Page 156 of Stabby Little

I mean this from the bottom of my heart. These men don't need to help me. They're the Ferrari's friends—Jagger and I worked for their fucking enemies. The fact that they're willing to put aside our differences to rescue Ollie shows me the strength of their characters.

The Diavolos would never fucking do that. If one of the Diavolos acquaintances' partners went missing, they'd recruit them into human trafficking. The Antonovs are stronger men than every Diavolo put together.

Maxim walks to my side. "I'll send my pet Siberian tiger after Michael if he lays a finger on Ollie. Armie won't hesitate to chomp him to bits."

"Quit fucking around, Maxim." Demetri's voice is growly. "Your tiger's in Russia. There's no way to transport her here in time."

"It's a him, first of all." Maxim balls his fists. "And I have connections with the KGB. They'll airship him to New York in three hours if I ask."

"That's a physical impossibility," Aleksei says.

"Armie's cubs are in the Brooklyn Zoo," Maxim snarls. "I shipped them here when I moved from Russia. I'll send them instead."

I rest my hand on Maxim's shoulder. "I appreciate the kind words. But I can handle it."

Constantine lets out a low growl as he slides his AK-47 over his shoulder. "We'll drop down from the chopper and blow their house to bits. Just like we did to their Yonkers warehouse."

"There's no way we can do that," I warn.

"It's the only option we have."

"You'll kill Ollie if he's in there. I refuse to endanger his life again."

The Diavolos already kidnapped Ollie once. If I'd forced him to stay with me last weekend, this never would've happened. I had every opportunity to read the writing on the wall, but I let him slip away.

Constantine issues me a nod. "We'll play it by ear. If we find him, we'll remove him from the premises and blow the house up."

Jagger flashes Constantine a thumbs up. "That sounds like a plan."

"Ready?" Benedetto turns to me.

I take a moment to stare at the Ferrari brothers. With their black clothes and bulging muscles, they look like the exact right people to assist me. They've already snuck their boys out of the Diavolos' warehouse once without hurting them.

If they did it once, they can do it again.

"Yes," I say.

"On the count of three, we'll jump out of the chopper."

Jagger nods. "We're ready."

“One, two, three."

Benedetto, Constantine, and Gianluca leap out of the chopper and charge the house. Lightning flashes overhead as thunder cracks. An electric bolt smashes into the ground next to me when Jagger and I leap out after them. I grip my gun even tighter, refusing to let this stop me. Dark clouds swirl overhead as rain spits in my face.

I wipe dirt from my kneecaps as I face Constantine. "I'm safe."

Constantine hands me a pair of night goggles. "Take these. They'll help you see in the dark."

I fasten the goggles over my eyes. Instantly, they illuminate the house.

Constantine races to the back entrance door. He fires round after round into the lock, shattering it. A deafening thud reaches my ears as the door topples over and smacks into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Let's go." Constantine motions for us to follow him.

I race through the door, my heart slamming in my chest. I strain my eyes for Ollie, praying to God he calls out for me. If I hear him, I'll know exactly what room he's in so I can rescue him.

Constantine, Jagger, Benedetto, Gianluca, and I rush through various hallways. The storm clearly took out the electricity so I use the night vision goggles to see. I squint in the black hallway, trying to make out the various rooms where I can search for my boy. Michael didn't give us free rein of the house when we interrogated Kobe. He could be anywhere.

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