Page 46 of The Enforcer

Nova leaned over the edge of the couch, striking the side of Frankie’s neck with a violent, front-knuckle punch. It was a good, clean, wide-open shot, when anyone knew that bone wasn’t too difficult to break.

Or Tino thought anyone knew it.

Apparently someone forgot to tell Frankie.

Carina screamed when the gun fired, and Frankie went down. Nova cleared the couch like a fucking gymnast, shouting, “Run!” right before he kicked Frankie in the head.

Tino’s foot was broken, but he managed to make it to the door with Carina in his arms. He wasn’t even sure how he ended up with her. Some weird instinct. When he jumped up, he just swooped her up too while Nova kicked the shit out of Frankie.

Actuallykicked the shitout of him.

That hit wasn’t something to knock their father down. It was a punch meant tokill him, but there was a reason why Italians, particularly Sicilian Italians, dominated the underworld. Like rats, they thrived in dark places and were extremely difficult to kill.

New York hadn’t gotten rid of either problem.

No war could exterminate them.

There were always more coming out of the woodwork.

And nothing brought them out faster than gunfire.

Tino wasn’t real sure what his plan was, but he was having a hard time with the idea of leaving Nova behind. “Nova!”

“Go! Run, stronzo!” Nova shouted when he came up behind them, and for one heartbeat Tino felt free when he realized his brother was running with them.

Like they could make it.

All three of them could get to the car and just fucking leave.

It was a dumb idea.

Something a twelve-year-old came up with as he grabbed the metal railing on each side and lifted his feet, because he’d been practicing this shit. Stupid cast. Tino went first, but Carina was right behind him, with Nova at her heels.

Tino was halfway down when the others came from around the pool.

The gunfire must have sent them running.

“Grab those fuckers!” Frankie’s voice was gravelly and furious.

Tino didn’t turn around, but he heard Nova go back up, felt the tackle shake the entire staircase. Tino had other problems, namely the four big, thick men in front of him and Carina behind him.

He lifted his legs higher as he slid the rest of the way down and nailed the first guy in the chest, which made the pain explode in his foot like a nuclear bomb.

He couldn’t outrun these assholes, and he suspected they weren’t going to start shooting with Carina in the mix. So Tino fell onto the guy he kicked and hit him like he meant it. It was a Nova sucker punch, something meant to knock someone out rather than just play.

And this motherfucker obviously wasn’t expecting it. He hadn’t even thrown his hands up to protect his face. When he dropped his gun, Tino grabbed it, though he didn’t have the faintest idea how to shoot one.

Tino did, however, know how to slam a blunt metal object into the face of the second asshole who came up from behind and tackled him, but these Sicilians were just like rats. They didn’t go down easily, and they worked better in packs.

Maybe if he’d been a full-grown Sicilian instead of a twelve-year-old, he wouldn’t have ended up choking on grass and blood after fighting for his fucking life. Someone’s knee dug into the back of his neck so hard it cut off his air supply. Then he felt the cold press of a gun against the back of his skull.

“I think this little shit’s on amphetamines. Did you see him coldcock me?” the guy growled, sounding completely breathless. “What thehellare you feeding these bastards, Frankie? I think he broke my friggin’ nose!”

The gun clicked.

Tino still couldn’t breathe, but something about that sound made his body fall still.

“Is he the smart one?”