Page 28 of Enemy of Ours #1
ROMEO
Almost three years ago
The church
I don’t think I’ve ever driven so fast in my life.
When I left O’Connor’s house, I didn’t waste any time.
I’ve run over curbs and almost hit a few pedestrians while driving on the sidewalk.
I’m currently speeding down Fifth Avenue to get to the cathedral before it’s too late.
I know my cousins are somewhere behind me in another vehicle, but they can’t keep up as I run every single red light and stop sign at the speed of one hundred and forty.
I’m not wasting time; every second counts.
I know what type of men these are. They will do anything and everything to make men like Danny O’Connor fall in line with their plans.
It isn’t like my familia; we make sure our women and children are kept safe, while theirs…
are sacrificed and set as an example of what happens when you don’t listen to the church.
Blood will be spilled tonight by my hand.
I don’t give a flying fuck that I’m about to paint the house of God red.
Those men don’t belong there anyway. I’m doing a favor by getting rid of them.
They will all disappear from the face of the earth for taking what’s mine.
My knuckles tighten on the steering wheel as the cathedral comes into view at the end of the street.
Its towering structure, visible under the full moon, looks haunting and sinister, almost like it doesn’t belong surrounded by modern, sky-high buildings.
I know the church has been around since the eighteen hundreds, so nothing much has changed except probably minor repairs to keep the building standing.
Stone and marble facades encircle the entire cathedral on the outside with stained glass windows.
The stone appears old, with green and black grime covering the whole church because it's so aged.
You would think the place is abandoned, but the two men dressed in all black who are guarding the imposing wooden double doors tell a different story.
I slow the car down and turn into an alleyway a mile away from the church, coming out on the other side onto Sixth Street and taking a left.
I slow down on the accelerator the closer I get to the church; I don’t want these fuckers to know I’m heading for them.
The view of the back of the church is just as haunting, but it’s unguarded.
It gives me the perfect opportunity to sneak around the front unnoticed.
I’ll take the rest of the way on foot, deciding to use my knife at the last possible second so no one hears when I start killing the men who took my woman.
It’s best to sneak in quietly to prevent them from doing anything rash, such as hurting Iris…
that is, if they haven’t already done so.
I swear if they’ve hurt a hair on her pretty head, I’ll lose my fucking mind and just start shooting.
That’s the only plan I have right now, at least until I’m actually inside to see what I’m up against, so for now it’s guns tucked away and knives out.
I don’t wait for my men to show up; I’m wasting precious time as it is.
I know they are minutes behind me, but she could be hurt right now.
I’m not waiting around. I can’t. Not when her life is on the line.
I can’t imagine a world without her gorgeous smile in it, her bright green eyes laughing but also passionate.
God. Her stubbornness, the tilt of her Irish accent when she’s being sassy.
No. I can’t live in a world without her in it.
I refuse. Fate has intertwined our lives for a long time, starting from that cabin where we both received matching scars.
That was destiny. I was meant to save her then and meet her years later, once she grew into the beautiful woman she is. She is meant to be mine, and I hers.
I get out of my car, double-checking my guns as I slick back the chambers to see if they’re loaded.
I know they are, but I’m not taking any chances just in case.
Satisfied, I quietly shut my door and walk towards the trunk to open it.
I pull up the hatch under the carpet and try to decide which knives I want to take.
I have a whole display of weapons at my disposal.
I’m tempted to take the sniper rifle, but I want to get up close with these fuckers as I slit their throats.
“So what’s the plan? Clean and easy or fuck shit up?” Gemma whispers to my right, not surprising me as she appears out of the fucking shadows like a ghost.
I’ve trained her well, and so did her father before he retired from being the family hitman.
“You aren’t going in. You get the clean and easy job. Here.” I grab the rifle along with an earpiece and shove it in her hands before going back to counting how many knives I can store on my body.
“Don’t worry, Don. We’ll get her out of there, and I have your back.” She promises with a wicked grin and leaves just as quickly as she arrived. Whistling a cheery tune quietly to herself as if she’s having a good time, she blends back into the shadows like she belongs there.
