marco didn’t know the kind of man Thrasher was as well as I did, or what he was truly capable of. The fact that he was here meant that not only was he a fool—he was desperate. Desperate men were always the most dangerous.

Thrasher might have nothing to lose—butIdid.

I need a plan.

I turned on my heel and as calmly as possible, careful to avoid bringing any further attention to myself and attempted to disappear back into the swarm of guests.

Forcing myself to slow my steps, I wandered over to the now vacant table Jesse had occupied with a few of the others for the evening. I slid into his chair for the night after recognizing his familiar black jacket slung across it. I placed my hands against the table and forced myself to breathe. Tothink.Think of something.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Benny and the others turned toward me from across the room.

They’re watching.

It wasn’t all that surprising. Benny knew me better than to just assume I would be content sitting on the sidelines…

I picked up Jesse’s discarded flute of champagne and took a slow swig, while subtly, underneath the table, working my hand around to the back of the chair. I weaved my hands between the material of his jacket until my fingertips slipped against smooth silk. I felt around a moment, seeking the interior pocket I knew he always kept his keys in. I dug my nails down into the pocket and relief flooded my stomach when they hit something hard.

I made quick work of pulling them free of the pocket and onto my lap, before replacing his glass on the table.

I wasn’t a fool. I knew I wouldn’t be much help to Marco or anyone else in this family if there was a fight. As much as that thought irked me, it was the ungracious truth of my situation. I wasn’t physically strong enough, trained or experienced enough to make a damn difference on a physical level.

But I had to dosomething.

I might not be hard, tough or bullet-proof…but Jesse’s G-Wagon certainly was. WhileImight not be able to do anything when faced with a lunatic man with a gun, Jesse’s car certainly could. It wasn’t much of a plan, running over a Mexican drug lord, but it was all I had.

I just needed to get out of this damn hall and preferably be armed when I did it.

I didn’t have to check Jesse’s jacket again for any signs of a weapon. I could tell from the weight of it that whatever firearm he’d had was most probably with him.

Forcing myself to appear calm, I hooked the keyring over my finger and hid the rest in my palm as I got back to my feet.

I headed swiftly past two nearby tables, searching for any firearms laying around unattended. Finally, after a few seconds of looking across the expanse of room, I found one of Marco’sdistant cousins, a man who I had only met once when Eliyana introduced us at the restaurant, passed out cold with drool creeping down his chin. His handgun rested against his waist, obvious despite the distance between us.

I calmly stalked over to him, then feigned finding something on the floor beside him. I quickly dropped to a crouch and slid the gun free of the holster, his snores not so much as stuttering with the sudden change in weight.

Not a well-trained Mafioso.I observed, grateful for his apparent alcohol-induced coma.

I unclicked the mag and slid it out to check the bullets. Fully loaded.Thank the goddamn Lord… Then I slid it back into place and cocked it.

Adrenaline began making my hands more frantic as I gathered the material of my dress until the blue garter at the top of my thigh came into view. I slid the bitterly cold metal against my skin, fighting the flinch as I quickly pulled my skirts back into position and got to my feet. The unforgiving metal now pressed firmly against my thigh and stored securely out of sight.

Without a second of hesitation, I ducked into the nearby hallway leading to the toilets and a back stairway. Once out of view, I ran down the corridor and silently prayed there would be an emergency exit of some sort that could get me outside.

I need to get to the car. NOW.

I all but screamed in frustration when I was confronted with nothing but a window. I threw myself against it and fought against the lock, shaking the godforsaken pane to try and wiggle it free.

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