chapter Fourty-Nine
Hot Zone
LaSalle
I have never been happier to return home in my life. I’ve missed my family. I had my little boy in my arms as soon as I walked into the door this afternoon.
I feel like I’ve missed so much already. He’s gotten so big. All the kids look like they’ve grown in the last two months I’ve been away. I know Sammy was more than excited to see me. My son is going to be tall. He has shot up in my absence.
Then there’s my wife. Tasha had this glow about her that I just couldn’t describe. I knew the moment I saw her I wanted to make love to her. I had our dinner plans laid out mentally within seconds.
When she walked down the stairs ready for dinner, I didn’t think I would make it through the meal. I just wanted to get my hands on her.
Making love on the rooftop was just the beginning of my plan. I hope to make love to Tasha well into the morning. I smile at the thought and squeeze her waist, as we walk up the steps to our front door.
“Why are there so many cars here,” Tasha asks with furrowed brows.
I look up and around the side of the house. She’s right. Our side driveway is packed. I wrinkle my brows and start for the inside of the house. They’re all family cars, but they’re too many for a random visit.
We walk into the foyer and see it’s filled with family and friends. Sammy and Jessica are standing in the middle of the foyer in front of everyone. My curiosity is peaked even more.
I look around again. My mother and father, brothers and their families, my sister and her husband, the Donati’s, the Briggs, O’Brien’s and to my surprise, Misha are all here. Hell, even Kelly Briggs and her husband.
I look again to my children that seem to be the center of attention. Sammy looks me right in the eyes, through his lashes. I swear in the moment, I feel like I’m looking in a mirror.
“They’re coming,” Sammy says. “You all have to get ready. More help is coming, we called.”
I look at my son and then my daughter. Jessica nods. “They’re a lot of them. We’re all safer together. You have to get ready, Daddy.”
“Holy shit,” Tasha gasps.
Kelly Briggs looks at Val and Rita. “I have harnesses in the truck,” she smirks.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” Val smiles. “Slow.”
“Burn,” Rita finishes.
“Oh, hell nah,” Luca shakes his head. “You acrobats are not going to start that again.”
My jaw drops as I watch the scene before me. Almost every woman in the room reveals a weapon and starts checking their clips, even my wife. I think my mother is the only one that doesn’t. I have to wonder if it’s because she’s holding Elijah.
“The hell,” Nate booms when Pam cocks one gun then the other.
“Please, tell me my wife is not holding a gun,” Luca growls.
“I have sniper rifles in the truck too. Shannon, you work better with those,” Kelly nods.
“Right,” Shannon says and starts to move for the door with Kelly.
“Wait a damn minute,” Luca growls.
Shannon stops, but Kelly waves him off, heading for the door. I note her husband following with the shake of his head. Jasper follows as well, grumbling and glaring at my sister, Marie. I think I’m still processing. Phoebe’s words come back to me. La Bella Mafia.
“Sammy, Honey, how much time do we have,” Tasha asks, as she kicks off her shoes.
“Fifteen minutes,” Sammy replies.
“Shit,” Tasha snaps. “Minnie, take the children down the hallway to the cellar. Sammy will lead you to the safe room. Trust him, he’ll help protect you. Marie, you go with your mom and the kids. You blow away anything that looks funny.
“Annabella, we need you on tech. Reese, Pam, Paige, you know what to do. You hit ‘em and hit ‘em hard. I don’t care if we bring this whole motherfucker down. No one touches what’s ours,” Tasha barks.
“This is it girls,” Val calls out. “You don’t come for our men and breathe. They want to come to our home. We’ll welcome them hitter style. You bring that Black Death and you bring it right.”
“Wait, what,” Marcus says in pure shock.
“Catch up, mates,” Uri smirks. “This is what they’ve been up to. They know what’s coming. They’re ready.”
“I figured as much,” Bobby sighs and shakes his head.
Czar chuckles. “Now, that’s my sister.”
“My wife and children are in hotel. I need to make call,” Misha grumbles and storms from the room. I blink after him, but my attention is pulled away to Nate.
“Tink, if you don’t take your ass down to the cellar with the kids,” he growls.
Pam turns to Nate and glares. I’m conscious of the fact that my wife has disappeared, as Kelly makes her way back in with rifle cases and harnesses. Annabella Donati starts to hand out ear pieces. It sinks in that this shit is happening.
“You have no idea what I’m capable of. Don’t find out by me demonstrating on you,” Pam hisses.
