Page 76 of Shield

My pulse hammers as two of Aurelio’s men step insidebehind him, masked and armed.

Matti stiffens beside me. His hand moves behind him, slow and steady, toward his gun. “And what business areyouhandling right now, exactly?”

Aurelio coughs harshly. “With so much business to handle in this very room, it’s hard to know where to start. An embarrassment of riches. Speaking of—” he gestures to the suitcases, snapping his fingers. One of his men steps forward.

Turning to Matti, Aurelio snarls, “You. You break my heart. You betray me for a bitchputtana! A fucking Bellamorte! I loved you like you were my own son.”

“You treat your sons like shit.” Matti states drily.

Aurelio scoffs, turning to Franco with a glare. “And you, you make me look like a fool, killing my own man!” His voice cracks like a whip. “If you think this is your way in, you are dead wrong. You’ll never be more than a Bellamorte dog with no balls. ”

“No balls, huh?” Franco growls, his face contorting.

I know that look. I’ve seen it a hundred times: when we were kids, when he got in fights at school, when he made stupid, reckless decisions just because someone told him he couldn’t.

I know exactly what he’s about to do.

Time slows to a bone crushing halt. My breath catches in my throat.

Franco’s fingers tense on the gun. His muscles coil, his body shifting like a predator ready to strike.

And I move.

Without thought, I yank Matti’s gun from his waistband. The metal is solid, heavy in my grip. My heartbeat pounds like a war drum, and I barely take time to aim the gun beforemy first shot cracks through the vestibule.

The world explodes into chaos.

Aurelio’s men open fire. My ears ring so loud I can’t hear anything but a high pitched whine. Valentina crumples, hitting the floor in a sickening blur.

Matti slams into me like a rock wall, shoving me to the ground, his body shielding mine as bullets splinter through the walls. My view is partially obscured from beneath him, but I’m still gripping the gun, pointing it at Franco.

The air is thick with gunpowder, with the acrid scent of blood. Franco is still standing, his arm jerking back from the recoil after firing his gun. His wild, furious eyes lock onto Matti on the ground, on top of me, protecting me. He takes aim.

No.

I see everything with perfect clarity.

The overhead light flickering, casting jagged shadows across Franco’s face. The way his lip curls, sweat dripping down his temple. The way Matti is already moving to get to him first, but I know—I know—he won’t get there in time.

I have to do this.

I block out the noise. The panic. The past.

I lift Matti’s gun, grip tight, my pulse steadying. My hands don’t shake anymore.

Franco’s gaze returns to me, locking on mine over the barrel of Matti’s gun as he registers what’s happening.

I pull the trigger.

32

Siena

Pinned underneath Matti, I watch as Vin bursts through the glass doors from the parking garage and tackles Franco. Before the door even swings shut behind him, Aurelio is rushed out by his men, and into a black sedan that screeches away, disappearing as quickly as it appeared. Vin knocks the gun out of Franco’s hand and slams him into the ground over and over.

Tommy appears from behind us, one arm bleeding and hanging limply at his side, his sleeve torn and hanging off him. With his good arm, he drags Valentina out of the fray. When he returns, he trains his gun on Franco, yelling something at us that I can’t hear.

Pain lances through my spine as Matti’s weight crushes down on me. I tap his side, and he lifts off me slowly. Tommy bends over us, still yelling.

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