Robbie
“Here! Here! Park here,” I say, pointing to a parking space.
“There’ll be no parking near the venue. We’ll have to jog the four blocks.” “There isn’t time,” Jarryd snaps, pulling into the parking.
We both get out and go to the trunk to get our guns, and before we can look twice, we’re jogging toward the venue. Luckily, we don’t encounter anyone the way we’re going, though we are approaching from a different side of the main garden.
I stop Jarryd. “We’ll go through the office building and get a feel for what’s happening before we do anything.”
Jarryd nods and leads the way. He sets his guns down and slides the window open, poking his head inside.
I hear him talking to someone and realize it’s Dina. I nudge him to move faster, and as soon as I’m through the window, I take her by the shoulders and kiss her deeply, grateful that she’s okay.
I take the gun out of the waistband of my jeans and give it to her.
“The guards are all gone,” she whispers to me, looking around. I’m keenly aware that the outside festivities have quietened down.
“Please, like the heads of these families don’t have secret backup plans.” I motion for the two of them to follow me to the kitchen, where I open the window slowly and quietly.
This short Italian guy really can harp on about new blood and nonsense.
“You see, gentlemen and ladies. My brother is the head of our family, but I’m most looking forward to running his territories for him. You may not know of us this side of the ocean, but you will know our might shortly. Either we can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way, starting with the women.” He motions around. “Which will it be?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Dina looking up at me, and I take aim with a smirk on my lips.
“Time for new blood indeed,” she murmurs as I pull the trigger.
The side of the short Italian’s head explodes, and I immediately aim and shoot at Aiden. That’s when chaos erupts as every family member, young or old, pulls out their guns and starts firing at the enemy. Tables are flipped, and bullets fly, but there are more family members than soldiers from the Baldocchi family, and the soldiers are getting slaughtered.
I withdraw my rifle and drop it, taking out my handguns. I lead Dina and Jarryd out to the garden and join the family members in returning fire as the Baldocchi men flee. I don’t think they expected so many people to be armed, especially since many older family members are here. It’s rather amusing, really. They really must be a green behind-the-ears family trying to do this.
Soon enough, I hear Ivan calling for everyone to stop firing, and I look to the center, where the heads of the families are all standing. Ivan, Alessandro, and Ronan make their way over to the three of us, and we stand a little straighter.
“Well done, little Quinn.” The Russian leader is tall, and I have to lift my head to look at him. “You’ve done well today. A lot more blood would have been shed if you hadn’t intervened and caused a decent distraction.”
Alessandro looks around as everyone starts making their way quickly out of the venue. “We should get out of here. I’ll let Dominic deal with the police. He’ll smooth things over.”
I smile and glance at Dina when Ronan clears his throat. “While you two make a good team, you cannot be together.”
My heart drops in my chest, and I can feel Dina tense. Before she can say anything, Alessandro sighs. “I know, it’s rich coming from us. It’s different. You’re seen as one of the guys. You’re on their level. It sows division among the men and causes problems like this.” He motions around him.
Ivan nods. “It is sad. I have come to be one for true love stories. I’m afraid, though, this isn’t going to work.”
Alessandro looks at Dina. “I’ll send you out to work with Shirley, not as a punishment, but absence might make it easier to move on.” I glance at Dina, who swallows hard. She’s being so brave.
“Can I take her home?” I ask. “So I can say a proper goodbye.”
“This is the last time,” Ronan’s voice has a warning tone as the three men turn to deal with the ruined event.
I squeeze Dina’s hand and take her out of the party. Jarryd follows us onto the street and then hands me the car keys. “I’ll catch a lift with Ronan.”
I smile appreciatively. “Thanks, little lad.”
Jarryd rolls his eyes and wanders off to find Ronan while Dina and I stroll toward the car without a word.
As we pass by people on the street, I notice that no lines are drawn between these family members as they check on each other to ensure no one is hurt. Russians check Italians, and the Irish check Russians. There’s no division.
If we were of a higher rank, we’d be allowed to pursue each other. It frustrates me so much.
Dina squeezes my hand as we pass out of sight of the last people, and I look to see a tear rolling down her cheek.
“No,” I say quietly. I take her face in my hands and wipe her tears away. “Don’t let the last time we’re together be sad. I want you to think of me and smile, no matter what our families say.”
“They’re not my family,” she mutters, taking a shaky breath.
“They’re my employers.”
I bite my lip and kiss her softly. “You’re my family. Distance won’t change that. If I can’t have you, I’ll simply become a monk.”
She smiles and shakes her head. “I want you to be happy.”
“How can I when my heart is outside my chest and moving across the country,” I murmur.
I pull her into a hug and stand there, holding onto her tightly until we’re both a little stiff.
“Let me take you home,” I say. “We can enjoy our last drive together.”
I open the car door for her and help her in.
I go around to the driver’s side and climb in, bringing the engine to life and driving as slowly as I’m allowed to.
Dinara
I try not to let more tears spill as Robbie drives me home. He rests his hand on my leg, and I rest mine over his. For the first few minutes, we simply sit in silence, enjoying each other’s company, but I know it’s going to end, and it’s not fair.
