Chapter 34

CHAPTERTHIRTY-FOUR

DOM LET OUT a low whistle through the crack of the door. When Joe came around the corner alone, Dom opened the door wide.

“You two going somewhere?” Joe asked, eyeing the bag Luca shouldered.

“Cat and Tony were attacked. Boss ordered everyone to the compound, but we’re gonna have trouble waiting for us once we get outside. You’re on backup.”

“Shit. On it.” Joe didn’t waste any time leading them to the private elevator and hitting the down button. As they stepped inside, he said, “Tony and Cat. They okay?”

Dom nodded. “I didn’t get details, but Tony got them to the compound.”

“I’m loaded up, so those fuckers can bring it on.”

Luca was white-knuckling the strap of the bag and chewing on his lower lip. Sometimes Dom forgot this wasn’t something Luca had ever experienced, the cat-and-mouse game between families. It was Dom’s reality, but Luca hadn’t asked to be brought into this mess. That was what he’d been saying all along, but Dom hadn’t listened.

“It’s going to be fine,” Dom said, for some reason feeling like he needed to reassure Luca nothing would happen to him. Nothing Dom could control, anyway.

Luca looked up at him, those eyes full of alarm. But he nodded.

There’d be no threat of escape tonight, not with the way he stood so close to Dom. Part of Dom wanted to reach out, to touch Luca, but there was no way to do that without calling Joe’s attention.

As the brawny man went to hit the button for the main floor, Dom said, “Not that way. Down to the basement.” He felt the way Luca stiffened. “We’ll cut through to the garage without having to hit the casino.”

Joe frowned but hit the button for the basement. “You think they’ve infiltrated the building?”

“I don’t know. Better to not find out around an innocent crowd spending their money.”

Joe gave a clipped nod and then faced forward as Dom moved to the back of the car. Luca stood frozen in place as the elevator began its descent. Dom glanced in the kid’s direction to make sure he wasn’t about to start running his mouth or do anything stupid, but Luca’s eyes were full of fear and hope. The fact he was pinning the latter on him made Dom antsy.

He didn’t want Luca building some sort of foolish fantasy around the fact he was being taken out of harm’s way. Dom needed his captive to realize they were doing this because they’d been ordered to, because they needed Luca alive. Because when the time came for their final play to be put into action, no one would be able to save him—least of all Dom.

“When we get to the garage, you’re going to go straight to the passenger side of the vehicle and get in the back seat, where you’re to lie down toward the center, you hear me?”

“Lie down?”

“Yes. I need your head out of window range.”

Luca’s eyes widened, and he reached up to touch the back of his neck.

“Exactly. The goal here is to keep it on your shoulders. So don’t fuck around out there, okay?”

Luca nodded and went back to gripping the bag as the elevator finally reached the basement. The doors slid open and Joe walked out first, gun in hand, eyes alert. He scanned the hall and, when he was satisfied all was clear, held the door open for Dom.

Dom walked out, ready to get the fuck out of there, but when he was several feet down the hall and realized Luca wasn’t behind him, he stopped and turned to see Luca standing just outside the door. His eyes darted around the dimly lit corridor, and as the elevator shut behind him and Joe nudged him in the back with his gun, Luca practically jumped out of his skin.

“There a problem?” Dom marched back to where the kid stood paralyzed despite having a Glock pointed at his spine.

“I…” Luca’s face was suddenly white as a sheet.

“You what? We haven’t got all day here, Luca.”

“I just— This is where they walked me up to the suite. This is where you kept me that first day.”

They didn’t have time for this, not here, not now. But it was clear Luca was having some kind of fucking freak-out, and the sooner he got over it, the sooner they could get moving.

“You already knew that. So what’s the problem?”

“I knew, but…I’d never seen it. Just the floor.” He looked down at the concrete beneath his feet. “The floors had drains in them.”

Dom took a step closer and took Luca’s jaw between his fingers. He needed Luca to snap out of it and get with the fucking program.

“The floors still have drains in them. So unless you want your blood to be running down into one, you’re gonna want to move your feet and get your ass out into the garage. Got it?”

Luca blinked those wide eyes and tried to nod. Then Dom released him with a slight shove and said, “Pull yourself together or you’re never going to get out of here alive.” He glanced to Joe. “Check the exit. We’ll follow.”

Joe stepped around them and made his way down the hall, and as Dom turned to follow, he heard Luca whisper, “I don’t want to die.”

Dom stopped and looked back, and told himself he didn’t care what Luca wanted. He didn’t care if this Fiore, this enemy of his family, wanted to live or die. But the truth of the matter was that he was starting to care too fucking much. Not that he’d ever admit that to anyone.

“Lucky for you, that’s not on the agenda today. Now move.”

Done with the chitchat, Dom led Luca through the maze of the basement’s halls until he saw Joe standing in the open exit door. He was scanning the lot, his gun pointed and ready for any sign of danger.

Without turning around, Joe said, “We taking the Porsche?”

“No. The Escalade.” Dom’s poor car had been shot to shit during the last outing. Time to use something with a lot more protection and a lot fewer bullet holes.

The garage was pretty empty tonight, surprising considering it was one of the most popular nights at the casino, but most people preferred to park closer to the entrance and steered clear of the lower lots. This afforded Dom’s crew more privacy for their comings and…disposals—and tonight, their getaway.

Joe headed out first, and Dom and Luca followed closely behind. As they booked it across the empty spots, Dom almost wished the floor was packed—at least that way they’d have something to hide behind. Instead, he felt like sitting ducks on a fucking pond. All out in the open for anyone to see.

