Page 109 of Little Deer
I’m already moving to check out what Giovanni has sticking out of his neck. The dart is small, with a feathered end, like the ones you see that they use to tranquillize animals. “Where the fuck did she get that?”
“Rori probably fucking gave it to her,” Alonzo gripes as he quickly moves to grab the guns on the floor. We don’t need another repeat of that. “I’m just glad she didn’t tell her to fucking aim that at me.”
I have to agree. Though Lazaro isn’t going to be fucking happy about this. I should run after her, put her back with the other women, but if she’s wielding that around, I don’t need her shooting at me.
By the time we finally get Giovanni and Orlando to the basement, Nico and Dante have Leonardo and Esposito there as well. The only one missing is Marco.
Leonardo and Esposito are both still unconscious, their eyes closed and heads bowed as they hang suspended from the ceiling. We get Giovanni in the same position, but Orlando wakes up long enough to try and fight us. Thankfully, one more hard punch to the face has him dazed enough that by the time he manages to get his wits about him, it’s too late.
“I can’t wait to fucking kill you,” Orlando rages, struggling against the chains.
“I really wish we had whatever it was that Amara shot at Giovanni, because it’d be real fucking handy right now,” Alonzo remarks mildly. Instead, he slams his fist into Orlando’s gut, making him gasp and gag. “That’ll have to work for now.”
“Has anyone told Lazaro that his woman is running around with a tranq gun?” I ask the others. Nico and Dante stare at me. “Yeah, okay, good to know.” I look at Alonzo. “You’re in charge of keeping him from killing us all.” Alonzo rolls his eyes but he doesn’t disagree.
Suddenly, the door slams open, and in comes Alessio and Lazaro, dragging an unconscious Marco. A trail of blood follows in his wake. “Fucker is probably going to die before we get to question him,” Alessio grits out, temper flaring in his eyes. “One of the men was a bit too quick on the trigger, and got him in the gut.”
“Fuck,” I hiss. It takes Lazaro, Alonzo, and me to get him hoisted up in the chains. “What the fuck has he been eating?” I gripe when I finally step away. “Fucker, you’ve gotten fucking lazy. Where’s the bullet?” Lazaro pulls back Marco’s suitcoat, and I see the dark, thick blood seeping from the wound in his gut. “Fuck. If we want any information, we need to get it out of him now.”
Lazaro slaps him across the face, making Marco groan, his head roll. He sluggishly opens his eyes, glazed with pain, and already fading.
“Do you know where the fourth girl is?” I demand harshly. “And where is Seamus? Did you kill him too?”
Marco starts to laugh. Low, agonized, but it’s there. Taunting. “Fuck…you.”
Lazaro simply takes his fist, and presses the knuckles hard over Marco’s wound, making his face go ashen, and a sound of agony falls from his mouth. “This is your only chance. No one will ever remember you for anything but losing the battle you fucking started,” he warns him coldly. “Start talking.”
“Y-y-yo-o-u’v-v-ve a-a-alre-e-ady l-l-ost,” he stutters out weakly.
“I’m sure that’s supposed to be something revolutionary, but you’re clearly slipping into delirium," Alessio remarks, sounding bored, but I see the sharpness in his eyes. “Your men are dead. Including the only brothers you had left that were on your side.”
“F-f-fuck ‘em. W-w-orthles-s-s.”
He’s fading, his voice weaker, and his eyes dulling further.
Nico stalks forward and lands a hard punch to his face, a mask of utter fury on his face. “You don’t get to die without paying for what you did to Gia,” he hisses. “For all the times you beat her, tried to break her. You can rot in hell and watch her live her life thriving without you.”
Something flashes in his eyes. Regret? Nah, the guy doesn’t regret a fucking thing. “S-sh-sh-e’ll die soon enough.”
“We stopped that plot, so I don’t think you’re going to like the ending,” I sneer.
Marco shakes his head slightly. “Boom.” Then he’s gone, dangling lifelessly.
“Did he just say boom?” Dante demands, face hard.
I nod. “Did he just tell us that he planted another bomb?” A cold chill slips down my back.
“Dante!” Nico barks, already turning to run for the door.
Before we can reach it, the door slams open, and in walks Rori and Hades, Sinead in front of them, clutching her arm to her chest where it bleeds and looks like it’s been torn to shreds. I blink and look at Hades, who is watching the woman with a clear desire to take her down again.
“Deal with her,” Rori barks to us.
Sinead turns, ready to try and run, but Hades slams his big body into her, sending her sprawling to the floor with a scream, before stepping on her chest, snapping his teeth in her face. The utter terror on Sinead’s face has her sobbing. “Get him away. Get off. Off. Please. Please,” she begs.
“Hades,” Rori barks, and Hades immediately is off her and back at Rori’s side. Her face is full of exhaustion, but her eyes are hard and determined. She looks at Alonzo. “There’s a bomb in the north part of the house. We’ve already got it dismantled.”
“We?” Alonzo barks, rushing forward, but skids to a stop when Hades snaps at him in warning. Alonzo’s eyes narrow.
