Page 31 of The Mobster’s Daughter (Massachusetts Mafia #2)

Caitlin

T hey were on the road. Again. How many hours had she spent in the car over the last six days, staring out the window?

Had it really been less than a week since Bobby died?

Everything was a blur, the days bleeding into each other.

Exhaustion colored her view of the world, turning it soft and fuzzy around the edges.

The fatigue was a dull throb in the center of her brain, making it hard to think, while the rhythmic hum of the tires and the neon lights flashing by lulled her into a hypnotic state.

She rested her head against the glass with her eyes closed, wondering how many more sleepless nights she would be forced t o endure.

Caitlin wanted her life back ― her stupid, boring, going-to-law-school life. If she could go back in time, she’d walk away from Bobby. Maybe she’d even run in the other direction. If they had never dated, none of this would have happened.

“Would have, could have, should have,” she mumbled under h er breath.

“What?” Gr ady asked.

She shook her head. “Nothing. Talking to myself. The ‘what-if?’ game. What if I hadn’t dated Bobby? What if I had been inside the apartment? What if, what if, what if?” She pressed two fingers into the center of her forehead. “I’m tire d, Grady.”

He reached over and took her hand. “I know, princess. Hopefully, it will be o ver soon.”

The weight of Grady’s hand on hers was a minor comfort, as well as a reminder of what they faced once this was over.

They had two choices—a life together or a life apart.

The first choice subjected them to the wrath of Sean O’Reilly.

The second choice was not one Caitlin wanted to think about it.

Everything about her was inexplicably connected to Grady, and she couldn’t picture herself living wi thout him.

Unfortunately, it might not matter whether she pictured herself with Grady or not.

His promise to “figure something out” was empty at best. Caitlin suspected her future meant a life with no Grady.

She pushed the thought away, afraid if she lingered too long on the possibility of a future without Grady, she’d cry.

She glanced at the clock on the dashboard. It wouldn’t be long before they were in Smithtown where they would face Lev. They had to get him to Moretti; her life depen ded on it.

The thought made her stomach churn. Undoubtedly, getting Lev to Moretti was an impossible task.

He’d put up a fight and if he had Joey LaGuardia and Gino Russo by his side, it would be anything but easy.

She’d seen enough violence in the last week to know how quickly things could spiral out of control.

Fear snaked up her spine, sending a chill racing th rough her.

The headlights of a passing vehicle illuminated Grady’s face for a moment.

His jaw was set, determined, his eyes narrowed, and his brow furrowed.

Caitlin was sure he had a plan—he always did.

He was sharp, intuitive, used to dangerous situations.

He wouldn’t walk into the lion’s den without an idea of how t o proceed.

She fought to keep her breathing steady. If only this was a nightmare she could wake up from instead of her new reality. Deep down, she knew things would only get worse before they g ot better.

The car slowed as they approached a turnoff on the outskirts of Smithtown. Grady drove a short distance down the road, pulled onto the shoulder, and shut off the car. When the lights went out, the dark encompassed them completely. It took a few minutes for Caitlin’s eyes to adjust to the darkness.

“We’re close to the house,” Grady said, drawing her out of her musings.

He opened his phone, pulling up a map of the property.

“According to Dmitry, no one else should be in there except for Lev, Joey, and Gino. If we’re lucky, they won’t be worried someone will show up, so they’ll be inside.

” He enlarged the map and pointed at it.

“There is no road leading to the back of this place; it butts up against the river. I’m going to go in the back door.

Hopefully, the assholes won’t know what hit them. ”

“What do you want me to do?” she asked.

“You are stay ing here.”

“No, I’m not,” Caitli n snapped.

Grady reached into the back seat and grabbed a duffle bag, dragging it onto the seat between them. He opened it and took out a gun. He checked the magazine, cocked it, then he tucked the gun in his waistband.

“Yes, you are. I cannot have you in there, distracting me. I need you to stay here. You can lie low until I get Chertok out of there.” He put his phone in the front pocket of his jeans.

