Page 72 of Deadly Target
Exiting the car, he raised both hands in the air, drizzling rain falling on him. He knew Barone was watching so he turned in a circle letting the man see he was unarmed. The front door opened, but no one stood on the threshold, Alfie playing it safe.
“I’m alone and unarmed,” he called to make sure Barone knew he was playing by the rules. “I’m coming in now.”
The door stayed open, Barone saying nothing. Every survival instinct told Victor not to walk through the door, confirming this was a suicide mission. He understood his instincts that so closely matched Roman’s. If the situation had been different, and it was one of Victor’s taskforce members doing this, he’d have rejected the idea too. It was too risky, too dangerous.
How did I end up here, without any of my agents?Roman was a skilled Homeland agent, but they had never worked in the field together, and then there was Felix—a mafia hitman, who was currently breaking more than a few laws.
But this was Liv inside his house. She didn’t deserve this, and somehow, Victor knew it was his fault. She was here under Alfie’s control because of him. Just like Tracee’s death, this was on his head.
“Don’t come in here, Victor!”
Her voice was clearly strained and frantic as it filtered through the door. The hell she must be going through, all of her plans blowing up in her face and subjecting her to Barone’s crazy and dangerous ambitions. Victor stepped closer, peering into his house. “Don’t worry now, Olivia. Everything’s going to be fine.”
Where was Taz?
If Barone had shot the dog…
Keep your head in the game.
Hands still raised, he stepped across the threshold, scanning to the right where Barone stood behind the door.
“Welcome home, Director,” Alfie said with an affable smile.
Olivia had said he was charming, and he was putting it on full display now. Underneath it, Victor suspected he was shaking in his shoes. The man was a killer because the Fifty-seven Gang had turned him into one, but underneath the skills he’d learned in the mob, he was still a man. A man who had gone to law school, started a family, and lost his wife. A man who had a daughter he wanted to protect and had found a woman to fall in love with again. There was more than just his ambition on the line tonight, and all indications suggested Alfonso Barone didn’t want to see his own hard work go up in flames.
The door shut, and Barone came around to stand eye to eye with Victor. He held a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson.
Victor went into profiler mode, his training as a hostage negotiator kicking in. It hadn’t worked to save Tracee, but he’d succeed this time. “Neither of us wants Olivia to get hurt. Let her go, and I’ll do anything you want.”
A rueful smile twisted the corner of Barone’s lips. He grabbed Victor’s arm and swung him around, patting him down with his free hand. “I want you to tell Olivia the truth.”
Victor was now facing the dining room and he caught a glimpse of her head as she leaned across the table trying to see him. For a second, their eyes met, so much unsaid between them.
The gash on her forehead was bright red, the swelling had increased. The bruise had spread down to her eyebrows.
But it was her eyes that told him how much pain she was in, and it wasn’t from the bump on her head. She was scared. Not for herself, for him.
As their eyes held, he felt suspended. She was so close, all he had to do was walk ten steps to reach her, yet, the physical distance was deceiving when a madman with a gun was between them.
Alfie’s hand slapped Victor’s chest and patted again. “Unbutton your shirt.”
All part of the plan. Victor did as instructed, revealing the hidden wire.
A knowing smirk parted Barone’s lips. “I keep telling Olivia you can’t be trusted.” He ripped the wire off Victor’s skin and held it up in Olivia’s line of sight. “You see this? This is what I’m talking about. He lies and deceives. How can you still believe in him?”
What was he trying to do? Make Victor look like the bad guy instead of himself?Figures. “You said to come alone, you didn’t say anything about not wearing a wire.” When Alfie’s gaze cut back to Victor, Victor gave him a smile, hoping he could see the ‘fuck you’ behind it. “If you’re going to run a family syndicate, Alfie, you’re going to need better communication skills.”
Barone cocked the gun and pressed it to Victor’s temple. Olivia gasped audibly. “Watch your mouth, smartass.” He dropped the wire to the floor and stomped on it. “Who’s outside?”
Victor gave him anotherfuck yousmile. “No one. The receiver is in my car on the seat. Go ahead and check. I was recording you in hopes of getting you to admit you killed Tracee. Thatwasyou behind the mask, wasn’t it?”
There was a slight tightening around Alfie’s eyes. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Such a liar.
He grabbed Victor and shoved him toward the dining room. “As long as we’re talking about your ex, why don’t you explain to Olivia how you killed her brother because he was selling drugs to Tracee?”
Victor did a double-take between Olivia, who was tied to a chair, and Barone. “What?”
