Page 31 of Single Mom's Mafia Daddies

“Now isn’t the time to argue.” I locked my stance. “Get inside, Matteo. That’s an order.”

“Fuck you and your orders.” He chucked the tablet into the room and palmed his pistol. “You’re the heir. They want you, and I’ll be damned if I give those men anything more than a bullet through the throat.”

16

LILA

They were so busy arguing about who got to die that neither saw the shadow of a man creeping up from the hallway we’d just left. I waved and pointed, a squeak of protest clawing at my throat.

Matteo and Alessio ignored me—or were too busy trying to out man each other to pay attention. A rifle barrel appeared first, then a hand, an arm. My breathe locked in my throat. The door behind me stood open, a welcoming relief to the dangers outside. But if I went in there without warning them, they’d all die.

“Alessio,” I squeaked.

The rifle drew closer, the man coming into view. Dressed all in black with a ski mask over his face, he reminded me of every cinematic villain I’d ever watched on TV. I refused to be the kind of woman who screamed and fainted in the face of danger. He barely glanced left or right, his attention concentrated on the other end of the hallway. Maybe he’d pass us by.

Wait. Renzo. My stomach dropped so fast my head spun.

I’d always thought time slowed when faced with danger. Bullshit. If anything, it sped up.

The pistol was in my hand before I even thought to grab it. Cool metal pressed into my palm, the grooved finger grips perfect for my hand. Dad’s voice ran through my head.Concentrate. Breathe. Point. Shoot.I lifted the gun and aimed down the sight.

A bulletproof vest covered the man’s chest, but a shot there might knock him back and give us all time to escape. One second turned into two. I ran out of time for thinking and raised the gun, aiming just above the vest, and squeezed the trigger. Blood spurted and sprayed in a wide arc.

Alessio dove to cover me and Leo, his arms braced on either side of our bodies. “Matteo.”

“He’s dead.” Matteo pushed at Alessio, urging him to move. “I’ll watch for more. Get inside.”

“This is ridiculous.” I elbowed Alessio. “We should all go inside.”

“Can’t leave Renzo.” Matteo heaved Alessio toward the door. “The panel is messed up. I left you the tablet, but the door’s going to close in five seconds.”

Alessio tried to fight back, but Matteo pinned one of Alessio’s arms behind his back and pushed him through. His gaze caught mine as I followed with Leo in my arms. “You remember what I said about him and small spaces?”

“Yes.”

He checked his weapons without looking at me. “Singing helps.” Then he was gone, cutting around the statue and taking up a position to watch Renzo’s back. The doors shut, leaving us in darkness.

Alessio cursed and stumbled past me, his shoulder knocking into mine and sending me sideways a step. “There’s a light switch.” His voice took on a hard edge. “Do you see Matteo’s tablet?”

“Right there.” Leo wiggled in my arms. “I see it.” He patted my shoulders, then my cheeks, and turned my head. “You see it?”

“Found the light.” Relief coursed through Alessio’s tone as light flooded the room.

I blinked at the sudden brightness and moved to retrieve Matteo’s tablet, lowering Leo to the ground. “I thought this was a panic room.”

I tried to take it all in, but it was too overwhelming. A row of computers took up half a wall behind me. To my left was a series of lockers, each one standing open to reveal clothing of varying styles and sizes. Another door stood open to my right, and I saw a sink and metal shelves stacked with food, along with a coffee maker and portable stove.

“It was my father’s,” Alessio grunted, bending to scoop up the tablet. He tapped a few keys, looked at the door, and frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” He shook his head and dropped the tablet onto a nearby table. Everything in the room was either metal or some kind of heavy plastic. Cold air pumped in from a small vent.

I buffed my arms and helped Leo into one of the metal chairs near the computer system. Once I had him settled, I moved to stand in front of Alessio, close enough to see the worry in his eyes and the way his pulse shuddered in his chest.

“Don’t lie to me.”

“I can’t open the door. Matteo overrode the system so I can’t get out to help them.”