CHAPTER XLIX

T he shooting continued.

We stepped out into the hall, where we had a secure vantage point since the room was separated from the dining hall. The restaurant had three private rooms, and ours was at the far end of the building, so they would have to get through the crowd before reaching us. Miguel was behind us in case there were any surprises.

Enzo crouched at the end of the wall and held up four fingers.

Lo, Luca, Matteo, and I checked the number of rounds we had in our guns. I had a full magazine, and with five against four, we had the advantage.

I turned to Lo and then Miguel and whispered, "I want you two to go in the back and see if you can get a good shot while we take the front."

They both nodded and exited toward the back that led to the kitchen.

A few gunshot warnings went off inside, and people screamed.

Matteo pulled out his phone and read what was on the screen before showing it to me.

Mercedes

We’re on route.

Caprice

How many suspects?

Matteo

4

Caprice

Copy. Stay down until we arrive.

Yeah, right. Didn’t he know who we were?

Matteo tucked his phone away. “Now what?” he mouthed.

I walked past him in response, placed my hand on Enzo’s shoulder, and gave him two taps, letting him know to move aside. He looked at me with furrowed brows. He started to shake his head, but I stopped him with a warning glare. He rolled his eyes and stepped aside so I could take his position.

“Come out, you fucking cowards!” gunman number one shouted.

“If you don’t come out, we’re going to kill one person at a time until you show your faces,” gunman number two added.

A glint on the right caught my eye, and I looked down and noticed a woman’s lifeless eyes staring at me. She was lying motion-still, her eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, a pool of blood slowly spreading around her. My gaze shifted to the man, his body slumped over hers, a fatal gunshot wound to the back of his skull. They both looked to be in their twenties, and that’s when I saw her engagement ring in a box beside her head. He must’ve been here to propose; now in one moment, their happily ever after had been taken away.

Suddenly, a little girl’s voice rang out, and a mother sobbed, asking someone to let her baby go. I grabbed the mirror Enzo was using and stuck it out far enough around the wall to get a view of one of the assholes holding a little girl’s hair with his fist and a shiny metal gun to her temple. The girl’s chubby cheeks were drenched with tears that cascaded down her face like a fierce, unstoppable storm. Two other gunmen stood nearby with their machine guns pointed at the crowd. But where was the fourth guy?

I glanced at Matteo, then Luca, who mouthed, “What now?”

I mouthed back, “Bring the rain down.”

They both smirked.

As soon as the asshole cocked the gun back, I rose to my feet and slowly emerged from around the corner with my gun aimed at his head.

“You fucked up, coming into my uncle’s restaurant,” I said in a threatening tone.

The gunman yanked the little girl to his chest and then faced me. At the same time, his guys aimed their weapons in my direction while Matteo and Luca stepped behind me, aiming their guns at them.

“Well, well, well,” the gunman said mockingly. “Now it’s a fucking party! Let’s see who will be the first to go down.”

“No one else has to get hurt. So, let the girl and the rest of these people go, and it will just be us,” I told him.

“Nah. No fucking way.” He shook his head while his guys laughed like it was the funniest shit they had heard.

“Who sent you?” I asked him.

“The Puppet Master sends his wishes.” Then he raised the gun at me and pulled the trigger, but I quickly ducked and pulled my trigger, the bullet hitting him straight between his eyes. He went down, causing the little girl to fall backward. Then all hell broke loose, but before the other guys had a chance to pull their triggers, they were gunned down and fell to the ground with a thud.

I saw the fourth guy scrambling to the front door, but Lo shot him in the back, sending him crashing through the front window, shattering it.

* * *

"Nico?" Mom said as I rushed past her into the house. I wasn't trying to ignore her, but there was only one person I needed to see, and she was upstairs in my room.

I took the steps two at a time until I reached the bedroom door. One of the guards stood outside.

"She's sleeping, boss."

"Thank you. You're excused," I dismissed him, and he left with a nod in response.

My body relaxed when I opened the door and got a whiff of her floral bodywash. I quietly shut the door so I wouldn’t wake her and watched her for a minute. I had never felt panic like I had tonight when the shooting started. For a split second, I saw what my life would be like without Winter.

I kept feelings and love out of my heart for the longest time until Winter entered my life. The girl had me twisted from all angles. I didn’t know which way to turn because no matter which route I took, it all led me back to her, and there was nowhere else I’d rather end up.

I had to get back to dealing with the shootout, but I needed to hold my angel. I needed her warmth and her light to bring me up from the hell I had just been through.

I sat beside Winter and watched her shallow breaths and took in the worry lines across her forehead. I gently caressed them, wishing I had the power to ease all her worries.

