Page 79 of Caught in the Crossfire

“Easy,” Ryu snickered as he stood, wrapping up his tools and tucking them away into one of the many pockets on his pants.

I entered first, clearing the room before allowing Ryuji and Caspian to enter with Leona. As the four of us made our way slowly yet silently through the house, I was struck again by that feeling ofrightnessthat I’d had the moment I first laid eyes on Leona and Caspian. They fit within our unit seamlessly. Leona had been training hard, and still had skills to develop, but every one of her movements mirrored Wynn’s. I saw flashes of Ryuji’s technique in the way she used her gun to check corners. She had absorbed us like she was a sponge. Despite Caspian’s previous injuries, he moved as if he’d trained with us for years. He was our brother now, through and through.

I’d known all along that she and Caspian were our missing pieces. It felt more right now than ever.

“In here,” Caspian murmured once we cased the upper floors. He stood outside the primary bedroom. His head jerked toward a set of closed double doors.

I lifted a finger to my lips before reaching for the handle. The door opened silently, and we all slipped inside.

There, lying in his bed, asleep like a babe, lay a snoring Guido Lucchese.

A gun waited on the nightstand next to the bed, along with an open bottle of liquor and an antique lamp. Ryuji picked up the bottle, sniffed it, then scowled and put it back. Next, he tucked the gun into the back of his pants before crouching next to the bed to glimpse under Lucchese’s pillow. He shook his head, indicating there were no more hidden weapons.

I waited at the foot of the bed with Leona while Caspian drew the curtains shut, blocking out the dim light of the moon. Then, Ryuji flicked on the lamp.

We waited for Lucchese to startle or move, but he snored on unbothered.

Ryuji rolled his eyes, making Leona smirk. She grabbed the bedsheets and yanked them down, but Lucchese only stirred momentarily and rolled over.

“For fuck’s sake,” Ryuji whispered while he drew a knife. “Let’s just kill him.”

I held up a hand. We could easily kill him, but he could give us more information about the Albanians first. We did not know where Vokshi was. Ciel was positive he would have caught him on cameras exiting the city, which led us to believe he may still be hiding within Lucchese territory.

I pressed the barrel of my gun to Lucchese’s forehead. He jerked awake, eyes bleary, while he blinked. It took a few moments before realization dawned on his face that four people stood around his bed, glaring and heavily armed.

“What the fuck?” he sputtered, attempting to sit up only to be shoved downward by my gun.

“Stay still, or I’ll paint your bed with red,” I said, voice low. He froze, hands clutching his silk pajamas like an old woman clutching her pearls.

Sickening.

Leona sat down on the bed. His eyes widened as he took in the way she flipped a knife end over end, just like Ryu.

“Leona Vero?” he asked while rubbing his eyes.

“Surprised?”

He frowned, face turning indignant. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing here, little girl? Bursting intomyhome. I am a fuckingDon?—”

I shot his kneecap, and the sound of his guttural scream tore through the air. With my suppressor on, the sound was muffled, but it still reverberated through the house. There was no way Lucchese’s sons didn’t hear both sounds.

“Speak to her with respect,” I said, deadly cold. I turned to Ryu and Caspian. “Will you please secure Lucchese’s sons so we are not interrupted?”

“They’re both awake,” Ciel added, watching the cameras from the van. “Intercept them in the hallway.”

They both nodded and left the room while Guido thrashed on the bed, face red with pain.

“Be quiet,” I commanded.

“What do you want?” he gasped. “Money?”

Leona looked down at him. “Orik Vokshi.”

Lucchese’s face paled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“The sons are secured,” Caspian said in our ears. “We’ll hold them out here until you’re ready.”

“Copy,” I said briefly.