Page 106 of Little Deer
Leonardo looks at Sienna. “And you’re the eldest. The one who killed my nephew.”
“Proudly,” Sienna says, her gun trained on him, hand steady. “You’re not taking us out of here.”
“I beg to differ,” Esposito interjects with a smug smile. “Do you really think that I wouldn’t know how to get out of here without anyone catching us?” More men spill around them, and we’re instantly outnumbered.
“Get them out of here,” Leonardo orders, watching us with a sick anticipation. “I want them gone before they realize they’ve been taken. Those fucking Carusos and Armani will pay for everything they’ve fucked up for us.” He looks past me to where Amara has been standing quietly. “Including my newest niece. It seems we have a use for her talents.”
I look at Amara, hoping that she has a plan, anything, but she just looks at Leonardo, eyes assessing. Then she starts to carefully move forward. “You won’t hurt them,” she says shakily, even as she positions herself in front of me, Kida, and Gia,standing between Rori and Sienna. “I’ll help you do whatever you want, but let them go.”
Leonardo and Esposito laugh condescendingly. “Who do you think you are to ask us anything, bitch?” Esposito demands.
Amara eases forward, and I stare at her in horror and shock. What is she doing? For someone so smart, she’s being incredibly stupid. “Please,” she whispers. “I can help you. I know how to get into the other secret area that she hid away from you.”
Esposito stills. “What?”
“Don’t listen to her, she’s just trying to fuck with your head,” Leonardo snaps.
“Shut up!” Esposito yells. “How the fuck do you know about that?” Then his eyes go wild. “Where is it? I knew that bitch was hiding more. She was always so fucking greedy, and I knew she was running shit on the side.”
“Shut the fuck up!” Leonardo snarls. “Take them,” he yells at the men coming around them toward us.
“No!” Kida screams, even as I back away down the passage behind me.
Men reach for us, Gia struggles, until suddenly the sound of a gunshot fills the space, and everyone freezes just long enough that chaos ensues.
Soren screams in fear at the noise, Hades snarls fill the space, but not before I see something I never thought I would see.
Amara launches herself at Esposito, stabbing something in the side of his neck, making him fall to the ground, before she suddenly maneuvers herself and does the same to Leonardo.
Rori and Sienna fire at the men spilling out, Hades taking down a few. We’re in such tight quarters, that I’m shocked none of us are getting hit with stray bullets as Kida, Gia, and I launch ourselves for the floor, me being careful to curl around Soren protectively.
I don’t know how long it goes on, all three of us trying to inch our way away from it and down the passage, but when silence fills the air, we still, turning to look back.
Bodies line the floor, Hades is back at Rori’s side, his muzzle wet with blood, while Sienna stares at Amara in shock.
“What the fuck? Where did you learn to do that?” Sienna asks incredulously. “Have you been holding out on us?”
Amara doesn’t answer, she just takes off running, Rori and Hades right behind her down the fork heading to the south end of the house.
We all stare after them, shocked. What the hell is going on? Where are they going? Why did they leave us here?
“What do we do?” I gasp out, trying not to completely freak out. “Why did they just leave us here?”
“I don’t know,” Sienna answers grimly. “But Rori will get Amara back. I don’t know what’s going on with her, but I trust her.”
I share a look with Kida, our doubts clear. She might trust her, but can we?
“There’s Sofia,” Gia says, and we all turn to see her and Ada rushing toward us.
“What happened?” Sofia demands, staring wide-eyed at the men all on the floor around us.
Gia and Sienna launch into an explanation, and I can see Sofia’s eyes getting wider and wider with each word. “Are they alive?” Sofia suddenly asks.
“Yes, they’re just unconscious,” Ada says quietly, checking Esposito and then Leonardo carefully. “Both are breathing.”
“I saw Amara stab them,” I interject, confused. “She had a knife. I think.”
“Whatever it was, it wasn’t a knife. There’s no blood on either of them,” Sofia says after checking them herself. “Alright, I’ll send a message to Dante and let him know. He’ll send men toget them out of here. In the meantime, we’re going to head back toward Nico’s office. There’s multiple ways to run from there if we need to again. Then we’ll worry about getting Rori and Amara back.”
