Page 47 of Damaged & Deadly

I try to zone out their banter, my mind drifting to Cain and Oliver as I wonder if they were able to chase Santos down. Worry gnaws at my insides as I move on to think about Dante and Enzo, wondering if they caught Giovanni. Cain and Oliver have headsets to communicate with their guys, except we have no way of communicating with Dante and Enzo, and I’m sorely regretting that now.

The elevator slows to a stop and we all exit into the same tunnel as earlier. God, it feels like ages ago when I was last here, yet it couldn’t have been even an hour. I peek around anxiously, hoping to see at least two of my guys, but the tunnel is otherwise empty.

“No one’s back yet,” I mutter under my breath to Marcus, not wanting to worry the girl or panic Luc.

Marcus gives my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “They will be.”

Nodding, I swallow back my worry as I gesture to Luc and the girl. “We need to get them away from here. They both need medical attention.”

Although Marcus nods in agreement, he hesitates, his lips thinning as he looks at me. “Come with us.”

I shake my head. “No, I’m not leaving until they’re all back. Go. They can’t stay here.” I shove his arm to encourage him to start moving down the tunnel, knowing the kids will follow his lead, and after a second’s hesitation, he consents.

“Alright, come on, kids… and lady.” He smiles sheepishly at the girl, seeming as unsure as I am regarding her age. “I dunno about you guys, but I could do with a shower and a beer right about now.”

“Hell yes,” Jon and Tank agree enthusiastically as they all begin to move down the tunnel.

As if sensing I’m not behind him, Luc stops and stares back at me over his shoulder. “You’re not coming?”

“I’ll be right behind you. I’m just waiting on the others.” He frowns, and I can see he doesn’t want to leave me behind. “Go,” I encourage. “You may as well have that beer before I get there ‘cause you know I’ll be taking it off you when I arrive.”

His lips quirk up in a small smile that doesn’t reach his eyes before he nods and continues his shuffle toward where the others have stopped.

I notice the girl hasn’t moved either, and I wonder if she’s second-guessing her decision to come with us. “They won’t hurt you,” I say, trying to reassure her. “And they won’t let anyone else hurt you either.”

She gives an absent nod of her head, though I can tell she doesn’t quite believe me. Her tongue runs along her lower lip, and I’m on the verge of just giving in and going with them if it means she and Luc will get out of here before anything else can happen tonight when she speaks up, her eyes boring into mine. “I do remember my name. It’s Evie.”

Chapter 19

I keep my eyes trained on Sawyer as the elevator doors slide closed, feeling all sorts of uncomfortable about leaving her alone. Well, not alone, even though I’m sure as shit not able to keep an eye on her and I hate the fact I’m relying on two men I don’t know or remotely trust to keep her safe.

Dante and I have discussed the implications of this new development—the insertion of those two jackasses into our current setup. A setup that was finally starting to go well between the three of us. Now it’s all fucked up again. We’ve been civil for the sake of getting Sawyer’s brother back and for the opportunity of removing Giovanni from the gameboard, but after tonight all bets are off. Sawyer is mine. Ours. I haven’t spent eight fucking years trying to get her to open up to me to lose her to two fuckwit gangbangers.

As the elevator car slows to a stop on Giovanni’s floor, I push all thoughts of Sawyer and those thugs to the back of my mind. I can’t afford any distractions, and I’m sure as hell not about to let the two gangsters win my girl just because I was stupid enough to let my thoughts drift elsewhere and get myself shot.

My gun is held firmly in my hand at my side as the doors open into Giovanni’s apartment. Unlike the floor below, no one has been sent to head us off, and Dante and I share a quick look before I duck my head out the elevator door, fully expecting the guards to be hiding in wait for us. Nothing. Not a single guard, which definitely isn’t the norm. Giovanni keeps a twenty-four-seven security detail with men consistently stationed around his penthouse. If his men aren’t here, then that likely means Giovanni isn’t here either.

Unease settles in my stomach as we cautiously step out into the large living room, keeping our wits about us as we scan our surroundings and search for any possible threat. Once we’ve ensured the living room area is clear, we make a beeline for the office. Our footsteps are silent as we cross the wooden floor, the only sound the faint click of the office door as Dante unlatches it and pulls it open.

With my weapon raised, I rush into the room, quickly turning in a semicircle. Clear. “There’s no one here.” I keep my voice low, but we both already know the truth. The apartment is empty. Giovanni is not a man to hide in his bedroom. If he were here, he’d face us like a man. Like the indomitable overlord, he thinks himself to be.

Dante emits a low growl of frustration as his eyes roam over the room. Deep lines mar his forehead as he tries to connect the dots. There shouldn’t be a way out of here. We were in the elevator, so Giovanni couldn’t have used it… unless he took the stairs, in which case he’ll run into Cain’s men before he can escape the building.

“There’s no other way out of the building,” Dante says aloud, as if reading my thoughts.

“If that’s the case, his men are going to end up in a shootout with Cain’s on the ground floor.”

Dante’s lips purse as he continues to think. The second we summoned the elevator in the tunnel, Giovanni’s men were notified. They’ll have seen the five of us and know something was happening.

Moving around the desk, Dante shakes the mouse, bringing the computer to life. With the click of a few buttons, he brings up the various security feeds that cover the tunnel, ground floor, elevator, and stairwell.

The tunnel and elevator are empty, and a brief scan of the stairwell feed shows that Giovanni isn’t there either. There’s movement on the cameras covering the main entrance to the building, but when I focus on them, all I can see is Cain’s men. They seem to have disabled Giovanni’s men and are in the process of securing the exits and most likely gaining access to the control room.

“Where the hell is he?” I murmur, shifting my focus back through all the available camera angles.

“He’s not fucking here,” Dante growls, his hand tightening around the mouse to the point that I’m surprised it doesn’t crack under the pressure.

“Well, where the fuck is he then? We have all the exits blocked.”

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