Page 345 of Legacy
My hands won’t stop trembling as I hold her tighter, tighter, until I feel her heartbeat against mine.
The warehouse quiets.
The smoke settles.
Gunpowder and blood hang thick in the cold air.
A bootstep crunches on glass behind me.
I grab the gun from the ground, spin, my arm coming up fast—
Luciano.
Standing there, calm, adjusting the cuffs of his blood-splattered suit jacket, a silenced pistol still in his gloved hand, his eyes flicking between me and Adriana.
He looks down at her in my arms, eyes unreadable. “Excellent job, hermanita. Perfect distraction.”
Adriana lifts her head, her stare miles away, voice raw. “I saw you.”
A slow nod. His gaze sweeps over the bodies cooling on the concrete. “Good.”
I rise, keeping my arm locked around her as I help her stand, her legs shaking under her.
Behind us, boots crunch shell casings. Men start emerging from between the crates and dropping down from the rafters; one by one, weapons lowered, movements efficient.
Some I recognize immediately.
Maksim’s men.
Scarred faces, tattoos peeking under tactical gear, cold eyes sweeping the room with quiet precision.
I glance at Luciano, tension pulling tight in my shoulders. “How did you know?”
He holsters his gun. “Nowak’s men have been embedded here for weeks. One of them called me when Karekin’s men moved in.”
He lifts his gaze toward the catwalks as more boots hit the floor, Maksim’s men and Luciano’s blending together in the fog. “Maksim let me borrow a few of his soldiers. Happy alliance.”
I look at the soldiers silently fanning out, clearing weapons, checking pulses, stripping guns from the dead.
Damn.
Now I owe this asshole.
“Where’s Nico?” I ask, scanning for him, the need to secure Adriana clawing under my skin.
Luciano’s mouth twitches. “Perimeter. Making sure we don’t have company.”
A flicker of relief cuts through the adrenaline boiling in my veins.
Luciano’s smirk fades, his eyes sharpening. “Get her out of here, Angelo, we’ll talk shop later,” he says, voice low, firm. “This place isn’t for her.”
He’s right.
I tighten my arm around her, pressing my lips to her temple, grounding her, grounding me.
And together, we step around the blood, the bodies, and the smoke, heading for the cold night outside.
Chapter 58