“We belong together,” I say quietly. “Robbie, we belong together.
We deserve a second chance to make our relationship work.”
Robbie squeezes my hand. “We can’t go against what they order.
You know how they’ll punish us for that.”
“You mean they’ll punish me,” I say softly. “You’re Ronan’s brother. He won’t hurt you.”
“He may have to if it means keeping the men’s loyalty.”
A thought strikes me, and I turn to Robbie, but suddenly, a sedan tbones our car and pushes us off the road. The vehicle flips and continues to flip over and over, going down an embankment.
When I regain some sense, I look around and see my door being opened. I see Aiden’s bloody, angry face reaching inside, but I feel dazed. I try to push him away.
“Robbie,” I groan, but Aiden grabs me and yanks me out of the car.
I cry out in pain, which seems to stir Robbie.
“Dinara,” he calls softly, then louder, but with pain in his voice.
“Dinara?”
I hear him banging against his door. “I’m stuck. Dina, are you okay?”
“Robbie!” I scream as Aiden takes me by the hair and starts dragging me toward his car.
“Dina!” Robbie shouts angrily. I hear more banging.
“Aiden, let me go,” I shriek. “Robbie, it’s Aiden. He’s still alive.” Aiden yanks my hair, and I cry out. He shoves me into a car, and I look up at his livid face, dripping blood. His right ear is hanging off, probably from where Robbie shot him. He hits me in the gut, and I’m winded as he shuts the door.
“Bye-bye, Robbie Quinn,” I hear Aiden shout as he climbs into the driver’s side and pulls off.
“You’re going to fucking pay for what you did,” Aiden growls at me. “Getting my boss’s kid brother killed. I have to offer the boss revenge.
A chance to take out the cause of Santero’s death.”
I make a fist and bring it down on his crotch. He gasps and slams on the brakes. I slam forward into the dashboard, and when I sit up, the last thing I see is Aiden’s hand coming straight for my head.
Everything goes black.
I feel pain.
Intense pain and swelling. My cheek is swollen and on fire. I’m so sore. My brain feels a little scrambled as I blink my eyes open and look around-I’m in a hangar. I’m on a chair, bound to it. I look around slowly, and it takes me a while to notice that there’s a chair next to me. My heart skips a beat when I realize who is passed out and bound to it.
Katya.
“Katya,” I whisper. “Katya, wake up.”
There’s a low chuckle from near some crates, and Aiden walks from the shadows into the light. “No one even noticed I took her from the party. They were so concerned about themselves and assumed she had simply
gone out to the road with the rest of the family.” “You’re a fucking idiot,” I snarl.
“Oh really?” He laughs. “How do you figure I’m the idiot? I have you and Katya Sorvino tied up, and your families are not going to find you in time.”
“Katya,” I say urgently, then I smirk at Aiden. “You really shouldn’t have touched something that belongs to Alessandro Sorvino. If you were scared of Ronan or even Robbie, then you will shit yourself for Alessandro.
The man will burn through the world for his wife.”
“I’m not scared of Ronan,” Aiden declares cockily. “He bowed to the two families we should have been challenging. We should be running New York. Ronan doesn’t care. He wants peace and to live in his little pub. He wants to look longingly at Molly, who finds his way of life disgusting. I really think she’s the problem. Ronan wants to be a better person for her.
There’s no changing who we are or what we’ve done.”
Aiden walks in front of me, going back and forth. “He treats the men as simple soldiers, but we have the potential to be so much more, and Ronan is too short-sighted to see that. I mean, what are the benefits of working for Ronan anymore, anyway? It’s not like the men really get anything other than good food out of it.”
“You will never be the leader that Ronan is. Just because Ronan doesn’t tell you what the full plan is doesn’t mean he hasn’t got grander plans for the family. I’ve learned from Alessandro that sometimes, you must take two steps back to leap forward. You will never be like Ronan. You will not even come close to the kind of leader he is. Not in your wildest dreams.” I spit on the floor in front of Aiden to finalize my point.
Aiden laughs. “Grand plan? Working for the Sorvino family?”
“Ronan works with them, making money off them. You threw the men to the fucking wolves. You attacked your own innocent men and pretended it was another family to make your point. Ronan would never willingly sacrifice his men’s lives.” I glare at him.
Aiden shakes his head. “I’m going to enjoy killing you and Katya when Valerio arrives from California. It’s a pity, though, you are very beautiful. Maybe we should do as the heads of the family have done, seal our bond in marriage, and make beautiful babies.” Aiden leans down near me and raises an eyebrow. “You’d make a good wife, I’m sure.”
I give a short, loud laugh in his face. “You’ll never be a fraction of the man Robbie is. He’s a better man and lover.”
Aiden snorts. “Robbie Quinn is psychotic, and I doubt he…”
“Sir, the Italians are here,” a guard calls from the entrance of the hangar.
“Well, it was nice spending time with you, Dina. It’s a pity we won’t… get to know each other better.” He grabs my face and tries to kiss me, but I jerk away.
He chuckles as he walks away from us.