“YOU WHAT?”
“My water broke. We’re heading to the hospital now. They’re going to admit me and do a C-section. We should have babies sometime today, I hope.”
“Oh, honey. Yay. I wish I could be there, but I can barely get out of bed.” He hated not providing and protecting. She was his sister.
“I think with Luis and Jerilyn here, we’ll have a bunch. I’ll have Jerilyn send pictures.”
“She’s real excited, huh?” He kept an eye out for Gianni, who he knew was worried about Chris.
“She is. I need to go, Bubba.”
“No….” He frowned as Greg stumbled back, hands clutching his throat. “What the fuck?”
He grabbed Miz Diana and started moving without even thinking.
“Massimo?” Her high-pitched yell spoke volumes. Her husband was a prime target, right there at the big U-shaped grill.
“Come on, lady. In. You got to get armed.” He didn’t question for a second that Miz Diana didn’t know where the weapons were or how to use them.
“The bedroom,” she gasped. “It’s just down the hall from the kitchen the back way.” She stopped fighting him and motivated.
“Good lady. I’ll get your man.” He ran back out. Harrison was down, so was Greg, and Micah and Massimo were fighting with a pair of assholes. Bonner picked up the closest thing, which was a tubular metal chair. He hit the first man as hard as he could, which was pretty damn hard, as mad as he was. “Fuck off!”
The chair broke, and he could only hope something inside the bastard snapped too. The way the motherfucker howled, he thought it had worked. Massimo roared, slamming his fists against the other guy’s ears, boxing them so hard the man dropped like a stone. “Where is my wife?”
“I got her inside.” He swung again, hitting at the same time as Micah did, and number two went flying. “Micah, call 911. Massimo, come on.”
“Massimo!” Diana’s scream had them both running, Massimo’s boots slapping on the fancy-assed tile.
“Hall closet, son.” That was Mr. Franklin, panting and wild around the eyes, but mobile. “There’s a .22.”
“Good deal. Someone needs to find Gianni and Doc. Greg’s hurt bad.” He wrenched open the closet door, his back screaming at him.
“I’ll get help.” Mr. Franklin got right down on hands and knees and crawled back out of the kitchen. Bless his heart. Micah bounded in behind him, damn near running up his ass. “Closet.” Bonner yanked out towels and extra sheets, finding a .22 and a shotgun. Hallelujah. He passed Micah the shotgun. “Y’all go find Gianni. I’m going for the Cesares.”
“Got it.” Micah’s face was set in grim lines.
Bonner headed for the bedroom, only to be met by a man in a mask pointing a pistol at his chest.
It went off with a bang, and the world went dark.
GIANNI RAN smack into his mamma in the master suite, and she looked damn crazed. “Your father. Still out there!”
What the fuck was going on here?
“You need better security, son,” Massimo growled in Italian as he cocked a shotgun. So, Papà was in here too.
“You’re telling me. Mason?”
“Two perps locked out in the hall.” Mason jerked his head to indicate Chris and Xavvy. “We’re all neatly corralled. They’ll get in here soon.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I know. Fuck. At least we’re armed.”
Another shot rang out, right outside the bedroom door. “Shit. Are there more guns, Papà?”
“Sì. In the cupboard.”
He moved to the closet, which was as big as a hotel room, and found the gun safe. Yeah. He grabbed another rifle and a handgun. Both were loaded. He tossed the rifle to Mason. “Okay. Plan. Quick.”
“My guys are on the way,” Chris muttered.
“Two of your men have been shot outside. Bonner brought your mamma inside, then came for me.” Massimo looked grim, but he’d done his military service. He could handle this.
Knowing he had men down made rage bubble up. Luckily, that had a way of clearing Gianni’s mind. “Okay. We know there are perps out toward the front. What about behind us?”
“Bonner. His cowboy friend.” Massimo sounded pretty sure.
“Fuck. Okay.” They couldn’t leave Bonner and Micah out there. Not with God knew how many armed assholes wandering around like they owned the place.
He headed for the door that led to the back hall and the kitchen. He listened closely, but all he heard was distant gunfire. He jerked his head at Mason, who cocked the rifle with a delicious ease, then backed off enough to use it.
Okay. He wrapped his fingers around the door handle and yanked it open.