“I’ll call you when I’ve got him. Drive up to the house, I’ll throw Lev in the trunk, and we go.

” He took hold of her chin, forcing her to look at him.

“Do as you are told for once, okay? None of your bullshit.”

Caitlin winced at the harshness of his words, but she nodded, her throat too tight to speak. It was useless to argue with him, as she wouldn’t win. She could only watch as he kissed her forehead, shoved open the door, got out, and started up the road.

“Bastard,” she muttered under h er breath.

Grady was almost out of sight. Caitlin could let him go and stay in the car like a good girl, or she could follow him. It took her less than ten seconds to decide.

She reached into the duffle bag, grabbed a gun, and tucked it in her waistband.

Then she slid to the driver’s side, removed the keys from the ignition, and shoved them in her coat pocket.

When she got out of the car, she was careful to close the door as quietly as possible before she walked up the road after Grady with the gun in her hand.

The last time she’d held a gun, she’d killed a man.

Her hands shook, and another wave of fear crashed over her. She closed her eyes, willin g it away.

Her pulse pounded in her ears, drowning out all other sounds. Caitlin stayed back, following Grady from a hundred yards away. When he reached the driveway, he slipped into the trees on the side of the narrow road leading to the house.

Caitlin followed him, sticking to the fence line on the east side. It took her a minute to realize it had gotten easier to see the closer she got to the house. Every light in the place shone brightly. Upstairs, downstairs, even the lights outside we re ablaze.

Grady paused, and she ducked behind a tree. She watched him cut across the lawn and pause next to a large bush before he darted through an unlo cked door.

Caitlin’s hand tightened around her gun, her fingers aching.

This was the moment she’d both waited for and dreaded, so she couldn’t back down now.

She checked to make sure no one was nearby, then she hurriedly crossed the grass to the same door Grady had entered, turned the knob, and pushe d it open.

It opened to a mudroom off the kitchen. It was dimly lit, the only light coming from a bulb above the sink.

She inched forward, pausing at the end of the counter to listen.

Voices came from somewhere to her left. One of them was loud, gruff, and abrasive, while the other was calm with a Russi an accent.

Lev.

Caitlin moved through the house, out of the kitchen, and through a dining room that came out into a long hallway.

Grady stood outside a room, his back against the wall.

She ducked into an open doorway and waited a few seconds to make sure he hadn’t seen her, then she peered around the corner.

He was crouched beside the entrance to the room, head down, b ody tense.

Caitlin ran along the hall on her tiptoes, staying close to the wall, eyes on Grady. Before she could reach him, he stood up and walked into the room.

“Good evening, gentlemen,” she heard him s ay calmly.

She took the spot where he stood seconds earlier, crouched, and looked around the corner. If the situation hadn’t been one fraught with danger, Caitlin would have laughed at the shocked looks on the me n’s faces.

Everything happene d at once.

Lev’s hand opened, his drink tumbling to the floor.

The thick glass bounced once on the carpet, hit him in the knee, and rolled to a stop a foot away from him.

Lev shouted something unintelligible as he dove behind a small leather couch.

Joey and Gino reached for their guns, but Grady fired first, the shot deafening in the confi ned space.

Joey dropped to the floor as blood flowed from his shoulder, immediately staining his cream-colored shirt crimson red. He dragged himself behind the couch with Lev. Gino darted behind a pillar in the center of the room.

Grady aimed his gun in Gino’s direction and pulled the trigger three times. Wood splintered off th e pillar.

The mobster screame d, “Fuck!”

Joey popped up from behind the couch, a sadistic smile on his face, blood running down his left arm, his gun pointed directly at Grady. Everything slowed to a snail’s pace as Joey’s finger tightened on th e trigger.

Without thinking, Caitlin got to her feet, lunged forward, and slammed into Grady from behind, knocking him to the ground as the shot rang out. The bullet whizzed past them, hitting a painting of a serene lake on the wall be hind them.

“God dammit!” Grady raged, his eyes alight with fury. He scrambled to his feet. “S tay down!”

