Page 96 of Above ’N’ Beyond

Jamie dove from Tony’s line of fire just as her cousin pulled the trigger. The bullet missed him, embedding in the wall. Another gunshot blasted. Bella jerked her head around. One of the armed officers held a raised shotgun, the muzzle of which was smoking. The gun fell from Tony’s hand, landing on the floor with a thump. Slowly, Tony fell to his knees, then keeled over onto his side.

Bella knew her cousin was dead. The carpet, which was dark to begin with, turned darker as blood seeped from the gaping wound in Tony’s back. His eyes were sightless, staring but no longer seeing.

Paola screamed, rushing over and kneeling beside Tony. Loud keening came from her aunt as she rocked back and forth, clasping her cousin’s lifeless hand.

More shouts and commands came from the officers who’d charged in.

Bella twisted her neck to look into Marco’s cruel eyes. “Can’t you see it’s over? Let. Me. Go.”

“Not a chance,” he hissed in her ear. “You’re my ticket out of here.” He edged closer to the door, dragging her with him.

Alarm bells went off in Bella’s head. Going with Marco was a death sentence. If he made it out of here, he’d kill her.

There was only one weapon at her disposal. She dug into her skirt pocket and pulled out the corkscrew she’d stashed there earlier. “Screw you, Marco!” She plunged the twisted metal prong into his neck.

“Fuck!” He released her and yanked out the corkscrew. Blood spilled from a jagged gash just below his ear. Too bad. She’d missed the jugular.

“You little bitch.” He raised his gun and aimed it at her face.

Two bodies flew at Marco. Jamie being one, Jax the other.

Jamie landed on Marco’s chest and began pummeling blows to his face. Jax latched onto Marco’s wrist, biting down hard and forcing him to release the gun. Blood shot from Marco’s nose and his body went limp. “Release!” Jamie shouted. After Jax unclamped his jaw from Marco’s wrist, Jamie flipped him onto his belly. One of the officers handed him a set of handcuffs that he swiftly locked onto Marco’s wrists.

Barely able to stand, Bella plastered herself against the nearest wall, sinking to the floor as she watched the absolute bedlam.

Jamie and the other officers, who looked like Navy SEALs, had somehow managed to take complete control of over twenty mobsters. Every single one of them, including Salvatore Palumbo, lay prostrate on the floor, their hands linked behind their heads.

“Bella? Bella?”

She looked up into Jamie’s face, finally comprehending that he was talking to her.

“Are you all right?” He knelt and ran his hands up and down her arms and shoulders. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

She shook her head. Physically, she was fine. Emotionally, she was a hot mess.

“Stay here,” he ordered in a gentle, commanding voice, then disappeared from her view.

Paola continued crying at Tony’s side, rocking and wailing at the top of her lungs.

Part of her didn’t know what to feel. As she watched her aunt—the same woman who’d just ordered her to die—she felt sorry for her. She’d lost her husband and two sons to Mafia violence. This time, Tony’s death was on her.

Not knowing what else to do, she pushed to her feet and went to stand over Tony’s body. Her cousin, a boy she’d grown up with, had been about to drag her to God knew where and kill her. Surprisingly, her heart ached with sadness.

Tears streamed down Paola’s cheeks. When she looked up at Bella, she seemed to have aged twenty years. In a heartbeat, her aunt’s expression turned from one of grief to rage. “You did this. You did this!”

“No,” Bella replied quietly. “You did. Now you have to live with it.” With numbness seeping into her soul, she turned and walked from the room.

“Bella?” Sierra called to her from the kitchen as she walked past. “What in the world just happened?”

Vaguely, she registered her entire staff watching as she continued into the dining room and out the front door into the night.

The tears came quickly and unchecked. Tears for Tony. For Paola. For herself. They were all victims, all products of events that had taken place in their lives and made them who they were. Mostly, her tears were for the loss of family. Her parents long ago. Even for Paola and Tony. Last, for the family she would never have with the one person she now realized she loved most in the world.

Sergeant Jamie Pataglio.

…

Jamie tightened zip ties around Nicky’s wrists, then did the same to Sammy. All around him, his friends guarded the other prisoners, cuffing them and calling in for police backup.