Page 78 of Wounded King

From the corner of my eye, I see Violet enter the restaurant, followed by the redhead. Luciano positions himself by the door and opens fire at the men by the alley entrance.

I want to curse him out, but I run out of bullets and have to switch magazines while he keeps the assailants busy. No matter how quick I am, Luciano just saved my life by defying my orders. Fucker.

I wait for him to need to reload, then open fire again, keeping the men, five of them, from advancing.

Two more appear on top of the wall dividing the alley from whatever building is on the other side.

"Duck!" I yell at Luciano as I take the first down, but two more appear.

Luciano throws a dark look at me:I told you it was a trap.

"Get over here, I'll cover you," Luciano alternates shooting ahead of him and over his back to keep the assailants at bay.

Not seeing an alternative, I follow his advice. Ducking and shooting, I sprint the short distance from the dumpster to the side door.

"Where are our men?"

"Almost here," Luciano presses out.

Violet lets out a small scream when she sees me, but the redhead stops her from jumping at me. Whoever she is, the woman has a good head on her shoulders.

Screams from the restaurant's main area announce the arrival of more enemies.

"Shit," Luciano curses and yells into his phone.

With both exits blocked, we're sitting ducks. I spot an office. It's not ideal, especially since there's no window inside, but it will have to do.

"Over there," I tell Luciano and grab Violet, trusting the redhead to have the smarts to follow us. In any case, she's not my concern.

"We'll be trapped," the redhead points out.

"Backup is on the way," Luciano informs her.

We usher the women in. "Get behind the desk."

"Marcello," Violet's eyes are pleading with me.

"Get down." There's so much more I want to tell her, but right now, my priority is to keep her safe.

Luciano and I move two large, metallic filing cabinets in front of the door and stand on either side, guns drawn.

We only have seconds before the first fist pounds on the door, and then a barrage of bullets hits it. Luciano and I throw ourselves to the floor, and I pray Violet and the other woman are doing the same.

This is going to get a whole lot uglier before it gets better.

The sound of gunshots is muffled but still terrifying as hell. I throw my arms over my head and pray nobody will get hit. Most of the bullets get stuck in the wall, but now and then something shatters or pings.

Suddenly, strong arms surround me, and a body presses itself on top of me, protecting me. I don't need to look up to know it's Marcello, and a sob races through me. He's here. He came.

A hand moves searchingly down my arm, fingers interlacing with mine. Pippa, I chance a look, and she grins at me. God help me, she's enjoying this. Luciano has her body covered with his, just like Marcello has mine. Pippa's eyes move up, indicating Luciano, and she blows me a kiss. I knew she was crazy, but this is even more than I expected from her.

"I've got you," Marcello whispers in my ear, sending shivers of longing through me. God, I've missed him. My fear subsides; just his presence is enough to ground me. This situation is exactly what I've been afraid of, but instead of thinking of my family and fearing for my life, only one thought runs through me.He's here.

The shots keep raging. It feels like I've stepped into a warzone, but it doesn't even matter to me, not now that his arms are around me and his body is pressed against mine. I get it now; I know where I belong with one hundred percent certainty. This is my life, and I get to pick who is in it.

And then, finally, there's merciful silence.

"Boss?" a male voice yells through the stillness from the other side of the door.