Page 17 of Ice
Sofia checked the clip to her gun and shook her head. She was almost out, and she was sure Dom was too. She had no idea how the rest of them were holding up, but she didn’t think they were doing any better. Vinny seemed to have brought not only half of her father’s men but some of his own as well, according to Dom.
“What’s the plan here? We can’t stay here much longer.” Smoke ducked down as another bullet clipped the table they were behind.
Sofia looked between Dom and Smoke. This was a fool’s mission, and while she knew Dom would kill and die for her, the Unhinged Brothers were collateral she didn’t want. The last thing she needed to add to her plate was a war with an MC because she got their president or vice president killed.
“We gotta kill this gunfight,” she spoke to Dom, “I don’t know how, though. We’re running out of bullets, and I don’t hear any sirens coming to our rescue, but I can’t afford to have any bodies on my hands right now that aren’t a part of the plan.”
Dom looked at her and checked his gun. “I have a round left, but if we stop shooting maybe they will too, at least long enough to get Vinny to try and draw you out.” Dom peeked around the table looking for Wolf. As soon as Sofia saw Dom’s head shake, she heard less guns going off.
Sofia tapped Smoke and told him to stop shooting. He looked at her like she had lost her damn mind. “Trust us. I’m trying to keep your ass alive.”
Smoke’s smile lit up his entire face, and Sofia wanted to laugh. “You were trying to cut my head off when we first met. Now you’re trying to save my life. I knew you wanted me.” He went to grab her chin, but Sofia grabbed his hand, twisting it at an odd angle and shoving the tip of her gun under his chin.
“I don’t need you alive, Smoke,” Sofia growled.
“You don’t know how hard I am right now.” He licked his lips. “You about to be my wife. Fuck, I love me a crazy woman.”
“Are you done, or do I need to remove your hands myself?” Dom’s growl sent a shiver of anticipation down her spin. She could feel his breath at the back of her neck, and it made her pulse quicken.
Sofia needed to put a leash on Dom’s possessive tendencies but now wasn’t the time to correct him about it. If they didn’t get their faces blown off after this altercation, she’d have to remind him again of his place beside her when they were out conducting business.
Smoke smirked as he looked past her at Dom. “And here I thought you said he’d enjoy watching.” She felt Dom press further into her back and she groaned.
“How about I save those guys shooting at us some time by shooting both of you in the fucking neck? Behave, Smoke.” She let him go and turned her gaze toward Dom. “And need I remind you of our earlier conversation?”
Dom leaned in close, his lips grazing her ear. “Do you mean the conversation we had at Tres, where you practically sank your claws into my flesh so Gianna knew she couldn’t have me?”
Sofia went to speak when she heard someone shouting for them to come out with their hands up. “We won’t shoot. We just want the woman.”
“Get in line.” Smoke grumbled, and Sofia elbowed him in his rib. She tentatively put her hands up letting whoever was issuing the commands know she was attempting to surrender herself.
Dom cursed. “Are you crazy? They’re going to shoot you as soon as you show your face.”
“No, I don’t think so.” Sofia was taking a huge gamble, but she knew Vinny was here, and he wasn’t going to miss this opportunity to kill her himself, if for no other reason than to show these witnesses that he took out the last Barbati and the Ice Princess himself.
Sofia stood and walked around the table. She did a quick scan of the casino. There were at least ten guys in front of her with their guns pointed directly at her. She didn’t see Vinny anywhere, but she saw him on the monitor screens and wondered where he was hiding. “I’m here. What do you want?”
The guy who was in the middle of the ten men pointed to her gun. “Drop it and kick it over here.”
Sofia shook her head. “Not happening. There’s ten of you pointing your guns at me. Even if I was an expert shot, I couldn’t take you all out before at least one of you got a shot off and hit me. What do you want?”
The men parted, and Vinny walked up with his gun on Sofia. “It’s nice to officially meet you, Ms. Barbati. You’ll have to forgive me for all this. I expected you to die at the airport this morning.”
Sofia chuckled. She knew Vinny wouldn’t miss a chance to try and kill her himself. His ego would demand nothing less. “I will say this is getting a little tiresome. Third gunfight I’ve been in without a scratch on me.” She tsked. “You need to hire better men or do the job yourself.”
“Why do you think I’m here now? Somehow you’ve been home all of twelve hours and have already fucked up what I set in motion. You want something done, you have to do it yourself.”
Sofia knew the second Vinny was going to pull the trigger—his right eye twitched, giving him away. None of his men seemed to be paying attention either because it allowed her to lift her gun high enough to get a shot off as Vinny fired his weapon.
She was hit from the side just as Vinny’s shot buzzed past her, and she hit the floor hard, making her gun fly from her hands. “You really are crazy, Saffi.” Dom chuckled in her ear.
He quickly got off of her as gunfire erupted again and hauled her back behind the table. “Did you see if I hit him?” Sofia questioned, not wanting to stick her head out to see for herself.
“I didn’t see him go down before I grabbed you. Fuck…” Dom groaned and looked down at his side. “Shit. I was hit.” Dom lifted his shirt and blood seeped out of his side.
A red haze fell over Sofia’s gaze as she watched Dom bleed. “Give me your guns, now.” She snapped her fingers at Dom, and both he and Smoke handed over their weapons.
She looked around her and spotted a piece to a broken mirror and picked it up. Sofia checked her guns. Four bullets in one and three in the other. She leaned back up against the table with the mirror facing the directions the bullets were coming from.
