Cautious (Sequel to Disastrous) (27 page)

Vinnie straightened his position. “Obviously, Lou will have Gio
with him for the exchange, but he’s also called in some backup. Lou made an
agreement to have some of Rick Boyle’s men there.”

“What the fuck, Vinnie. How many are there?”

He crossed his arms and pinched his lips together, as if lost in
thought or calculating in his head. “I’d say a total of ten, maybe twelve, men
of Lou’s. Salvi agreed to bring the same amount, not to overpower Lou during
the exchange, but if I know Salvi, I’m sure he’ll have a few men close by, just
in case.”

“How many men do you have in your team for the bust? Are we
outnumbered?”

“We have enough, Marky.”

“Bull fuckin’ shit!” Jimmie spat out, all heads turned in his
direction. “You expect us to risk our lives out there with only a handful of
your men who we don’t even fuckin’ know? Do you realize who you’re fuckin’
dealing with here? Lou Sorrento is not some fuckin’ Joe from down South, and
Salvatore Lombardi? You’ve all lost your fuckin’ minds.”

Vinnie grew agitated. With his arms spread wide, he glared at
Jimmie. “Maybe we have, but at least we are fuckin’ trying. If you ever want to
do something in your life, do this, Jimmie. Think of your little girl.”

“Don’t you ever bring up my fuckin’ little girl, you fuckin’
bastard. I’ve been thinking about her since day fuckin’ one! We’re all signing
our death warrants as we march into that fuckin’ club, and you know it,
Vinnie!” Jimmie pointed, as he tried to catch his breath, his shoulders heaving
up and down from his heavy breathing.

“So what? You want out? Just like that? Fine, be a fuckin’
coward. The one thing I never expected was a DeLuca brother backing down,
especially you, Jimmie.”

“You shouldn’t set your expectations so fuckin’ high, Vinnie. People
change all the damn time, especially when it involves possibly never seeing
their loved ones again.”

Frustrated by the change of events, I spat out, “Okay, enough of
this shit.” I stood from my chair, “We’re doing this, Vinnie.” I turned my head
toward Jimmie, and his head snapped in my direction. “Yes, Jimmie, we’re doing
this.”

Laughing once, Jimmie waved his arm exaggeratedly and bowed down
to me. “Whatever you say,
boss
.”

“Come on, Jimmie. Don’t be like that. You said it yourself. We
started this together, and we’re ending it together.”

Jimmie stared at me as he took in the words I threw back at him.
He leaned back, crossed his arms, lifted one leg, and pressed his foot against
the wall to keep balance. After a few minutes, he nodded at me and then at
Vinnie to go on.

Vinnie let out a breath in relief and turned back to me. “Okay,
you and Jimmie will be in this VIP room.” He pointed back to the plan on my
desk. “That’s where the surveillance will be set up. You two will radio every
detail of what’s going on: a play-by-play. Once you spot both Salvi and Lou in the
same room—the moment Salvi arrives and Lou is there—you let us know and we move
in.” Vinnie looked around the room at each and every one of us. “Do you all
understand the plan?” We all nodded in response. “Good, let’s get going. I want
you guys set up in the surveillance room before Lou’s men show up.”

Vinnie and his two men grabbed their things and walked out of the
office. I stood up from my chair and adjusted my jacket before reaching into
the drawer and removing two guns. I put one in the back of my pants underneath
my shirt and the other in the front of my pants, adjusting it by my hip.”

I grabbed another two and walked over to Jimmie and handed them
to him. “Are you sure you can do this? It’s not too late to stay here with Elle
and Mom. I can handle this, Jimmie.”

He uncrossed his arms and straightened his shoulders. Grabbing
the guns from my hand, he adjusted them on him as I did mine. “I’m with you all
the way.”

Relieved in a way, I bowed my head. “Jimmie, I just want you to
know the only reason why I want to go on with this is because of Dad.” I looked
up at him as his brows pinched together in confusion.  “Don’t you see? If we
keep on going as he did, little by little we’ll break, and before we know it,
we’ll end up like him. It just proves that there’s no easy way out, well, at
least not without a fight.”

Jimmie’s expression relaxed, indicating that he had understood
what I had said, and then he gently slapped the side of my face and nodded.

