Mom begins to slam her fists against the man who’s gripping my arm, and I manage to yank free. Mom pulls me to her just as a gunshot sends shockwaves through the air.
Shit!
“Nooo!” Uncle Nicolo roars. “Stop! Let’s talk about this.”
My eyes dart wildly all over the open space of the foyer and informal lounge. I notice Luciano’s been shot near his collarbone, and as he drops to his knees, Aunt Giada and Liliana grab hold of him.
Holy shit!
Leo’s weapon is pointing at them, and Uncle Nicolo is standing with his arms up in a surrendering manner.
Did Leo just shoot Luciano?
Intense, spine-chilling horror ghosts over every inch of my body, making me feel lightheaded.
Aunt Giada’s pleading in Italian, Liliana’s sobbing uncontrollably, and Luciano’s gripping his shoulder, pain etched on his face.
“Let’s talk,” Uncle Nicolo says again, his tone filled with caution and fear.
My eyes fly to Leo, and I watch as he shakes his head. “You knew what would happen if Luciano fucked up.”
“He’s just a boy,” Uncle Nicolo says, his voice rising with panic. “He’s still learning the way of the mafia.”
Mafia?
The word sends another wave of fear shuddering through me.
Slowly, Leo tilts his head in a scary as hell way, and his voice sounds like a rumble of thunder. “I was just a boy at sixteenwhen my father was killed and I had to take over. Luciano is a grown ass man of twenty-five.”
My breaths keep bursting over my lips while I cling to Mom.
Is this really happening?
It’s like some crazy scene out of a book or movie.
When Leo lifts his weapon a little higher, still keeping it trained on Luciano, Uncle Nicolo shouts, “Don’t! He’s my heir. We can come to an arrangement to make up for Luciano failing you today.” Uncle Nicolo gives Aunt Giada and his children a panicked look, then he says, “We can arrange a marriage between you and Liliana.”
When Leo lets out a bark of laughter, it gives me the fright of my life, and I tighten my grip on Mom.
“I wouldn’t marry your daughter if she was the last woman alive,” Leo sneers.
The next second, another shot rings through the air, and Luciano falls backward while Aunt Giada scrambles to cover him with her body as she screams, “No! My baby!”
‘No!’ the boy shouts while the monster carries me into the darkness.
I sway on my feet from the memory of the nightmare, and when I’m able to focus on my surroundings again, I see Uncle Nicolo taking a threatening step forward.
Leo’s arm moves, and the barrel of his gun is trained on Uncle Nicolo’s head in a split second.
“I’ve waited seventeen years for this,” Leo growls while looking downright brutal and dangerous.
Mom wraps her arm tighter around me, and all we can do is stand and watch as the nightmare unfolds in front of us.
“I had nothing to do with the attack on your family,” Uncle Nicolo pleads, his voice brimming with fear. “This is going too far, Leo. Marry Liliana and let's make peace. No one has to die.”
Aunt Giada’s trying to stop the blood seeping from the wound to Luciano’s side while she sobs, “For God's sake, Leo! Stop this madness.”
A sob bursts from Mom, and the sound draws Leo’s attention back to us. Just having him look at us has my legs going weak with terror.
