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M iceli parks the Range Rover in a clump of trees and bushes, obscuring it from the road. Meanwhile, Angelo, Vin and Enzo are driving around and parking in the back part of the property. They will sneak up in a rear attack and take down any guards they find. And the third part of our plan involves the other four families; I just pray they follow through and don’t let us down.

As if in answer, a parade of luxury vehicles suddenly drives past us and they boldly pull into the driveway right in front of Gallo’s farmhouse which I can see through the trees in the distance.

“Here comes the calvary,” Miceli murmurs.

“I think we’re the calvary,” I say and start jogging toward the barn. “C’mon, let’s get my girl.”

Miceli catches up and is looking over at me, but I don’t pay him any attention or give him an explanation. There’s no time and what little time there is left, it’s running out fast. There are a lot of moving pieces in this plan, all happening right now, and we need to stay ahead of Gallo if we have a chance of pulling this off and rescuing Carlotta.

“Remind me to pick up this conversation later,” he says, but he almost sounds amused. Not angry or upset in the least which is very reassuring. Definitely a good sign that he doesn’t want to kick my ass for sleeping with his sister. Hell, it’s more than that. For loving his sister.

Time to shelve those thoughts for later, though. Now, it’s time to finish this and save Lottie.

“Sure thing.” I pull my gun from its holster, and he does the same as we close in on the barn. Gallo had said Carlotta may have an hour or only forty-five minutes before the trap door opens. If we’re working with the latter, then we need to haul ass because it’s damn close to the forty-five minute mark.

Please, please, please let her be alright, I think. There is so much I want to tell her, so many things I still want to do with her. She has to be okay. I refuse to accept the alternative. Fucking refuse.

We circle around the dilapidated barn and I spot a back door facing the fields.

“There,” I whisper and run forward. As quietly as possible, I push the door open and we sweep into the lower level of the barn. Moving my gun from one side to the other, I clear the main area and keep moving.

I know Carlotta is on the second level somewhere and I’m looking for stairs or a ladder. Something that will get me up there.

“No one’s here,” Miceli states and I nod. No guards, no Gallo, no nothing. But that works in our favor.

Unless we’re already too late.

Where the hell is she?

“Carlotta?” I whisper-hiss, searching for access to the upper level. As we approach the other side of the dim barn, I finally find what I’m looking for. “There!”

Running fast, I leap up onto the ladder and take two rungs at a time, my boots moving fast, one after the other. Yes, I’m being reckless because a guard could be up here. But time is nearly out. I don’t have the luxury of dicking around. Besides, Miceli is below me, gun aimed up, ready to blow away anyone who might suddenly appear.

Jumping up into the loft, I see Carlotta and my heart falls. Fuck me. She’s up on her toes, a rough rope wrapped around her neck, and her eyes are wide in fear.

“Hurry!” she rasps, her body twisting, her fingers clawing at the rope.

I race over to her, swoop my arms around her body then step back off the trap door. Lifting her up, holding her tight to me, I support her weight so it eases off her neck. A second later the door drops and I wobble slightly, teetering right on the edge.

“Holy shit,” I whisper, my attention zeroing in on the empty space between us and the floor below. The idea that we just got here in the nick of time makes me hold Carlotta that much tighter.

That was way too damn close for comfort.

“Oh, God,” Carlotta murmurs, voice full of emotion.

“Hang on, sweetheart. We’ll have you down in just a minute,” I assure her.

“Damon,” she cries, arms around me, holding so tightly. She’s still scared she’s going to fall, but not on my watch. No fucking way.

“I’ve got you, Lottie, and I’m not letting go. I promise, honey.”

Miceli appears and I tip my chin downward. “There’s a knife in my boot,” I tell him, and he quickly drops down and unsheathes it. It’s military-issued, sharp as shit, and will get the job done fast in a heartbeat.

Standing back up, Miceli quickly gets to work, using the blade to saw through the rope. I can feel Carlotta’s fingers digging into my shoulders. Poor thing is holding on for dear life.

“Hurry,” I whisper to him.

“Almost there,” Miceli states, working as fast as he can.

Several loud popping sounds pierce the air right outside the barn and I exchange a worried glance with Miceli. No doubt about it—they were definitely gunshots. And that can only mean Vin, Enzo and Angelo ran into some trouble or bad company.

A moment later, the rope breaks and Carlotta is free. I let her slide down my body then hug her tightly to me. “I was so worried about you,” I whisper, running my hands down her head and back. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she murmurs against my chest then pulls back. “Please just help me get this thing off my neck. Please .”

Her voice has a raspy quality because the rope was wound so tightly around it and I can feel my blood boil. How dare Gallo string up the woman I love by her delicate neck.

The thought moves through my head and, a second later, I realize its significance.

Love.

I love Carlotta Rossi.

I knew I did after she was taken, but I’m surprised at how easily the thought came.

Holy shit. I am a man who is head over ass in love.

