Page 98 of Of Grief And Gratitude

“Wait, Neretti,” Sean called out. “We’ll back you up, but we need to know what we’re walking into.”

“It’s Riona.” I hoped that explained it. I flung open the door and burst onto the porch, spotting Riona as a gunshot rang out, and she fell to the ground. “Riona!”

She didn’t move. The world seemed to slow as I screamed her name again. A bullet whizzed past my head, the force ruffling my hair and lodging it in the wood next to my head. Close. Too close.

I ducked and dodged, avoiding incoming fire and making my way to the end of the porch closest to Riona, intent on getting to my woman. A man dressed in black lumbered out of the woods behind Riona, his weapon aimed at her prone form. Rage sharpened my vision, and I lifted my pistol, hitting the man in the neck on the first shot. His lifeless body dropped to the ground.

Behind me, Sean and Sam answered with their guns. I spun, seeing more men with weapons, and crouched behind the wood pillar holding the roof up as I picked them off alongside the O’Connor brothers. The assailants were smart. Organized.

I didn’t think it was a coincidence that they appeared as we were about to leave, and I wondered whether Dante had told my father we were returning. This seemed like something he would plan. Though Riona had seen a man in black a week prior. Had they been camping out, just waiting for the kill order?

Given the shots they were taking, it had to be a kill order. I could only see part of Riona’s body from where I crouched, enough to spot the red stain on her sweatshirt. Panic threatened to overtake me. I needed to get to her. Another round clipped the wood next to my ribs. I was too bulky to stay concealed well.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I had to focus.

My ears rang as I fired again and again, emptying the magazine. I reloaded and glanced toward the brothers, who had taken up similar positions, though several men in black lay splayed on the drive, crimson coloring the gravel under their bodies.

The incoming shots slowed, and I took a deep breath, focusing on where the remaining men had retreated behind the trees at the forest's edge. They were damn near impossible to spot and hit.

“Smart shots!” Sam called out from his position behind one of the central roof supports by the door. “They have more firepower. Make the most of what you have!”

“I want one alive,” I called back. “Kill everybody else.”

“Got it.” That was Sean, his voice cold, all trace of the jokester gone. “Riona?”

“I can’t tell,” I said, my voice threatening to break. “She’s down. Shot.”

“Fuck,” the brothers replied in unison.

We were in a standoff, neither side willing to fire without a clear shot. “I’m going to draw their fire.”

“Too risky,” Sam replied. “Riona needs you.”

“I got a message to my father and Dante,” Sean called from the opposite side of the porch.

Frustration made my face twist. “A lot of fucking good that does us right now. Those bastards in black aren’t going to wait for hours.”

“I know,” he said. “Any idea how many are left?”

Sam shifted. “I think three. How many have you taken out?”

“I got one,” I replied.

“Two,” Sean pitched in.

“I got two.” Sam was quiet for a moment. “That’s five dead. Yeah. I counted eight originally, but that didn’t count your guy, Romeo. Four are still out there as long as they don’t have backup.”

I checked my magazine, noting I had five rounds left. “How are you on ammo?”

“Not amazing,” Sean answered. “Sam?”

“Enough if they give me a chance to get a shot in,” he said calmly. “They have to come out of hiding first.”

“Let me draw their fire,” I insisted. “I’m closest to Riona. If you can’t take them out while I get over the porch railing, I’ll hunker down there. At least I’ll be able to assess her better.”

“Or you’ll be dead.” Sean had a point, but I couldn’t think about that.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. “She could die if I don’t get to her in time.”

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