Page 29 of The Players

She yelled when a man jumped up from behind a car. Carmen stared right into the barrel of a gun and froze. Her heart started to hammer in her chest and for a second she felt sick to her stomach. Then, a red dot appeared on the man’s forehead and he slumped down.

Sy pushed her against a van. “Stay behind me.”

His one hand was holding a gun, the other snaked backward on her hip, keeping her shielded. Little electric shocks kissed her body every time they touched skin-to-skin. She shivered, unable to control her treacherous body. It was the most inappropriate of times to feel even a hint of desire, but she couldn’t help herself.

Must be the adrenaline.

Sy didn’t seem to notice. His eyes were scanning the rows of lined-up cars, looking for an ambush.

A shiver racked through her body. The satin bandeau dress wasn’t any kind of protection against the sudden cold that got a grip on her.

Big hands took her face in between them, giving her much-needed warmth.

“Listen to me, doll. You can’t go into shock. Got no time for that.”

She nodded. “I’m okay.”

“Good. We need to get downstairs, to my car. If they close in on us here, we’re dead.”

“So much for Keegan and Morelli not starting a war on your turf,” she murmured.

A wicked smile formed on his face, making him look much younger. His light hair only gave him a bad boy appearance. One that gave her the confidence he would get them out of this mess.

“This was bound to happen. Viking’s been looking for an excuse to put Morelli in the ground for years. There’s no way Kristoff can keep him off of him anymore.”

Right. She’d almost forgotten the Romeo and Juliet story that had ended in betrayal.

“I’m surprised he managed to rein in your brother’s rage so far,” she admitted. Viking didn’t seem like the guy who took orders well.

“Kristoff can be very persuasive.”

She’d only caught a glimpse of the Bratva leader the other day. For a man feared as much as he was, he seemed rather young. In his mid-thirties, perhaps. The most remarkable thing about him was that, unlike with the other men sitting at the table, he hadn’t shown a speck of emotion on his face while Viking drowned in misery. She wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. Franco’s moods had been all over his face—rage, bloodlust, pettiness, cruelty.

Sy checking his gun made her forget about the Bratva leader and turn to him.

“One bullet left,” he said, sounding grim. He took her hand and they hurried down the steps. When they made it to the lower floor of the parking lot, he suddenly came to a halt.

She looked past him, right into the eyes of two men standing in front of a silver Mercedes. One of them had on a black tie. The other was Porky, the pot-bellied asshole she’d introduced to her pepper spray earlier. Judging by his burning eyes, he was all too glad to find her in this vulnerable position.

Sy pointed at a camera in the corner of the lot. “Smile at the camera and wave at Viking, boys,” he drawled. “My brother loves it when you do that. Those are live feeds, by the way.”

The guy in the tie flinched and lowered his gun. Apparently, Sy wasn’t all brawn, but thought quick on his feet as well.

“We got no beef with you or your brother, Sy,” Tie Guy said. “We only want the Caruso bitch.”

“Wereallyfucking want her,” Porky said, keeping his gun pointed at them.

“That makes three of us, Stan,” Sy said, aiming his gun at Porky. “Now, tell your pudgy friend to fucking lower his gun.”

Stan frowned. “Look. We know she already signed the casinos over. But the boss can’t just let her get away with this. He said he’d kill her if she did. Give her to us and you can walk away.”

“The hell he can!” Porky bellowed. “I say we take him out too.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Stan hissed. “That’s Viking’s brother. You want that psycho coming for you? Well, I fucking don’t. They say he scalps his victims like in the old days, and then burns them alive. Damn crazy fucker.”

Sy cocked a brow. “Aww, such nice words for my bro. I’ll make sure to pass the compliments over.”

“Sure, it was a compliment,” Stan said, sounding nervous. “So, what d’you say we handle this between us? Just give her to us. After Keegan’s finished with her, we’ll return her to you.”

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