“That’s it, sugar.” The thought of her having to use it on someone made my skin crawl. “Just point, aim, shoot.”

“That was fun,” she said with her earmuffs still in place. They had pink ones at the range for the ladies, and she looked cute as a button and scary as fuck all at once.

“It’s not supposed to be fun.”

“You’re such a Debbie Downer,” she said when she set down the Glock 19.

I placed my hands on her shoulders. “It won’t be fun if you have to kill someone.”

She wrinkled her nose. “No, that would be horrible. But I’d do it if I needed to, Joe.”

“Always aim for the chest. It’s easier to hit.”

“Gotcha.” She nodded and removed her earmuffs. “Last resort. Point, aim, and shoot at their chest.”

“Right.” I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close against me. “Don’t let the person get too close. You don’t want them to get control of the gun.”

“Okay,” she sighed before squeezing me tightly. “Want to go to lunch?” She batted her eyelashes at me, knowing full well it was hard for me to say no.

“I can’t. I’m going to be late for work. Want to come with me, and maybe after my first client, we can sneak away? I’m sure everyone would love to see you.”

“You sure Ma will be okay watching them a little longer?” She looped her hand behind my back as we walked out of the shooting range.

I threw my arm over her shoulder and tucked her under me. “I’m sure Ma is happy as a pig in shit right now. She’ll be fine.”

My mother would be in her glory surrounded by her grandkids. Her house had almost become like a day care. Kids were shuffled in and out every day. Slowly, she had amassed an army of Gallos and still wanted more.

I climbed onto the bike, straddling it between my legs and waiting for Suzy to jump on back. Every time she rode on the back of my bike, I thought about our first night together. She had been so afraid of riding with me. Now, when shit got crazy, she asked me to take her for a ride so she could feel the wind blowing through her hair. Times had changed.

---

“Suzy!” Izzy screeched when we walked through the front door of Inked. She blew past me, nudging my shoulder in the process, and headed straight for my wife.

“Good morning to you too,” I mumbled before walking to the back and leaving the girls alone.

“Yo,” Mike said like he always did every morning when he saw me.

I grumbled instead of replying. He was a little too happy for me this morning.

“Brought Suzy with you today?” He glanced toward the waiting room before looking at me again.

“Yeah. We were at the range.”

“Golf?” His head jerked backward and his forehead wrinkled.

“No, dumbass. The shooting range.” I started to ready my station—laying out plastic wrap over everything to make the area sterile and avoid a ton of cleanup later.

“Ah. How did that go?”

“Better than I thought, actually.”

“What went better?” Anthony asked when he walked out of the back room.

“Joe took Little Miss Suzy to the shooting range.”

Anthony’s eyes grew wide. “Holy fuck!”

“Don’t start.”

“The thought of Suzy with a gun scares the fuck out of me. And it’s eerily sexy too.”

“Don’t let her hear you. She’d probably shoot you in the balls,” I told him, even though we both knew it wasn’t true.

“That cream puff?” he laughed. “The person who should never own a gun is our little sister.”

“Too late,” Izzy said when she walked into the back with Suzy close behind her. “I own more guns than all of you put together.” She smirked and placed her hands on her hips. “I’ve got great aim too.”

“You’re not allowed to count James’s guns into your total.”

“We’re married. What’s his is mine and what’s mine is mine.”

Mike gave Izzy a weird look. “You can’t have everything, Iz.”

“Watch me,” she said, tossing her hair behind her shoulder and walking toward the storage room.

“Clearly you still aren’t well-versed in the way of the woman, Mikey,” Suzy said with a giggle as she took the open chair to my left.

“Mia loves me.” He shrugged.

“You better hold on to that one, brother.”

“Fuck you,” he said, flipping me the middle finger.

“Want to get anything pierced while you’re here, Suzy Q?” Mike asked, glancing at me briefly with a wicked grin before turning his attention to the appointment book.

“I heard clit piercings are amazing.”

I choked. “Absolutely not!”

“Don’t knock it until you try it,” Mike teased as he turned the page. “I have some time to fit you in.”

“She doesn’t need your services.”

“Joseph,” she said with a voice so smooth and calm that I knew I was about to get yelled at, but she could say anything she wanted… Mike was not going to be looking at her naked. He’d seen enough when he pierced her nipples years ago.

“I think I’ll get my balls pierced, then.” I didn’t bother to look at her while I placed the inkwells on the table.

“Don’t you dare! I love your balls.”

Mike started to gag. “I don’t want to think about your junk.”

“I love your pussy, sugar. No one touches it but me.”

“All right, all right.” She put her hands in the air. “I don’t need anything pierced today, Mike, but thanks. I don’t wear my piercings anymore. Not since Gigi was born.”

“Seriously?” He glanced at me before shrugging. “Just trying to be a helper.”

“If you really want to help, why don’t you go organize the back room? It’s a bigger mess than usual.” Izzy walked out, carrying some new bottles of ink we received yesterday to restock the stations.

“We’ve been so busy with all the other shit that I haven’t had time.” He dragged his hand through his hair, looking much like myself lately—stressed. “Mia freaked out when I told her last night.”

“Why didn’t you assholes tell us sooner?” Izzy asked, glaring back and forth between them.

“We didn’t want to say anything until we knew for sure.”

“I don’t know how James expects me to live in a bubble. I have shit to do, people to see, and places to go. I can’t have a bodyguard looking over my shoulder and following me around like a puppy dog.”

“A bodyguard?” Suzy asked, leaning forward in her seat and putting her face in her hands.

“James said he’s going to assign a guy from ALFA to each of us until it’s over.” Izzy rolled her eyes.

“What?” Suzy shot up from the chair and fisted her hands at her sides.

“He called me this morning with that brilliant idea. Idiot.”

James had the right idea. We could defend ourselves, but our women needed extra protection, especially with the little ones running around.

“When?” I asked and felt a weight lifted off my shoulder.

“Starting tomorrow. He said they’re going to close any open cases and be assigned to the Gallo girls first thing in the morning.”

“Oh, dear God.” Suzy straightened, stiff as a board. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

“Hey, if you’re lucky, you’ll get one of the cute ones.” Izzy’s statement made me listen a little closer to their conversation. “Maybe Bear will protect you. He’s a handsome devil.”

Suzy blanched. “He’s like a brother to me.”

Thank Christ.

“Frisco?”

“Again, like a brother.”

“Sam?” Izzy grimaced saying his name.

“Even Sam has become like a long-lost cousin.”

“You realize I’m sitting right here, yeah?” I growled.

“Hush it,” Izzy said, pointing at me. “You’re hopeless. Babysitter it is.”

“Damn it,” Suzy said and collapsed back into the chair. “Do you really think this is necessary, Joe?”

I sighed, and even though my brother and James didn’t always have the best ideas, this one was spot-on. “Afraid so, sweetheart.”

“It’s such bullshit,” Suzy grumbled.

Everyone looked at each other in shock at her words, and I knew shit was probably going to be hitting the fan very soon.