CHAPTER 34
JULIA

The first thing I saw were red lasers coming through the windows of the building. Laser scopes. Oh, my gosh, Romeo didn’t come alone. I looked up at Stefano and watched his face fill with panic before he dove to the side a moment later. He crashed to the ground as the windows shattered inward, spraying glass all along the floor. Bullets dug into the concrete floors and slammed into the walls. I could hear Matteo screaming at the top of his lungs.

“Mommy!”

I tried to scoot myself over to my son as Romeo made a mad dash for us, but Stefano rose up once the rain of bullets was over, his gun aimed for Romeo’s head, square between his eyes as I continued to wiggle over to my son. Romeo’s eyes locked with my uncle’s as white-hot pain shot down my back, and I felt my forehead connect with my son’s leg.

“I’m right here, sweet boy. Close your eyes. Look away. Can you do that for me?” I asked.

“Mommy, is Daddy okay?”

My heart leaped in my chest at the word as tears brewed in my eyes.

“Just look away,” I said wincing. “Okay? If you do, I’ll take you out for ice cream. How does that sound.”

“Daddy too?” he asked.

“Please just do it. Okay? Be strong for Mommy one last time.”

Blue and red strobe lights filled the air around us as the deafening sound of sirens wailed in the air. I heard footfalls slamming into the dirt outside before they came crashing into the building. I looked up and saw Matteo’s eyes closed shut as tight as he could get them. My head darted over to Romeo, and I saw him looking at me, grinning that mischievous little grin he had when he has an ace up his sleeve.

“Stefano, drop the weapon.”

“It’s over.”

“You’re done.”

“Drop it! Now!”

Men were shouting with their guns aimed at my uncle. I watched him tighten his knuckle on the trigger and my jaw unhinged. I let out a piercing cry as tears filled my eyes, hoping and praying that Romeo would get out of the way in time.

“Duck!”

Romeo dove off to the side the moment before Stefano’s gun went off. Shots began to ring out around us as Romeo hit the floor then began army-crawling toward us. He brandished a knife and sawed through Matteo’s bonds around his feet, then turned him around and let loose his hands. Matteo scrambled off the chair and fell to the floor, cowering underneath a dusty desk with his hands covering his head. Romeo locked eyes with me before he set me free, releasing my hands and feet.

“My shoulder.”

“Come here,” Romeo said.

Bullets rained down around us as he grabbed my arm. I braced myself for the pain I knew I would feel as his hand came up behind my shoulder. I gritted my teeth as Romeo turned and pushed, locking my shoulder back into place.

I cried out in pain, falling to the floor as Romeo scooted me underneath the desk Matteo was occupying.

“Stefano!” Romeo screamed. “Stop this now!”

Then I watched his eyes grow wide as he fell to his hands.

I looked up from beyond the desk and saw Stefano standing above him. His eyes were wide with anger, his hair plastered with sweat. A knife was protruding from Romeo’s shoulder. I stopped, watching as blood trickled over the crest of his collarbone. I scooped Matteo in my arms, ignoring the searing pain rushing through my body. Romeo grunted. Coughed. Stumbled on his hands.

Then a moment later, the cops tackled Stefano to the ground.

Romeo’s eyes rose to look at me before he stood to his feet. He held out his hand for me. I slipped my hand into his, and he pulled me to my feet, my arm bringing Matteo with me. He wrapped his free arm around both of us and I slid my hands around his neck. Matteo shook against his father as tears freely flowed down his cheeks, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the knife in his shoulder.

“Romeo. You’re hurt.”

“I’m fine,” he said breathlessly. “I’m fine, and so are both of you.”

The paramedics placed Romeo on a stretcher and rolled him out of the building. I gripped his hand tightly as Matteo sat between his legs. I saw the small army Stefano had hidden all around the building. They were lined up on the pavement, face down with guns trained between their shoulder blades. SWAT team members were zip-tying the criminals’ wrists behind their backs as we rushed over to the ambulance, and someone automatically started putting my arm in a sling and poking around at the bruising on my face.

Without a word, the medics loaded Romeo into the ambulance. Matteo gripped tightly to Romeo’s shirt as I swatted the paramedic away. I turned my head and saw Stefano being led out of the building, bruised and bloodied and snarling for more. He resisted every step the police tried to make him take, and I watched them bring the butt of a gun down against his shoulder.

Served him fucking right.

“Mommy? You coming?”

The sound of my son’s voice pulled me from my trance. I stepped up into the ambulance, and the doors quickly shut behind me. I leaned over and planted a large kiss on Matteo’s forehead. I brushed away the dirt from his face and ran my fingers through his hair. He threw his arms around me as I held him close, burying my face into the crook of his neck.

Then I pulled away and turned my attention to Romeo.

I scooted to his head and gently fell forward, placing a kiss to his lips. I smiled into his pucker. Into the heat of his body as Matteo scrambled up toward us. I watched Romeo put his arm around his son as he dipped into the crook of his body, pissing off the ambulance staffers who were trying to set an IV in his hand.

“Thank you,” I said, my heart overflowing with gratitude. “Thank you so much for risking your life to save us.”

“I love you, Julia. There isn’t anything I wouldn't risk for my family.”

“I love you too,” I said with tears in my eyes. “I love you so much, Romeo.”

“Mom?”

I looked over at my son with his big eyes and raised eyebrows.

“Matteo?” I asked. “I’d like you to meet someone.”

“We’ve already met,” Romeo said with a grin. “Haven’t we, kiddo?”

“Yeah, Dad. We have.”

My heart flooded with joy as I watched Romeo cup the back of his son’s head. He brought Matteo in for a forehead kiss and my son threaded his arms around his father. Cuddled into him for the first time in six years. I gripped Romeo’s hand as the ambulance rushed through the city, racing us to the nearest hospital so we could all be checked out.

“I love you, son,” Romeo said.

“I love you too, Daddy.”

We were safe. We were alive. And we were reunited.

I couldn't ask for anything more than that.