Page 56 of Ho Ho Mafioso

All I could think was I was going to die because my chick had terrible aim.

“This is going to be easier than I thought,” the man stated smugly. “I’ll just let her take you out, and then I’ll overpower her and take her to Don Sorello.”

I gritted my teeth, snarling. I punched the asshole in the nose, and blood immediately started pouring out. His hands instinctively flew to his face as one final shot rang out.

Then, he fell to the side, a bullet hole in the center of his chest.

I smiled proudly; my girl hit her mark.

She rushed to my side. “Oh my God, Enzo, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

I winced as I sat up. “I know, princess.”

More footsteps sounded and two more men appeared at the top of the stairs. Guess I’d missed a couple earlier when I counted. Gia shot at both of them as I grabbed my shotgun and leveled it at them.

One collapsed down the stairs, landing on the pile of bodies at the base. The other froze, hands raised, face pale.

I cocked the shotgun.

“Walk away.”

He did just that. His boots sounded above us as he ran out of the cabin. Then, silence.

The basement went still.

Gia’s gaze flicked over the fallen men — not with horror, but disbelief.

Then she looked at me.

“You… did all that.”

“We did all that.” I replied, setting the shotgun down, my arm throbbing in pain.

She blinked a few times. “I guess we make a good team.”

“Except when you shoot me,” I teased.

She let out an exasperated sigh. “That wasn’t on purpose.”

I chuckled. “I know.”

She stepped closer until she was right in front of me. Her hands rose, trembling, hesitant, then settled on my shoulders. My muscles tremored, the adrenaline still burning through me. Her brows furrowed, her eyes softening as they ran over me. “You’re hurt.”

“I’m fine.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re lying. I shot you.”

I exhaled, shaky, because she was right and because of the way she was looking at me. After all the violence and chaos, she was looking at me like I was something steady.

Something worth holding on to.

Her forehead touched my chest. Just lightly.

I felt her breath warm through my shirt.

“Don’t scare me like that,” she whispered.

I lifted her chin with two fingers, gently. Her eyes were bright and glassy but full of fire. “I’m okay, Gia. We’re okay. You saved my ass back there.”