Not another word was spoken as we walked out of the house. We all
hopped into the same car and drove off.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

MIA

All night, I couldn’t stop thinking of Marcus and the
uneasiness I felt when we had left each other. I wasn’t able to take it anymore.
I knew it was still early that Sunday, but I had to drive to his house and talk
to him. During the entire drive, the past few months sprinted through my head. These
last few weeks, we hadn’t spent much time together, but I knew it was because
of our busy schedules.

I missed falling asleep in his arms and waking up next to him.
Maybe waiting until the semester was over to move in with him was ridiculous. I
could simply move my clothes over to his house, and everything else could wait.
I felt guilty that I might have led him to believe that I didn’t love him
enough to want to spend every possible minute together.

When Megan and I arrived back at my apartment the night before,
Jeremy was there waiting for us. She was completely intoxicated from the tequila
shots she’d thrown back. Jeremy guided her into his bedroom and came back out. Then,
he filled me in on what happened between the two of them. Apparently, Megan said,
“I love you,” and it scared Jeremy. He was thrown off by it and wasn’t sure how
to handle it. Megan had gotten upset because he just froze and didn’t respond,
which caused her to walk out the door. Jeremy said that, after we left, he took
a walk around the neighborhood and that’s when it dawned on him that he did
love her. When he came back, we were already gone. Needless to say, they were
back to being Megan and Jeremy by the morning.

As I pulled into Marcus’s driveway, Theresa was pulling in at the
same time. I turned off my ignition and hopped out of the car. “Mia!” Elle
shouted as she jumped out of the passenger side of Theresa’s vehicle. She ran
up to me and wrapped her tiny arms around my hip.

“Elle, how are you, honey?”

“I’m good! Did you come to see me?” She spread her lips into a
huge grin.

Smiling, I leaned down and kissed her cheek, “Actually, I need to
speak to your Uncle Marc. Is he around?”

“I believe you may have just missed him.” Theresa proclaimed as
she approached us. I straightened to greet her. She pulled me into a hug. “How
are you, sweetheart?”

“I’m good.” We untangled from our embrace. “Do you know where he
might be? I thought he’d be here because it’s still so early.”

“Inventory.” At my puzzled expression, she continued. “The club.
It’s that time of month for inventory. It’s done once a month.”

“Ah, so he’s there?”

“Yes. I just came back from the park with Elle. Would you like to
have lunch with us while you wait for him?”

“Actually, I think I’ll just go to the club. I really need to speak
with him.”

“Everything okay? With the two of you I mean?”

“Oh, yes, I just really need to talk to him.” I assured her.

“Okay. I’ll see you later?”

“Yes, of course.” I leaned in, hugged her and Elle good-bye, and
entered my car. Pulling out of the driveway, I turned at the curb and zoomed
toward the club.

***

As I pulled into the empty parking lot of Club21, I was
concerned that I may have missed Marcus, because I didn’t spot his car. There
was a huge truck on the side of the building backed up into an entrance, but I
didn’t see anyone. Looking around before I exited my vehicle, I noticed the
back door was wide open. He had to be there. Exiting my car, I made my way
toward the door and poked my head in before going in. The hallway was quiet and
empty. Shrugging my shoulders, I walked through the hall. Halfway through, I
heard a noise coming from one of the side doors, a door that led to the
basement. Because the truck on the side of the building led to the basement, it
made sense that he was down there. I pulled the door open and walked down the
stairs.

I looked around, confused at first, but then, everything started
to register. It was a bust. All around the basement were at least twenty to
thirty men with their guns drawn on each other. There were men in blue-and-yellow
FBI jackets with their guns pointed at some men who I recognized from Marcus’s
surprise party. They were all a part of the mob. I was sure of it. They had
their guns pointed at the federal agents as well. My heart fought against my
chest as my eyes scanned the room searching for Marcus. They landed on Vinnie,
Marcus’s friend, who wore a badge around his neck and locked eyes with mine.
“Mia, I want you to stay where you are. Do not move! Do you understand?”

My mind felt as if I nodded, but I wasn’t sure if I did. I was in
complete shock. Swallowing the huge lump in my throat, I continued to scan the
room. I saw more angry men all with guns who cursed and hissed at one other. The
moment I realized who was standing beside me, he gripped me against his chest
and pressed a gun against my head. “Lou, let her go now!” Vinnie yelled.
Everything was happening so fast. My vision blurred as I tried to focus on something—anything.
My heart thundered against my chest, my breathing increased, and sweat beaded
along my skin.