But before I can think too hard about what that means, I want that fucking rope off her neck. Together we remove the horrible noose and drop in on the hay-covered floor. I’d like nothing more than to burn the offending thing, but we haven’t got time for that.

“I thought I was going to die,” she says, her dark eyes bright with unshed tears. I can tell she’s already been crying from her red face and my heart swells.

“Not on my watch, sweetheart.” I pull her close and press my lips to hers. But before anything can get too steamy, a throat clears and we reluctantly move apart. Miceli is watching us closely and I slide my arm around Carlotta’s waist, making it clear that she’s mine, whether he likes it or not.

Hopefully we get his—and her whole family’s—approval. But, first things first.

“No time for that,” Miceli interrupts, his lips twitching as he tries not to smile. “We have a plan to follow through with and an asshole to eliminate. Plus, those were gunshots and they might need some backup.”

“Roger that,” I say, my voice firm, steady and full of determination. Right now, my part of the plan, and my first priority, involves escorting Carlotta back to the Range Rover and making sure she gets to safety. Meanwhile, Miceli will join his brothers and confront Gallo, along with the other members of the Five Families.

We climb down the ladder, leaving that god awful loft behind, and now it’s time to go our separate ways and fulfill the plan.

“Get to the car,” Miceli says, hurrying toward the front of the barn.

“See you soon,” I say and he nods.

“Be careful!” Carlotta calls out.

I reach for Carlotta’s hand and pull her with me, back toward the rear exit where Miceli and I came in. “We’re going this way, sweetheart,” I tell her, guiding her back through the barn as quickly as possible.

The sooner I get her safely back in the SUV, the better I’ll feel. Because right now I have the strangest feeling that we’re walking on a landmine—and, at any second, we could run into a hidden bomb and be blown to hell.

Maybe I’m just being paranoid, but my gut is screaming a warning at me to be careful. And this time, I’m going to listen.

Once we reach the door, I make sure Carlotta is safely behind me, then carefully open it and peer outside. The coast looks clear, so whatever was happening earlier is over. Most likely, the Rossi brothers took down some guards and now everyone is inside the house, discussing Gallo’s future.

Or, imminent demise.

“Let’s go,” I hiss and pull her outside. Still holding hands we hurry along the edge of the barn and, just as we’re about to reach the end of the building, Carmine Gallo comes running around the corner. Eyes wild with blood running down the side of his face, he’s waving a gun.

Shit.

I skid to a halt, pushing Carlotta behind me in case Gallo decides to take a shot. I just rescued my girl from certain death, so I’m not about to let her get shot by this maniac.

When he sees Carlotta, Gallo becomes infuriated. “You should be dead!” he yells.

That’s it. I am officially done with this asshole. Lifting my gun, I’m about to take my shot when I hear movement. Glancing over my shoulder, I see two guards move up behind us.

“Don’t move,” one of them growls, and I freeze.

Behind me, Carlotta makes a soft, mewling sound, her fingers digging into my arm. “Damon,” she says softly.

I can hear the tremor in her voice and I turn to see one of the thugs has the barrel of his gun pressed against her back.

“Toss your weapon,” he orders, yanking her away from me.

Clenching my jaw, and without much of an option, I throw my pistol aside and tighten my hands into fists.

Goddammit. Where the hell is Miceli and everyone else? Why is Gallo out here with his men? Determined to protect Carlotta, I meet her worried eyes and give her a slight, hopefully reassuring, tilt of my head. I refuse to let anything else bad happen to her. Not when she just barely escaped being hanged.

“Get back in the barn,” Gallo snaps.

I grit my teeth, not wanting to return to the barn of death. But, at this point, we don’t seem to have a choice. However, maybe I can strike a bargain while we walk.

“Why don’t you let her go?” I suggest. “And then you can go talk business with the men waiting inside your house.”

“They aren’t here to talk business,” he seethes. “They want me dead! But they’re the ones who are going to die. You all are for what you did to my son…my family.”

I have no idea what he’s talking about, but Carlotta doesn’t hesitate to speak up.

“What happened to Maximo was a tragedy,” she says in a gentle voice, “but no one wanted to hurt him. Not purposely. My family would’ve helped him if they could have, I promise you that.”

“Save your promises for someone who cares,” Gallo snaps. “The harsh truth is my son is dead and it’s because of your family. Nothing will bring him back, but I will get my revenge.”

So apparently Gallo blames the Rossi’s for his son’s demise. I don’t know any of the details, but suddenly things are starting to make more sense.

“I thought you wanted a seat at the table,” I say carefully, trying not to agitate the man further. We’re just stepping back into the barn and he swipes a hand over his cheek, smearing the blood there.

“All I want is to end the Rossi family,” he grates out, “and I won’t stop until they’re all six feet under. Starting with you.”

He turns his hateful gaze on Carlotta, pinning her with a daggered look full of wrath. The next thing I know, he lifts his gun and fires.

And I do the only thing I can do.

I jump in front of my girl.