Lawless: Mob Boss Book Three Read Free Page B

the now darkened kitchen, and she saw that he had a gun, too. “I’ll cover you while you get David.”
    “Then what?”
    “Then you stay put until I come for you,” he said. “Is there a way out from upstairs?”
    “There’s an old staircase at the back. A servant’s staircase, I think.”
    “Where does it lead?” he asked.
    She thought about the brownstone. “Here in the kitchen, to that door.” She tipped her head toward a closed door. “And also… to the cellar, I think.”
    “Is there an exit in the cellar?” he asked.
    “I have no idea.”
    He nodded. “We’ll figure it out. Just make a run for it when I start shooting, and stay put with David until I come for you.”
    She wasn’t crazy about leaving Nico to fight her battle while she hid upstairs, but keeping David safe was her number one priority.
    “Okay,” she said, kicking off her heels.
    “On my count,” he said. “Three, two, one…”
    He peered around the counter and started firing in the direction of the windows. She scurried on all fours to the protection of the hallway, the gun still in her hand. She was hurrying up the stairs when she heard gunfire explode outside the foyer. She thought someone might be trying to get in through the front door, but then she heard answering shots from another location beyond it and realized there were multiple people shooting at the front of the house. How long would it take the police to get here? Or had they been paid for a delay by whoever orchestrated the attack?
    She couldn’t rule it out. Anything was possible with the Syndicate.
    She hit the second floor landing at a run and burst into David’s room. He was sitting on the bed, backed up against the headboard, his face frozen in cold terror.
    “It’s okay.” She rushed into the room, never so grateful for David’s instance on keeping the drapes drawn. “We’re going to get out of here.”
    He stared straight ahead, his eyes glazed over, as she took hold of his arm.
    “Come on. We have to go. Get your shoes.” He didn’t move, and she leaned down so she could look him in the eyes. “Look at me, David. Now.”
    His eyes seemed to clear, and he cut his gaze to hers.
    “It’s going to be okay, but we have to get out of here. All right?”
    His nod was reluctant, but at least he was responding.
    “Where are your shoes?” she asked him.
    “Closet,” he croaked, his eyes widening as another round of gunfire burst from the first floor of the house.
    She crossed the room and opened his closet door, then removed a pair of sneakers. She set them on the floor and pulled his legs around so his feet were next to the shoes.
    “Put those on,” she said. “And hurry.”
    He started moving — too slow for her liking, but at least he was moving — and she crossed to the window, daring a peek around the curtains. Everything was dark, still no sign of the police. Shots burst from the front of the house below David’s window, and for a split second she caught a flash of someone’s face in the glow of the firing gun. It was a man, but the light didn’t last long enough for her to get a good look at him.
    “Ange?” She turned toward the sound of David’s voice. “I put on my shoes.”
    She nodded and walked over to him. “Good.”
    Glancing down at his clothes, she saw that he was in a pair of old pajama pants and a T-shirt. She went to his dresser and pulled out some jeans and T-shirts, then shoved them into a backpack from David’s closet.
    Where was Nico? How long was she supposed to wait?
    She was debating the merit of trying to get David out of the house on her own when Nico burst through the door. His face was calm, his eyes intense, and she felt an immediately lightening of her fear. It was the kind of safety she only ever felt with him.
    “Let’s go,” he said calmly.
    She turned to her brother and handed him the backpack. “Come on.”
    He was paralyzed again, his body frozen as he looked at Nico, and she realized he had no