“She holds her own,” Val shrugs as she steps into a harness.
“You going up,” Kelly calls to someone behind me.
I turn to see my wife in black jeans and a black t-shirt. She has a holster with two extra guns around her shoulders. She licks her lips and shakes her head.
“Nope, where he is, I am,” she nods towards me.
“Two minutes,” Sammy warns.
I snap out of my shock and into action. I shrug out of my suit jacket and start to bark my own orders. My father, snaps out of his own shock, grabbing my mother and a few of the children. They all start to hurry off.
I make it to my study and into my hidden gun case. I feel my wife behind me. A part of me wants to send her downstairs with my mother and the children, but I’m going to trust her. I’m going to give into what Phoebe Romaine said.
I tuck two pistols in my waistband and toss on a holster with another two. I grab a rifle and some rounds as well. I won’t be running out this time.
Just as I reach for my last clip the lights go out. The backup generator kicks in and I smirk. It’s on a system they won’t be able to cut from the outside, it’s in the hidden room in the cellar. My add-ons are paying off.
I grab two pairs of night goggles. “Let’s go, Baby,” I say as I walk over to Tasha to hand her a pair and kiss her lips. “You stay with me. You understand.”
“I got you, trust me,” she purrs and winks at me in the low light.
We draw our guns and head out the study aiming. It takes but a second for Tasha to start firing at the targets moving into our home. Her precision is impressive.
We move to the foyer and it’s like the room has been surrounded. I move my back to Tasha’s and we let bullets fly. I turn to my left and take out two.
“Slow,” I hear in my ear.
Tasha and I both drop low and spin around each other as we lift up to, “Burn.” We fire in sync. I feel her right at my back.
My chest swells with pride. They’ve been working at this. I’ve seen the slow burn in action before, but never as well-oiled as this. I’m sure I’m not the only man in awe, but I don’t have time for that.
I keep focus and keep fighting. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Misha moving through the room with his knives drawn, slashing throats as he moves like an enraged panther. I spot a dark figure aiming in Misha’s direction and spin, aiming for the figure’s head and taking them out.
Misha turns in my direction and nods. His eyes narrow and in the next motion, he tosses one of his blades and pulls a gun. I turn to see that the figure that was just pointing at Tasha, now has a knife in his throat and for good measure, Misha puts two in his head.
“I’m fine,” Tasha hisses. “Focus.”
I grunt my reply. I almost lose focus when I feel Tasha separate from me. I don’t have time to turn to find her. I get low as I hear slow in my ear.
My eyes go wide, when I lift and my wife’s small body, on her knees, comes sliding between my legs. She roars, as her guns blaze. I smirk, the woman is crazy.
Others come to join us in the center of the foyer, as Tasha gets back to her feet. Uri, Luca, Brooklyn, Logan, and Misha, all make their way to us as well. It doesn’t skip my notice that my wife stands beside us, as if this is her place. Among killers, me with no remorse for what they must do.
Her pistols smoke just as hard as mine. We all move in-sync with the slow, burn calls in our ears and soon the room is filled with nothing but our family and smoke. It’s then that I realize fire has been taking place in the backyard of the house.
Once it’s silent outside, the lights come back on. We all turn and aim as we hear movement at the back door. Every one of us is ready to get back into action.
“Y’all can relax. This is Felix. We’re here for back up,” I hear spoken in my ear. “That kid is amazing, by the way.”
I smirk, knowing he’s talking about my son.
~B~
Tasha
I’m nervous when LaSalle turns and looks down at me. I remove my goggles, biting my lip, not sure how he is going to feel about what I just did. Do I regret standing next to my man and handling business? Nope, not at all.
I shake off the nerves, lift my head, and throw my shoulders back. I did what any real woman would. I kept our home safe.
LaSalle closes the small distance and cups the back of my neck, crushing his lips to mine. My toes curl and I try to crawl up his body to give as good as I’m getting. He cups my ass, drawing me into him.
When he breaks the kiss, he presses his forehead to mine. “Who are you?”
“Tasha Locatelli, wife of Don LaSalle Locatelli. Ride or Die chick at your service,” I purr and wink.
LaSalle roars with laughter and wraps his arms around my head, kissing the top. I wrap my arms around his waist. I snuggle into his chest and breathe him in.
“I love you,” he breathes into my hair.
“I know,” I giggle.
“You know this has only begun,” Uri says from behind, causing us to turn to him. “It is time to make them Hush. I will handle it from here. It is time the hitters step in.”