Page 106 of Last Shot

‘But—’

‘Move. Now. That’s a goddamn order.’

‘You don’t get to order me around when you couldn’t even protect my dad!’

‘Luca!’ Nella’s voice was closer than Grey had anticipated. ‘He doesn’t mean that.’

Should he stay with them? Protect them by cowering behind a wooden door? Or should he risk them running out in the open and go and take down Skinner or whoever it was the La Marcas had paid to take this hit? Or was this all because ofher? Was he going to risk their lives again because he was looking for her?

She was a cancer, spreading through him, metastasising to every inch until he couldn’t breathe.

How did you get rid of cancer? You cut it out.

Where was the rest of the goddamn security team?

‘I’m going to take you to the door,’ Grey said. ‘We stay low, and when it’s safe, you run to the cellar. You don’t open the door until I come back. If I don’t come back ...’

‘Grey ...’ Nella’s voice broke.

‘NOW. Move.’ He pushed them. Vittoria clung to Giovanni, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs, but Luca – or Nella, Grey couldn’t be sure in the dark – grabbed her under the arm and together they lifted her down the stairs.

Grey filtered through the screams and bodies, trying to locate Jett’s voice, Max’s shoulder blades, Frankie’s back, Tomaso’s scent. ‘Jett!’

‘I’m here. I’m here. I’ve got Tom and Frank.’

Grey squinted at the three figures.

‘Can’t go outside,’ Jett said. ‘They’ve locked the exits.’

‘Who?’

‘I don’t know, man, I don’t know what’s—’

‘Max?’

‘I haven’t seen her. Grey, they’ve ... the security – they’re ...’

The guard, barely breathing, dart in her shoulder.Focus on the Barbaranis, don’t think about anything else.‘Keep them safe. You know where.’

‘Don’t go, Grey, please.’ Nella sounded like she had when they were younger. When the lines were blurred and Grey used to forget he wasn’t one of them.

He shook off her hand. ‘Keep them safe,’ he ordered again.

Jett’s tall, shadowed head bowed.

Something shoved past Grey and he stumbled slightly. ‘Luca. No!’ He charged after Luca’s silhouetted corkscrew curls. ‘Luca, all of you are targets, goddamn it!’ He grabbed him by his coat sleeve, but Luca shook him off like Grey had done to Nella.

‘I have to find her!’

‘Luca, for fuck’s sake! You have to stay with your family. For all we know Ariana’s family are the ones who killed your dad.’

Killed your dad. The words were nails through his tongue.

‘I’m not going to any fucking bunker until I—’

More shots. More screams.

But Grey didn’t hear the sound of another body falling.

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