Lev jumped up and backed away, headed for a door on the left side of the room, Joey in front of him, moving with his boss. She didn’t see Gino anywhere.

Another shot rang out, grazing a table near Grady. Grady fired back, hitting Joey right in the center of his chest. He collapsed to the floor in front of Lev, dead.

For a moment, Lev was exposed. Caitlin didn’t hesitate. She got to her knees, raised her gun, and fired.

To her surprise, the shot hit its mark. Lev grunted in pain and stumbled forward, his leg buckling beneath him. He dropped to one knee, clutching his thigh as blood gushed from the wound.

Grady was on him in an instant, Caitlin right behind him, her body still humming with adrenaline. Lev locked eyes with her as she stood over him, pain and rage warring on his face.

“You сука ,” Lev muttered. “This is n’t over.”

Grady leaned over him. “Trust me, it is.” He loosened his belt, yanked it out of his jeans, and held it out to her. “Put this around his leg before he bl eeds out.”

She stepped forward to do as he asked. As she moved to secure the belt around Lev’s leg, his expression shifted. His eyes flicked past her and focused on something over her shoulder. Before she could react, she heard a low growl of anger.

Gino.

Caitlin barely had time to turn before Gino, bloodied but still on his feet, rushed at her with a knife in his hand. Grady shouted her name, but she was already moving, instinct taking over. She fell to the side, narrowly avoiding the slash of the blade.

The next few seconds were a blur. Grady darted forward and hit Gino with enough force to send them both crashing to the floor.

The knife flew out of Gino’s hand as the two men struggled.

Grady punched Gino in the jaw, but Gino fought back, hitting Grady in the kidneys, his fists flying, pummeling Grady as his bloodied face twisted in anger.

Caitlin dropped Grady’s belt and scrambled across the floor to grab the knife.

Her fingers closed around the cold metal handle as Gino shoved Grady off, pounced on him, and wrapped his hands around his throat.

Panic rushed through her at the thought of losing the man she loved.

She jumped on Gino’s back, screaming as she plunged the knife into the side of his neck.

His grip on Grady loosened, and he fell over, blood spurting from his neck like a broken dam. He grunted, flailing wildly as he struggled to contain the crimson tide pouring out of him. A strange gurgle came out of him. The n nothing.

Grady gasped for air, coughing as he sat up. He stared at Caitlin, eyes wide with both shock a nd relief.

“Thank you,” he rasped.

Caitlin dropped the knife from her shaking hands. She trembled from head to toe from the fear that had clung so tightly to her just moment s earlier.

But it was over. At least part of it. Joey and Gino were dead, and they had Lev. Now they had to get him t o Moretti.

“I thought I told you to stay in the car,” Grady muttered.

“I didn’t listen,” sh e mumbled.

“No shit.” He got to his feet and hurried to L ev’s side.

The Russian appeared to have passed out. Grady kneeled beside him and checked his pulse. “He’s still alive. Give me the belt.”

Caitlin reached for it, freezing when she saw her hand completely covered in blood. A choked wheeze came out of her. She snatched the belt and tossed it at Grady.

“I … I need to wash my hands.” She sprinted out of the room, down the hall to the kitchen. She turned on the water, dumped soap on her bloody hands, and scrubbed until they were raw.

“Are you okay?”

Startled, she squeaked, bumping her elbow on the faucet as she swung to face him. Grady stood in the doorway, his arm around Lev, holding the ma n upright.

“Um … yeah, sorry.” She wiped her wet hands on her jeans. “Can we get out of here?”

Grady tossed her a set of keys. “I took those from Gino. I think they’re for the SUV out front. We’ll t ake that.”

Caitlin followed him out the door they’d come through and around the side of the house. The black Escalade, likely the same one they’d thrown her into, was parked next to a closed garage. She hit the button on the remote and the light s flashed.

Grady opened the back of the vehicle, angling Lev inside while she got in the driver’s seat. Once Grady was seated beside her, she looked at him, grim and d etermined.

“Let’s get this asshole to Moretti,” she said.