Page 72 of Sapphires and Snakes
Darius rolls up the tinted window at the same time I draw my gun with a sigh. I would much rather avoid this, but I won’t be delayed any longer. Darius throws the car into reverse, cranking the steering wheel to turn around.
And give me a perfect shot.
I slam the window button and take aim, shooting the man through the hat sitting low on his brow before he can evenunderstand he’s in danger. The guard collapses into the snow as Darius shifts the car into park and jumps out. He drags the body out of the drive and ducks into the guardhouse to open the gate.
I rest my gun on my thigh. No point in holstering it when the Accardis are already here. Darius runs back to the car at the same time three Escalades roll up, their plates marking them as ours. Simultaneous relief and worry swirl through me. My capos and soldiers are here to back us up, which puts them directly in the line of fire. And I still don’t know what that will look like. I hope to whatever god is listening that this doesn’t result in all our deaths or dismemberments.
The car door slams shut, and Darius leads the entourage down the driveway, pulling up opposite the Accardis’ Lincoln Aviators. Only two of them. That’s good.
Marcus didn’t come here expecting a fight.
I open my door before Darius has fully stopped the car. My capos, Gemma, Wyrm, and Juno, and their hand-picked soldiers spill out of their SUVs, filing behind me without a word. This isn’t the first time we’ve done something like this. Each of them knows their positions. I don’t glance back, don’t pause to wait. I charge the door like a battering ram.
The tension inside almost stops me in my tracks.
“The fuck are you doing here?” someone yells. I give him a cursory glance, noting the sapphire tie clip marking him as an Accardi capo.
“Could ask you the same thing.” I clasp my hands, including my gun, behind my back and tilt my head to the side. “I heard the wedding was canceled.”
A handful of men exchange confused looks around the room, marking them as Gallos, while the Accardis shift on their feet and puff out their chests. Like they’re expecting trouble.
They have no idea.
“What does she mean?” a Gallo man calls.
“Nothing.” The same Accardi capo speaks for the horde. “She’s talking out of her ass.”
I arch a brow. “So, Riccardo Gallo didn’t come home in a wild panic about thirty minutes ago?” I watch each of the Gallo faces change from confusion to suspicion. They aim harsh glares at the Accardi men, who aim theirs at me. I only smile. The more flames I can fan into a soaring, roaring bonfire, the more likely they are to turn against each other. “Want to know why?”
“Shut your fuckin’ mouth before I shut it for you,” the Accardi capo growls.
“Let her speak!” someone calls.
I stand still, quiet, and let the resentment already rooted deep between these two families finally burst out of the ground like tree roots cracking through concrete.
An Accardi snaps, “Get her out of here.”
“Whose house do you think you’re in?” a Gallo growls. “Gallos rule here, not Ass-cardis.”
“The fuck did you just say?” the Accardi capo barks.
“Whether Miss Gallo marries Marcus or not, we’re still Gallos,” a Gallo says. “We don’t answer to him or Alonso oryou.”
The Accardi capo throws his hand toward me. “Get this bitch out of here. Now.”
“Fuck you!” a few Gallos yell back.
“You’re gonna regret those words.”
A Gallo pulls a gun, his brooch shaped like a noose with a drop of ruby red marking him a capo. “I think all of you need to leave.”
The other Gallos pull theirs. I hold my breath.
“Boss’s son is upstairs. We’re not going anywhere.” Accardis pull their guns.
My hand tightens around mine, my people and I poised on the edge of a knife, ready to slice through them the moment an opportunity presents itself. Somewhere in this house, Marcus iswith Zarina doing god knows what. Will he kill her? Torture her? Or worse, still force her to marry him?
Zarina’s words from our last conversation reverberate through my head.I will not survive Marcus Accardi!