Her eyes fluttered open, and when our gazes connected, tears filled her eyes. She leaped into my arms. I pulled her closer, burying my face in her neck, and inhaling her scent to calm my nerves.

"I was so worried," she cried in a whisper. She wrapped her little arms around my neck and squeezed me as if afraid I'd leave.

"Me too. But I'm so happy you made it out safely."

When she pulled back, her beautiful eyes were red and swollen. I wiped the tears away with the pad of my thumb.

"Is everyone else okay?" she asked, biting her lip.

"Yeah, baby," I reassured her and offered her a small smile, grateful she was in my arms.

"What now?" she asked.

"Nothing you need to worry about. Just know that it will be dealt with. But I need you to be safe. Stay at my house unless you're with me. Can you do that for me?"

She nodded with a sleepy smile. "Yes."

"Good." I leaned in and kissed her lips once and then a second time. "I need to handle some business," I said over her cupid’s bow lips. "Get some sleep."

She stood up and gave me one more hug, and I savored her warmth and love for me. She stood on her tiptoes, grabbed my face, and pulled me down for a deep kiss. Our tongues tangled, and I pulled her petite frame closer to me.

We pulled apart, breathless, and laid our foreheads against one another. "I love you, Nico."

"I love you, Winter."

After tucking her back into bed, I left the room and closed the door.

At the bottom of the staircase, I spotted the guard and motioned for him to look after Winter. He nodded and left in that direction.

I returned to the office, my uncle sitting on the leather couch with his head back, holding an ice pack. Matteo, Luca, and Lo sat in the chairs in front of my desk with worried and tired expressions.

Enzo and Miguel stood near the doors, looking as beat as the rest of us.

I sat at my desk and took in the tension in the room.

"How many dead?" my uncle asked in a deep, tired tone.

"Twelve, including the four gunmen," Enzo responded.

"Do we even know who they were?" Matteo asked.

I shook my head. "No."

The men had looked like deadbeat druggies, looking to make quick cash for a fix, not realizing they weren't going to make it out of the restaurant alive. That was why I thought the Puppet Master sent them, because it was just another way for him to keep his identity hidden by not using his own men who could be linked to him.

A phone started ringing. Everyone in the room checked their phones, but it was none of ours. Lo followed the sound to the bookshelf and pulled out a black phone from behind a figurine. I realized it was a burner phone when he held it up.

"Where did that come from?" I asked him, suddenly on alert.

Matteo muttered a curse under his breath.

Uncle Alessandro dropped the ice pack and sat up. "What the fuck? When was that put there?" He shot out question after question, but I couldn’t think about the answers right now.

"Answer it," I told Lo.

"What if it's attached to a bomb? Like a signal will go off once I answer it?" he asked.

"I don't think he's that stupid. This fucker likes to see us squirm," Luca said.

Lo answered the call. “Hello?”

A beat passed before he handed the phone to me. "It's for you."

I snatched the phone, so over this bullshit.

"What?" I barked into it.

"Now, now, Nico. Is that a way to speak to your future king ?" replied a robotic voice.

I glanced at Luca and mouthed, "Track it." But before he could get to work, the voice said, "Don't bother tracking it. It will self-destruct once we hang up, and I won't be on the phone long enough for you to track its location."

"Then why the fuck did you call?" I asked.

"Did you get my message?" he taunted.

"Which one?"

"Oh, shit. Right. I forgot about my little bombers. Poor fuckers. Oh, well. At least they did what I wanted them to do."

"And what was that?" I probed.

"Weaken you."

"I don't have time to play your games," I said in a bored tone.

"But I like the games, Nico, and so far, I'm winning." He laughed.

"Oh, yeah? How do you figure?" I asked, walking toward the window.

"Think about it, Nico. How do I know every move you make? Hmm?"

I gritted my teeth, and I could hear my jaw crack.

A cocky laugh echoed through the phone. "You have a mole.”

The fire within me burned to the point of explosion, and this room would be filled with body parts if that happened. There was a brief silence until he spoke again. "Her name is Gigi.”

"I don't know anyone by that name," I said, confused. Everyone in the room's eyes were on me.

"My bad,” he said with a chuckle. “You know her as Winter."

My blood froze in my veins.

"No," I said, shaking my head. My heart raced, a storm of emotions swirling within me. There was no fucking way she was the mole. She loved me.

The room felt suffocating as my anger reached its peak. I could almost taste the bitterness on my tongue. I looked up to see Luca still trying to track the call, but the frustration on his face told me he hadn’t succeeded.

He chuckled, the sound cold and devoid of any humanity. “Because I’m the one who sent her.”

I paced around the room like a trapped animal. I turned back to the window and stared into the darkness. I clutched the phone tightly against my ear.

