Page 6 of Twisted Embrace

Lucia laughed halfheartedly. “About a dozen. What did you see?”

“Men storming the room. They were shooting at everyone. You need to get out of here.”

My bestie had never made fun of me for the shadowy visions or the stories I’d told her before, but I sensed her reluctance to act on my warning. “I don’t know.”

“Talk to your brother. Just have him make certain no one is outside.”

After taking a deep breath, she nodded. “Come with me. Enzo will want to know exactly what you envisioned.”

I nodded, although in the back of my mind I was already imagining the man’s reaction. Men like Enzo Lazarro could never take the word of some wayward girl who’d flirted with him moments before. “You don’t think I’m crazy. Right? I’m not trying to ruin your beautiful party.”

“Sweetie,” she said as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear, “you’re one of the craziest women I’ve ever known but your concern for me is endearing. If you’re right, your premonition might stop a bloody war in the middle of Manhattan.”

“And if I’m wrong?”

She laughed. “Then I’ll let Enzo dole out your punishment. Somehow, I don’t think you’ll mind being tossed over his knee.”

Another flush swept through me like a wildfire. “Wha… What?”

“Oh, stop. Come on. Let’s go talk to him.”

My best friend and the woman I’d spent dozens of nights laughing with, commiserating over the horrible men in the Big Apple, eating one too many pints of ice cream while drinking wine pulled away.

And I was suddenly frozen to the spot, the hard thumping of my heart echoing in my ears as panic gripped every muscle, twisting them violently.

“Take both bitches now.” The bark was commanding, the sound evil.

“And do what?”

“We’ll get to have some fun before cutting that baby out of her gut. Then we’ll kill them both.”

Terror swept through me and I lunged forward, uncertain if a single sound erupted from my throat as I screamed Lucia’s name.

“Lucia! No!”

CHAPTER 3

Enzo

“Lucia. No!”

The scream was abrupt, drawing my attention immediately. I reacted on instinct, racing toward the bathrooms, pushing people out of the way. I couldn’t care less that I’d knocked several women to the floor, likely trampling over them in my effort to find the source of the agonizing yelp.

With my weapon in both hands, I entered the corridor leading to the restrooms, hissing as I noticed two unknown assailants in dark clothing, fighting to abduct my sister and her friend Joy.

“Let go of them now!” I yelled, but the guttural sound was quickly driven to oblivion by the sound of gunfire coming from the other direction, guests screaming as the horror began to unfold.

Pop! Pop!

I quickly fired off two rounds, driving bullets into one of the assailants. As one of my soldiers bolted into the space, I moved forward, careful with my aim. The two women were being used as shields by the unhurt assailant, both flailing even as a third man appeared from the shadows. Joy was still struggling, almost able to escape her attacker.

“Go protect the front,” I barked to my man, trying to gauge the distance. Then I advanced, another soldier grabbing Joy, both women fighting with their assailants. While Lucia had been trained how to handle herself, her friend knew nothing about the lifestyle or the danger. When Joy dared bite the arm of the attacker, the hold around her throat was tightened, her breathing constricted to the point she started to wheeze.

“Lascia andare ora.” My order to let go now in Italian had an off chance of being understood. When the assholes continued backing toward the door, the barrels of their weapons shoved into the women’s temples, I tried one last tactic. I had to know who the fuck I was dealing with. “Otpusti seychas ili stolknis’ s moim gnevom.” Let go now or face my wrath.

The words commanded in Russian, the sneer on one asshole’s face was a dead giveaway the bastard had understood. Fucking Bratva. Pigs.

In Italian, I told my sister to be ready to bolt. She blinked in understanding. The door was kicked open, shots fired from the back of the restaurant an indication a full assault awaited outside. My move was bold, but necessary. I lunged forward, knocking the assailant holding Lucia’s friend to the ground.

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