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“Tell who what?” I asked.

“Xavier. That I’m late.”

“Late for what?”

“Late, late. As in my period, late.”

Elvis and I stared at her for a moment before we were able to figure it out. I spoke first. “You’re…pregnant?”

Basia sniffled. “Maybe.”

“Holy crap, Basia. Are youkiddingme? Is that why you got sick and why you’ve been in a mood all week?”

“I havenotbeen in a mood,” Basia said, raising her voice.

“Shhh!” Elvis and I hushed her together.

“I have not been in a mood,” she said again, this time lowering her tone. “Well, maybe a little. Okay, fine. I’ve been a hot mess this entire week, especially with the throwing up in the car and all. It’s probably the hormones. But now I may never know what it’s like to be a mom, and Xavier won’t even know that he was almost a dad.” She started to cry softly.

I could only stare at her in disbelief. How could this be happening? An assassination attempt on the first lady was underway atmywedding rehearsal dinner, Basia was possibly pregnant, Xavier was missing, Slash was directly in the line of fire, and all my family and friends were in serious danger.

Nope, my life couldn’t get any more messed up.

“Xavier doesn’t know?” I asked her. “Or even suspect? You haven’t discussed this with him at all?”

“Of course I haven’t. I need to take a pregnancy test to confirm. What if I’m wrong? I have a test in my suitcase, but I haven’t taken it yet. And neither of you can say anything to him yet.”

“I can’t believe this is happening.” Elvis moaned and held his head between his hands. “My sister-in-law is pregnant and I’m going to be an uncle…but only if we survive the next ten minutes.”

“IthinkI’m pregnant,” Basia corrected. “And you may not be an uncle, because I may not be a mother. We could die in this bathtub.”

I held up a hand. My brain was about to explode. “Stop it. Both of you. We’re not going to die. We’re going to be calm and get through this. Basia, you’re going to take that pregnancy test, and you’ll tell Xavier yourself what the results are. AndifBasia is pregnant, Elvis, you’ll be a fantastic uncle, or funcle, as I’ve heard people say, which is weird, but there you have it. Are we clear on that?”

They both remained silent. Nope, I hadn’t convinced them of anything. How could I blame them? I spoke with confidence, but the truth was, as the fierce firefight continued below, I was starting to have my own doubts. I had no idea what was happening, but Slash and the others were vulnerable without weapons and protective gear. I was clueless as to how they’d hold off a team of determined and well-armed intruders. I wanted to help, but how? I closed my eyes and willed him to feel me sending my love and support.

Please stay alive, Slash. I need you.

There wasn’t much else I could do.

ELEVEN

Slash

As I crawled toward the kitchen door, I heard Gio’s hushed voice, speaking to me in Italian. “Agent Troy is in bad shape. I’ve got his P90 and will hold this entrance.”

“Be careful, brother,” I hissed. “They’re firing through the walls. That’s how they got Troy. I don’t want them to get you, too.”

“Hell, no. I’m pissed now.”

I swung the P90 onto my back and continued crawl. Just before I reached the kitchen, I lifted my head and cracked it hard on the corner of a metal serving cart stationed near the entrance to the kitchen. A pot of sauce spilled off the cart thumping my head again and leaving my hands covered in a garlicky-smelling goop.

I must have grunted, because Gio called out. “You okay over there?”

“I’m fine,” I said, shaking out my hands just as another round of fire came from outside the kitchen. This volley sounded closer and was longer. Their attack was getting more aggressive as they sensed, rightfully, that the kitchen wasn’t heavily guarded.

Lying on the floor, I pushed opened the swinging door to the kitchen with my arm and got a hail of bullets above my head for the trouble.

“Tito?” I called out and was rewarded with another burp of machine gun fire right over my head, but lower this time. There was no response, so I wasn’t sure if Tito had heard me, was afraid to reveal his position, or was down. This impasse couldn’t last much longer. Our adversaries had to know that help was on the way, and they’d get desperate soon.