A chill ran down my spine. I struggled to breathe as anxiety coiled tightly around my chest. The thought of Winter betraying me clawed at my insides. “If you’re lying?—”

“Confront her, and you’ll see the truth for yourself.”

“What makes you think I won’t kill her myself if what you’re saying was true?”

My men's eyes narrowed into slits, and they exchanged anxious glances at my words.

“You won’t have the balls to kill the woman you love.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” I snarled, every muscle in my body rigid.

“But this one's different. She means something to you. You won’t be able to pull that trigger, not without a piece of your heart dying with her."

“What do you gain from this?” I asked.

“Let's just say I’ve waited a long time for this day."

“For what?”

“To take back what is rightfully mine. I will get what I want," he proclaimed.

“Then you're a delusional fuck,” I spat. “Do you know who you’re dealing with?”

The man cackled. “I know exactly who I’m dealing with," he replied arrogantly.

“Is that so?" I growled. " Know this. You’re going to regret the moment you decided to fuck with me. If karma won’t kill you, I sure fucking will. And that’s my promise.”

There was a brief moment of silence before he spoke again.

"This was just a courtesy call. Remember, I have eyes everywhere, and I'm the one pulling the strings.”

"You started the fight by threatening me. But if you step foot in my domain, it will be the last thing you will do. You're starting a war that you won't win."

The line went dead, and the phone started to smoke. I threw it across the room before it could do any damage.

"Anything, Luca?" I asked.

"No, I couldn't get through. The signals were bouncing everywhere, and I couldn't pinpoint one location, " he replied.

"FUCK!" I roared, punching a hole in the wall, my knuckles beginning to bleed. “What’s going on, Nico?” Uncle asked wearily.

“He says Winter is the mole,” I told them.

“What the hell? You believe him?” Matteo asked.

I shook my head in frustration. “I don’t know anymore.” Heated anger coursed through me, tightening my throat at the thought of Winter betraying me.

“There’s more. He said that Winter is not who she says she is.”

“I don’t understand. What does she have to do with any of this?” Luca pressed, his brow furrowed.

I stomped over to the bar, pouring myself a drink, the liquor sloshing in the glass as my hands trembled. “He said her real name is Gigi, not Winter,” I spat out. “He said he sent her.”

“Wait, what?” Matteo’s eyes widened as he rose to his feet and strode toward me.

"Nico, how well do you know Winter?" my uncle asked in a quiet tone.

I shot him a sharp glance, narrowing my eyes. "She can’t be the fucking mole."

"Do you think he’s making it up?" My uncle’s relentless questioning only pissed me off.

When I didn’t respond, my uncle sighed and sat forward, tossing the ice pack to the side. "Nico, you know the world we live in. And in this world, nothing is a coincidence. It's either true or not. There's no in-between."

"What are you saying, Pops?" Luca asked him.

Uncle Alessandro looked at him with a solemn expression. "What did you learn about Winter when you looked into her?"

Luca let out a heavy breath before responding. "Her parents died when she was young and she was raised in foster care until she turned eighteen. Then she worked on and off at odd jobs. She moved here from California about six months ago. No kids. No boyfriends. No criminal records. She's clean."

"Did you check out the foster care or the homes she stayed in?" Uncle asked.

"Enough!" I barked at my uncle. "She's not the mole." I clenched my teeth, ready to tear into him.

"Look, nephew." He rested his hands on my shoulders. “Winter is a wonderful girl, but think about this as if it were any other person. Could it be possible that she could have something to do with your shipment being compromised?" He searched my face, and I turned away, unable to see his reasoning. "Didn't this shit all start when she showed up?"

"You can't be serious," Lo said. "Nico, listen to me. There’s no way Winter is the mole."

"Then why did the Puppet Master call her Gigi?" Matteo asked, not in an accusatory tone but more curious. “And why did he say he sent her?”

"To throw us off? To distract Nico from his real purpose?" Lo countered, throwing his hands in the air.

When no one responded, Lo added, "Just think about it before you do anything you're going to regret."

He knew the extent I would go to when someone betrayed me. It didn’t matter who you were. Betrayal was betrayal. Look at Selena and my father, for instance. But my uncle was right. Something about this seemed off, and I would get to the bottom of it.

"Enzo, keep a close eye on Winter," I told him. He gave me a disappointed look, but I couldn’t worry about that right now. "Never let her out of your sight, no matter what."

He nodded.

"Luca, monitor her phone calls and track her every movement, even if she goes to the bathroom," I directed him.

He nodded but did not look happy about it.

"I hope I'm wrong, Nico," my uncle said with a sad smile.

So did I.