Page 122 of Deception

“Doesn’t matter. I got you here. Got you to leave your people unguarded. My job’s done. I just want to get paid and go home.”

It knocks the wind out of me. This was all a distraction.

27

ALESSANDRO

Ero stomps the gas pedal, jetting my black Porsche Taycan in and out of the light midnight traffic as we cross the bridge.

It’s an old warehouse district, mostly abandoned.

And he got the info from chasing down the wrong van full of thugs and…

Well, doing what Ero does.

He’s fucking scary sometimes, my little brother.

The four of us float in that dark, ice-cold calm, like we’ve done a hundred, a thousand times. Only this time we’re doing 125 mph and racing against time to save the woman I love and my unborn child.

The stakes are higher than ever.

Right in the middle of a fucking war. But this is part of the war.

They came after me through her.

And they’re all going to die for it.

Then, I’m going to hunt down Domenico Vipera and kill him. Slowly. He’ll beg me to put the bullet between his eyes when I’m through.

“You’re sure it’s here?” I glance at him as he slows, turning down an old, abandoned road.

Ero just narrows his eyes and nods, gunning it down the tight wharf-front drive.

By the time I see the first signs of black vans, I’m so tightly wound that I’m grinding my teeth. All of us ready our guns, the first volley of hell we’re going to rain down on these bastards. The car skids up onto the gravel, sending the guys guarding the gate flying as Ero spins the wheel and donuts the car.

All four of us spray gunfire out the windows, Adriano popping off several grenades into the vehicles parked outside.

It’s instant mayhem.

I hit the gravel running, rattling off round after round into the thugs pouring around the side of the building. Most of them look terrified, shocked.

Like they’ve seen the damned devil himself.

Some flat-out run.

But I can’t show them mercy.

Not tonight.

Ciro leaps into the air, aiming in mid-flight, taking three down in a flash.

Adriano is more practical, simple. Efficient. Four go down in a spray of bullets, another gets knocked off his feet from the grenade Adri tossed into the van behind him.

His guns are back in his hand in an instant taking down two more. Fleetingly, I notice Ero is gone, probably slipping through the shadows, taking out anyone who might sneak up on us.

And I'm running, slashing, cutting, bashing one guy in the face with the stock of my rifle. In full motion, I catch another off guard, palming his entire face and smashing his skull straight down into the concrete.

Something zips along my upper arm, stinging, but I barely notice.

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