Their footsteps echoed in the cavernous space. The Escalade wasn’t too much farther now, and once they were inside, they’d be home free. That thing had been tricked out to withstand a hail of bullets, but that didn’t mean Dom wanted to test the strength of the glass with Luca’s head as a target.

Dom’s heart pounded in time to the fall of his feet, and as he pointed to the back door of the Escalade, Joe hit the locks and the lights lit up the dark space.

“Get in the back and lie down,” Dom barked at Luca—and that was when he heard it.

The unmistakable sound of a revving engine and tires squealing on concrete hit his ears. Dom’s feet froze and the hair on the back of his neck prickled as a black Suburban skidded around the corner and up the ramp toward them.

Motherfucker.

“Incoming!” Dom shouted as the Suburban barreled closer at an incredible velocity. This thing was souped up beyond the norm. Dom raised his gun, aiming for the driver, but as he let off several rounds, the car kept coming.

Joe stepped out from the back of their SUV on the driver’s side, his gun raised, but it was too late. The car was on them, and the front door of the Suburban was flung open wide and a rain of hellfire was sent their way.

“Get back!” Joe shouted over the pop pop pops, and Dom felt a hand grab his shoulder and haul him around behind the driver’s side of the Escalade. He counted five guys climbing out of the Suburban, weapons in hand. They were severely outmatched and outgunned, which meant they were one hundred percent fucked.

Dom’s eyes flicked to the back seat of the Escalade where Luca was lying down, but in between his climbing in and getting down low, the door had been left wide. Goddamn it.

This could not be happening. This could not be fucking happening. But as another round of heavy gunfire lit up the parking garage like a fireworks display, Dom saw one of the men race toward the back seat.

“They’re going for the kid,” Dom said, and grabbed out his second gun.

There was no way he could let the Fiores get their hands on Luca. No fucking way. But as he went to step out and unleash on the assholes, Joe shoved him back and went instead. With his guns raised, Joe let loose a barrage of bullets at the fuckers behind the doors of the Suburban, and Dom followed after him for cover.

He’d just made it around the back of the Escalade when he saw one of the Fiore swine reach inside and take hold of Luca’s legs.

“Let me go!” Luca kicked and fought against his assailant, but the asshole had a good grip and a gun, so Luca didn’t stand much of a chance. He was hauled out of the car, where a gun was aimed at his temple.

“They’ve fucking got him. We’ve got to stop them,” Dom called out to Joe, who was now walking back, his ammunition depleted, as the fucker with Luca dragged him to the back of the Suburban. “Move,” Dom yelled, pushing Joe out of the way.

“Dom, no—”

“Luca!” He fired at one of the assholes lifting Luca kicking and screaming into the trunk of the Suburban as he ran toward them, only to be tackled from behind.

He hit the ground hard, his gun sliding out of reach. Whoever had him pinned on his stomach was a heavy bastard, but he managed to slam his elbow back into the guy’s face, just as Joe grabbed the Fiore by the back of the neck and hauled him off Dom.

He climbed to his feet, reaching for his gun, but another guy was on him before he could get there. A fist to the back of his head had him dropping to his knees, and for a moment his vision blurred.

“Dom! Help!” he heard Luca yell, but when the voice became muffled, Dom looked up to see the fuckers shoving a rag into Luca’s mouth. Somehow they’d managed to cuff him too, and the pure terror in Luca’s eyes made something inside Dom snap.

The man behind him landed another blow, and Dom grabbed a knife from his ankle, twisting around to stab his attacker in the gut. But the rage driving him wouldn’t let that be enough. He dug in deeper, dragging the knife across the asshole’s belly to open him wide before shoving him back hard to bleed out on the ground.

Dom grabbed his gun and got to his feet, bracing himself for another attack. He had to get to Luca and try not to get killed in the process, but these assholes were not making it easy. As he ran for the back of the Suburban, he dodged the stream of bullets coming his way from one of the men who’d taken Luca and had to duck behind the Escalade.

Dom peered around the bumper and took aim at the fuckers by the trunk, firing off shot after shot. Several feet away, Joe was having it out with not one, but two guys, which meant Dom had no backup, no way to get to Luca without exposing himself completely. He couldn’t get a clean shot at them without risking hitting Joe.

Then someone let out a loud whistle. “We’ve got him. Let’s go!”

The two by the trunk slammed it shut, trapping Luca inside, and dove into the back seat, avoiding Dom’s bullets.

Dom shot out from behind the Escalade and tackled one of the men on Joe, sending them both to the ground. He didn’t waste any time aiming his gun at the fucker’s head, but a surprise right hook took him off guard, knocking him over. The guy quickly scrambled up and made it to the Suburban, but the one Joe was currently bashing wasn’t so lucky—and they knew it.

Dom’s head felt like it was splitting in half as he managed to get to his knees, pointing his gun at the car. But with the way he was seeing double, he couldn’t get off a good shot.

“The tires,” he heard Joe say, but that was where the fuck he’d been aiming.

As he stumbled to his feet, the Suburban took off, leaving the smell of burned rubber in its wake. He tried to run, shooting until he ran out of bullets, but when the automatic gate lifted, the vehicle tore out into the streets of Manhattan, getting lost in the cars passing by.

Utter shock ran through his body as he stood there, staring out at what he’d just lost. The Fiores had actually done it. They’d taken Luca. The revenge Dom and his father had sought for so many years had just fallen through his fingers right before his very eyes.

But he couldn’t think about the loss of it all, not right now.

Because all his instincts, all his rage, were now laser focused, and he knew he’d walk through the fires of hell to get Luca back.

Not because he was a Fiore, but because he was Dom’s.