Page 39 of Psycho Saints

Julian's expression softened slightly. "We're doing everything we can to protect our people. But it's chaos out there right now."

I felt sick. This was the dark reality of the world I'd chosen to be a part of. Innocent people caught in the crossfire of a war they didn't even know existed.

"How can I help?" I asked, desperate to do something, anything.

Julian shook his head. "The best thing you can do is stay safe. Tyrone and Cristian are out there, handling things. We need to make sure you're protected."

I nodded numbly, my mind racing. The pregnancy test in my purse seemed trivial now compared to the lives at stake. As Julian turned back to his screens, coordinating God knows what, I sat there, feeling utterly helpless in the face of the storm I'd found myself in.

This had nothing to do with me really, but if I was in this, then I was in it. I'd been taken by the Russos, and the brothers had killed to get me back. Not just me, though, Julian as well. But the murder of their leader, Angelo Russo, surely wasn't going to go unanswered. The brothers had been waiting for retaliation, and now it was here.

I watched Julian work, his fingers dancing across the keyboard with an almost hypnotic rhythm as he coordinated the Silvestri response to the Russo attack. The room pulsed with tension, screens flickering with images of chaos unfolding across the city. The air felt thick, charged with an electricity that made my skin prickle. I glanced back at our bodyguards, three of them standing to attention around the room.

This was serious and big.

Fuck.

"Team Alpha, move in on Seventh Street. Protect the civilians," Julian barked into his headset, his voice sharp and commanding. "Team Beta, I need eyes on the warehouse district. Report any suspicious activity immediately."

I leaned closer, my heart hammering against my ribs as I witnessed shootouts erupting at two of the brothers' businesses. Silvestri men had arrived quickly, forming a protective barrier around the staff like a well-oiled machine. So far, I couldn't see any casualties on our side, but a nagging voice in my head wondered if Julian was shielding me from the worst of it. The thought made me swallow uneasily.

My gaze drifted to Kenny, nestled safely in his carrier by Julian's desk. The cat slept peacefully, his little chest rising and falling with each breath, blissfully unaware of the danger surrounding us. I envied his ignorance for a moment, wishing I could curl up and forget about the world outside these walls.

Julian turned to me, covering his mic as he gave me a gentle look. "Why don't you make a coffee or tea, pyro? There's no need for you to see all this."

"I'm a Silvestri now, more or less, aren't I?" I shot back.

"Yes, but you're a lady of the family. These affairs aren't yours to worry about."

"When I'm being shot at or kidnapped, I feel like it is something to worry about," I retorted, and his nostrils flared before he turned back to his screen and returned to task.

"Team Beta, how are we looking?" he asked, nodding at the muffled response on his headset. He then snatched up his phone that was sounding off, answering it instantly.

"Ty, where are you?"

My heart lurched into my throat as Julian began relaying a certain area to him, telling him where he had to go and guiding him with a team.

I looked to one of my guards, Josh, if I remembered correctly.

"I thought the head of the family had to stay safe," I hissed at him.

"Tyrone likes to be hands on," he said back simply, his hand at the ready by his gun, which made me tense.

"Are we safe here?" I asked carefully.

"It's a safehouse," Josh said, although that wasn't exactly a direct answer.

It was his way of saying that we may have been compromised, and I swallowed as I touched my stomach.

Maybe now was the time to take that damn test.

Then again, if shit hit the fan, did I even want to know.

I sat frozen for a moment, contemplating it while Julian spoke and clicked through his screens.

Yes, I wanted to know. It was a burning need now, and I snatched up my purse before heading for the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" Julian asked, turning in his seat as he broke away from his screen for a moment.

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