Lou wrapped his arm around my neck as he pulled me in tighter. My
arms reached up and tried to pull at his grip, but his hold was snug under my
chin. I whimpered as he traced the tip of the gun down the side of my face and
under my jawline. He pinned my head back into his shoulder. His lips grazed the
outside of my ear as he harshly whispered, “Your man’s not around to save you,
huh, princess?” Lou dug his nose in my ear and wildly sniffed in the scent of
my shampoo. “I wonder if I should kill you now and make your death fast and
easy like your brother’s.”

My knees buckled and I collapsed into him. My eyes burned as I
fought to see past the tears. My nails dug into his hold, but I couldn’t pull
him away. It was difficult to breathe as I gasped for air. Laughing, he secured
his grip on me. “After I’m done with you, I’ll make sure we take care of Marky.
I have plans for him, though. I’ll make sure he dies a slow, tortuous, and
painful death.” He sneered in my ear.

I broke into uncontrollable sobs.

“Fuck!” Vinnie spat out. “Lou, let her go! You have nowhere to
run. This whole place is surrounded.”

Lou snapped his head back up to Vinnie. Remembering where we were,
he dragged me back with him until he reached the door. He kicked it opened and
leaned in as far as he could. “We’ll see about that.” He pushed me away,
turning my entire body to face him. A rush of relief washed through me at the
loss of contact and I gulped in air.

With the basement stairway door opened, he leaned in and kept the
gun pointed at me. I tried to swallow as he lowered the gun, gave a lopsided
grin, and said, “Tell your brother I said, ‘Hi.’”

Before I could utter a word, he pulled the trigger, causing a
loud noise to echo through the room. My entire body shattered as I felt the
bullet bite through my chest. I was frozen. Everything around me stilled. I
looked down, and my hand swiped along the burning wound with trembling hands.
Dark red blood spread along my palm. A dizzy spell caught me, and as I tried to
breathe in, my throat wheezed at the failed attempt. My body fell back as I
heard the sounds of gunfire surround me. It all became faint.

I couldn’t breathe. My lungs felt as if someone were squeezing
every single breath left inside of me. My eyes rolled back, and I focused on
the ceiling. With each gasp of air I took in, my mind began to slowly recede.
Images of those I loved faded in and out of my mind: my father, Michael, my
mother, Jeremy, Megan, and my grandparents. The one I loved more than anything and
was willing to give my last breath for, the one that I wanted nothing more than
to see his face one last time—Marcus—his was the last image that crossed my
mind.

Then I grew hungry—hungry for oxygen—anything to help stop the
tortured pain that scorched through my lungs, as I fought for every breath.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

MARCUS

Ice-covered, I couldn’t move. I blinked again to find
out if what I saw the first time was real. And it was. Mia had entered the
hallway from the back parking lot and had opened the doors to the basement
where the bust had just taken place less than five minutes before. I felt my
body grow pale as I saw her go down the stairs where it all was taking place.

“What the hell are you doing? Come on!” Jimmie gripped my
shoulder and lifted me from my chair, pulling me out of my daze and bringing me
back to reality.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. My heart pounded against my fucking chest with
every step I took. It went with the rhythm of the sound of guns firing.

As we reached the door to the basement, we caught sight of Lou,
who was running down the hall. I had a decision to make. Follow him or go see
if Mia was alright. “Go! I’ll check on Mia.” Jimmie shouted over the sound of gunfire.
I hesitated. “Go! All of this will be worth nothing if Lou gets away!” He
shoved my shoulder. Nodding the moment that I realized he was right, one foot
moved in front of the other as I went after Lou.

Everything was happening so fast, but it felt as if I were
playing a movie in my head in slow fucking motion. It wasn’t happening fast
enough.

Once I reached the parking lot, I spotted him by the far end,
where a hidden street led behind a group of brick buildings. Picking up the
pace, I sprinted towards him. The closer I got to him, the more the adrenaline
pumped through me. Reaching for the gun that was pressed against my back, I
pulled it out and aimed it at him as I continued running after him. Once I was
close behind him, he looked back as he heard footsteps approaching. The moment he
locked eyes with mine, he laughed and stopped. He turned around and pointed his
gun at me. Breathing out heavily, he said, “You were responsible for all of
this, Marky?” His faced was filled with amusement.