Page 3 of Salvatore

I’m surprised the cops aren’t crawling all over this place by now. At least two customers lie dead in the main restaurant area, gunned down by Declan’s men. I can only assume Declan has paid off someone in the police department to give him a bit of extra time.

The kitchen is empty. I quickly look around, spotting the fire exit, then I see her, hiding next to some boxes. Her blue eyes widen in alarm when she realizes she’s been spotted but I don’t have time to reassure her she’s safe with me because Declan’s second-in-command, Kieran, slips through the door.

She hears him too and tries really hard to make her petite body more invisible. I crouch behind some cabinets, out of sight.

“Come out Salvo, you know it’s over. Declan’s willing to offer you mercy.”

A snort threatens to escape. If he thinks I’m giving up he’s seriously deluded. The girl grips the handle of a large, vicious-looking knife and I try not to grin. She’s fierce. Like an angry kitten facing off against a snarling pitbull. It would be funny if we weren’t both in the shit.

She looks at me again and I press a finger to my lips, silently telling her to stay quiet. She nods and I return my attention to Kieran. He’s edging around the cabinets. In about five seconds, he’ll see me. The girl realizes this too and before I can react, she slides the knife across the floor toward the tall stainless steel door of the freezer room.

There’s a loud clatter, which is all the distraction I need to leap up and shoot Kieran. My aim is on point as always and he drops to the floor with an unsurvivable chest wound.

“Fuck you, Salvo,” he coughs when I reach him. I kick his weapon away just in case he has the balls to try and shoot me while he’s dying.

“No, fuck you,stronzo. Tell the Devil I said hi.” Pink foam bubbles from between Kieran’s lips as the light in his eyes fades away.

OK, it’s time to get the fuck out of here before Declan comes running and my luck runs out. There are at least seven more guys still standing and I don’t like those odds, so nope.

“Is he dead?” the girl with the blond pigtails whispers from behind me. I turn and look at her with surprise. By rights, she should be in shock or screaming, but she seems calm. Too calm. Is there something wrong with her head?

“Yeah, and I need to get out of here.”

“The door’s jammed,” she tells me. “I tried it already.”

I head over and push the handle down and she’s right, it’s stuck, but nothing that a bit of brute force won’t fix. Using my good arm, I push down hard and it releases. Cool air wafts in, along with the sweet scent of rotting vegetables.

“You need to get out of here,tesoro.Those guys in there are not nice people.”

Her eyebrows shoot up. “And you are?”

I don’t have time for this. I can hear the sound of wailing sirens getting closer. The cops will be all over this place in a few minutes. Still, I can’t leave her here in case Declan’s men find her. I wasn’t kidding when I said they were bad people. One of Declan’s more recent business expansions is the people trafficking trade and this girl is young, pretty, and innocent-looking. He’d snap her up like candy and she’d disappear into the murk.

It’s just another reason why he needs taking out. Trading women and kids is abhorrent. I’m no angel but I refuse to get involved with shit like that. Thankfully my father agrees, which is why we turned down Declan’s overture and ended up here.

I grab the girl’s arm and shove her out into the alley. She doesn’t fight back. I guess she believes me. The door swings shut behind us, which will alert Declan and his men that I’ve escaped. But that’s OK, he’s probably already gone. No doubt he was given a heads-up once the cops were on their way.

The girl follows me down the alley. Just as we reach a large dumpster, I stumble and fall against the wall. Grey spots float across my eyes and everything blurs.Fuck.I’ve lost toomuch blood. My phone got smashed during the gunfight, so I can’t even call for backup.

How ironic. Declan might get his wish after all. If I end up bleeding out in this shitty alleyway, I will not be happy. Then a small arm slips around my waist and I inhale vanilla and cinnamon. It reminds me of my mama’s kitchen when she bakes. Warm and comforting.

“You need a doctor,” Her voice is deliciously raspy and my cock stirs.I know it’s been a while, but seriously, what the fuck is wrong with me?

“No, no doctor,” I managed to grit out as I push away from the wall. “We need to get out of here.”

“OK.” She sighs dramatically like I’m fucking inconveniencing her instead of helping her survive the rest of the night. “I live a couple of blocks away, we can go there.”

I’m too weak to argue, so I let her support my bulky frame as we make our escape.

Chapter Four

Thalia

It doesn’t take long to walk from the alley behind the restaurant to my apartment. My hot gangster sidekick leans on me the whole way there, looking for all the world like he’s been roofied. The stringy guy smoking weed while sitting on the steps to my shitty apartment block looks almost concerned but I smile brightly.

“Too much vodka!”

The guy’s frown disappears and he grins inanely, lost in a smoky haze of sweet serenity. Thankfully, the landlord still hasn’t fixed the security light and my new bestie’s bloody arm isn’t visible. I’m hoping the drizzle that’s soaking my white blouse washes the blood trail away or the cops will be beating a path to my door imminently.

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