“With Butcher,” he answers, but for some reason I have a feeling he’s not telling me everything.
“He won’t hurt her, will he?”
“No,” he responds before placing a hard kiss on my lips and stepping back.
“Antonio, I love you,” I say before he can close the door.
Gilly lifts his gun and starts firing. My heart sinks when a bullet flies by Antonio and Gilly as he slams the door shut. Carina rushes to it and starts engaging the extra bolts. When she turns back around, tears are streaming down her face.
“What’s happening?” I ask her.
“War.”
21
ANTONIO
Once I know Carina is safe, I rush to the second-floor armory in the back of my closet. Gilly’s already there with the doors open.
“How many of our men arrived before the Larones?” I ask.
“Only a dozen or so. More inbound. But it’s not just the Larones.”
“I know.” I saw more SUVs pull up than the Larones could ever fill. It’s the Frangiones. They’ve come for Bianca, though I know she’s not here. Butcher took her somewhere else, hopefully somewhere safe.
My phone vibrates. I pull it from my pocket and see a message from Angelica’s father.
Constantine: Come outside and talk before this gets really ugly.
I turn the phone around and show it to Gilly.
“Does he think we’re stupid?” Gilly raises a brow and stows a couple of grenades on his belt.
I hit the call button. Constantine picks up in two rings.
“Come out.”
“No.” I select my load out and make sure my favorite pistols are ready to fire.
“I know you have her.” His voice is laced with rage. “You took her!”
“I married Angelica fair and square. You–”
“You know who I’m talking about!” he bellows.
“Constantine, calm the fuck down.” I post up near the front door with several of my men. Glass litters the floor, but there are no more shots for the moment.
“I will not calm down. Where is my daughter?” He lowers his voice. “If you don’t deliver Bianca into my hands in the next five minutes, Geno Frangione is going to level this place, and I’m going to help him.”
“You’d sell your daughter to that piece of shit?” I smirk. “You’re a shit father. Though I think you already know that. Why do you need the money? You took my dowry and ran, and now you’re going to sell Bianca to the Frangiones. For what? What have you done? Because I know you’re the cause of it. You’re sacrificing your daughters to save your own ass. You nearly killed Angelica,” I seethe. “Sent killers after her on her wedding day. What the fuck is so important that you’d do that to her?”
He’s silent for a long while.
I peek out the window. About a dozen of my men are lined up at the front of the house, taking cover behind cars and the fountain. Beyond them, down the driveway is a blockade of SUVs. I don’t have a head count, but there are at least 20 men, maybe more. We’re outnumbered, but I’ve never run from a fight, and I won’t start now. Not when I have my family counting on me.
“I …” Constantine clears his throat. “I didn’t intend for Angelica to get hurt.”
“You’re full of shit. Tell Geno I said to take his best fucking shot. We’ll fight until–”