“I wonder if we created a monster sometimes,” Enzo says as he jogs over to my car, hunching over to catch his breath for a few seconds before straightening up and fixing his crooked tie.
”Probably. I don’t give a shit, though. As long as she’s on the scope, hitting her targets dead center in the forehead, she can be our monster all she wants,” I reply, taking a deep breath. I’m packing enough that there isn’t any room left except for the two small knives I tuck up my sleeves.
”She can’t die, Enzo. I won’t survive it,” I admit; my tone comes out sober as it becomes crystal clear that she’s it for me.
”She won’t,” he says seriously, his expression dark as he grabs an earpiece and hands me one before closing the trunk. “Let’s do this.”
This thing of ours.
My thoughts go into a peaceful place, quiet as all my focus narrows down to one thing. Iris.
“On your twelve, boss. Heading right towards you.” Gemma’s voice echoes into my ear the moment I put my earpiece on.
I curse under my breath and pull my gun out of the back of my belt with quick movements and aim at the mouth of the alley.
Enzo makes eye contact with me, tilting his head to the side, waiting for my instructions.
It’s too fucking dark to make out anything.
Damn it, I need Tony and the rest of my men here, but they are too far out—fifteen minutes tops. Too late.
”Now, now, lads. Put the guns down before anyone gets hurt.” A familiar chuckle and thick Irish accent echo down the alley, and a head of red hair comes into view.
”James.” My shoulders relax the moment he steps in front of us, his chest level with my gun.
He raises an eyebrow and waits for me to lower it, which I do, but I’m tempted to shoot him in the kneecaps for sneaking up on us. He’s completely dressed head to toe in black, with an M4 rifle leaning against his shoulder.
”Romeo. My sperm donor called; something about him bleeding out and needing the doc, but he didn’t quite mention Iris until I threatened his balls on a rested silver platter.
The fucker got my baby sister kidnapped.
Now the question is, how are you involved in all this?
” he asks as his cocky smile slips off his face, swinging his rifle down into his hands while his fingers fidget near the trigger.
I can only roll my eyes. I don’t have time for this shit, so we might as well get straight to the point, or we’ll be here all night arguing.
”She’s mine.” I state evenly, staring into his green eyes, which are a slightly darker shade than Iris’s. “Now, let’s stop trying to measure each other's dicks because mine’s bigger anyway. Iris has been in there for too long.”
I don’t let him get another word in as I jog down the alley, but I do crack a small smile as I hear him swearing up a blue streak. I allow myself one second before calming my mind and checking in with Gemma to see if the coast is clear.
”All good, boss. Just the two goons at the front entrance. I can take one out, but the other is behind one of the columns; I don’t have a clear view of him,” she informs me, her tone serious, which lets me know she’s in business mode.
”Wait for my order. I can get into the front entrance from one of the side archways.” I command and take off running down the side of the church, sticking close to the shadows.
Once I reach the front, I slow my steps, watching where I’m walking so I don’t make any noises, and peek around the corner of the stone wall. One of the men is leaning against the column by the double doors, and the other is taking a fucking piss on the wall.
“Jesus. Gemma?” I glance behind me, seeing Enzo and James making finger signals with each other that look absolutely ridiculous.
”Say when, boss. I have a direct target on the one by the doors,” she responds.
I don’t bother waiting. I come around the corner, and in five strides I’m behind the dumb fuck who decided it was a great time to take a piss while on the job.
”Now.” I order, sliding my knife out of my sleeve smoothly and into my waiting palm as I stand behind the man, who freezes once he hears my voice.
My blade slides across the flesh of his throat as I grab his forehead to expose his neck more.
The thin line from my knife sprays blood everywhere; he’s dead before he even hits the ground.
I hear a quiet sound like a strong wind and look over to see the other guy guarding the door dead with a bullet in the center of his forehead.
”Good work.” I comment over the earpiece and whistle for Enzo and James to follow me on either side with their guns raised. “Kill shot for anyone else who isn’t us or Iris coming out of the church,” I instruct her, blocking out everything else as I creak open the church's front entry double doors.