Page 51 of His to Claim

“Get to the car,” Miceli says, hurrying toward the front of the barn.

“See you soon,” I say and he nods.

“Be careful!” Carlotta calls out.

I reach for Carlotta’s hand and pull her with me, back toward the rear exit where Miceli and I came in. “We’re going this way, sweetheart,” I tell her, guiding her back through the barn as quickly as possible.

The sooner I get her safely back in the SUV, the better I’ll feel. Because right now I have the strangest feeling that we’re walking on a landmine—and, at any second, we could run into a hidden bomb and be blown to hell.

Maybe I’m just being paranoid, but my gut is screaming a warning at me to be careful. And this time, I’m going to listen.

Once we reach the door, I make sure Carlotta is safely behind me, then carefully open it and peer outside. The coast looks clear, so whatever was happening earlier is over. Most likely, the Rossi brothers took down some guards and now everyone is inside the house, discussing Gallo’s future.

Or, imminent demise.

“Let’s go,” I hiss and pull her outside. Still holding hands we hurry along the edge of the barn and, just as we’re about to reach the end of the building, Carmine Gallo comes running around the corner. Eyes wild with blood running down the side of his face, he’s waving a gun.

Shit.

I skid to a halt, pushing Carlotta behind me in case Gallo decides to take a shot. I just rescued my girl from certain death, so I’m not about to let her get shot by this maniac.

When he sees Carlotta, Gallo becomes infuriated. “You should be dead!” he yells.

That’s it. I am officially done with this asshole. Lifting my gun, I’m about to take my shot when I hear movement. Glancing over my shoulder, I see two guards move up behind us.

“Don’t move,” one of them growls, and I freeze.

Behind me, Carlotta makes a soft, mewling sound, her fingers digging into my arm. “Damon,” she says softly.

I can hear the tremor in her voice and I turn to see one of the thugs has the barrel of his gun pressed against her back.

“Toss your weapon,” he orders, yanking her away from me.

Clenching my jaw, and without much of an option, I throw my pistol aside and tighten my hands into fists.

Goddammit.Where the hell is Miceli and everyone else? Why is Gallo out here with his men? Determined to protect Carlotta, I meet her worried eyes and give her a slight, hopefully reassuring, tilt of my head. I refuse to let anything else bad happen to her. Not when she just barely escaped being hanged.

“Get back in the barn,” Gallo snaps.

I grit my teeth, not wanting to return to the barn of death. But, at this point, we don’t seem to have a choice. However, maybe I can strike a bargain while we walk.

“Why don’t you let her go?” I suggest. “And then you can go talk business with the men waiting inside your house.”

“They aren’t here to talk business,” he seethes. “They want me dead! But they’re the ones who are going to die. You all are for what you did to my son…my family.”

I have no idea what he’s talking about, but Carlotta doesn’t hesitate to speak up.

“What happened to Maximo was a tragedy,” she says in a gentle voice, “but no one wanted to hurt him. Not purposely. My family would’ve helped him if they could have, I promise you that.”

“Save your promises for someone who cares,” Gallo snaps. “The harsh truth is my son is dead and it’s because of your family. Nothing will bring him back, but I will get my revenge.”

So apparently Gallo blames the Rossi’s for his son’s demise. I don’t know any of the details, but suddenly things are starting to make more sense.

“I thought you wanted a seat at the table,” I say carefully, trying not to agitate the man further. We’re just stepping back into the barn and he swipes a hand over his cheek, smearing the blood there.

“All I want is to end the Rossi family,” he grates out, “and I won’t stop until they’re all six feet under. Starting with you.”

He turns his hateful gaze on Carlotta, pinning her with a daggered look full of wrath. The next thing I know, he lifts his gun and fires.

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