He moved around in the vest a lot easier than I could. The vest made me feel like an old man, but she didn’t notice. She came toward me, and when I finally finished, she slipped her hand into my elbow.
Nicky opened the door for us, and I escorted her out of the house. The long convoy of limos glistened in the moonlight. We paused at the bottom step, and Nicky caught up with us. “This way.”
He veered sideways and led us to the very end of the convoy. He opened the door to the second to last limo. Neither Gia nor I knew which limo we would be in until this moment.
We both slid inside, and Nicky climbed in after us. Five huge guys armed with AK-47s packed the car already. We had to jam in even tighter, especially when Nicky sat next to Gia. His bulk blocked her from the opposite door.
We took our seats, and the cars started filing out of the driveway. Nicky started talking fast. “Remember what I told you before. As soon as the shooting starts, get down on the floor, and don’t get up until I tell you it’s safe.”
“Okay,” she panted.
“These guys will move in to protect you from any stray bullets. They might have to get down on top of you, so don’t be surprised. They’re all ready to cover you if the Neccis make it all the way to this car.”
Gia nodded. “Where will you be?”
“I’ll be here. I’ll be guarding you too, but we don’t know how many they’re bringing out against us. We just have to take it as it comes.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
“All the Terranovas will move in to protect the car too, so things are likely to get hairy for a while. Just stay down, and stay covered.”
She nodded and gulped, but she didn’t answer.
Nicky glanced over at me, and I nodded to tell him I understood, but I couldn’t reply. My nerves stretched to the breaking point, and the bulletproof vest didn’t help at all.
Nicky glanced through the window. “We’re coming up on West 122ndStreet. Get ready.”
All the security guys locked and loaded their guns. The tension in the car spiked off the charts, and Nicky switched off the dome light inside the compartment.
Gia shrank deeper into her seat, and Nicky seemed to swell in response. He shifted farther forward so his bulk blocked as much of the door and window as possible.
I found myself shrinking too. I couldn’t exactly jump out of the car and start shooting at the enemy. That wasn’t my position, much as I might like to think I could be as much of a badass as Nicky.
“The traffic light is changing.” Nicky yanked the gun from his back. “We’re stopping. Get ready.”
I couldn’t breathe, and I felt Gia shaking against my side. Nicky pivoted from side to side looking out the window.
The seconds ticked by in an eternity of waiting. No one moved or made a sound. The red traffic light gleamed on the pavement outside.
We were right inside the zone where Romeo said the Neccis would attack. Our own security guys hid in the shadows out there. Our sharpshooters had the car in their sights right now. If any Neccis were going to attack, they would do it now.
Nothing happened. The light turned green, and the convoy started gliding down Broadway again.
“What happened?” Gia whispered. “Why didn’t they attack?”
“I don’t know.” Nicky pulled out his phone, punched the screen, and held it to his ear. His tone changed to a short, harsh bark. “They must have changed the location. Break your position and follow us to the Met. They might attack anywhere along Broadway.”
He hung up, slid back into his seat, and turned to Gia. “You okay?”
She nodded, but she wouldn’t stop shaking.
“Just sit tight,” he murmured. “Better that we get there in one piece than to cut any corners.”
“Why wouldn’t they attack where they said?” I managed to choke out.
“I don’t know, but I know one thing. Romeo didn’t steer us wrong. He didn’t risk his neck to give us false information.”
The limo kept gliding down Broadway. Nothing happened. Silence enveloped the city. Nicky kept looking out the window, and the security guys held themselves at high alert, but the Neccis didn’t attack.