The Enforcer (Untamed Hearts Book 3)(37)

“I guess you’re gonna have to get used to it.” Nova raised his eyebrows, not bothering to fight the hold Frankie had on his hair. “I’m not doing it.”

“You think you’re smart?” Frankie laughed, as if a part of him was genuinely amused.

“Yeah,” Nova said without wincing. “I think I’m smart.”

Frankie pulled a gun out from the back of his jeans. He shoved it against Nova’s forehead so hard it made a thunk. Every muscle in Tino’s body tightened. His pulse was thundering, but he couldn’t jump at Frankie when he had his finger on that trigger.

“How smart are you now, you little shit?” Frankie asked with a dark smile.

“Do it.” Nova kept his eyes open, staring unflinchingly at Frankie as he kept his head wrenched back over the side of the couch. “I dare you.”

“Casanova!” Tino shouted.

At the same time Carina screeched, “Daddy! NO!”

“DO IT!” Nova screamed when Frankie seemed to waver. “Shoot me! Blow my brains out, motherf*cker!”

Tino’s pulse was still thundering in his ears as Nova’s pain suddenly exploded in the room. For that one instant, Tino could almost feel how heavy Nova’s brain felt inside his head. He wanted out so badly none of them, not even Frankie, knew how to respond to it.

Carina, who probably had more stugots than anyone, whispered, “He’s my brother. You can’t kill my brother in front of me. I’ll be traumatized for life.”

Frankie pivoted, and Tino thought he was pointing the gun at Carina. At some point in the confrontation she had crawled Tino like a tree and was practically sitting on his chest.

“Get up, Tino.” Frankie’s eyes were narrowed. There was a vein pulsing on his forehead, making it obvious he wasn’t lying when he said he wasn’t used to people arguing with him. “Right now.”

Tino didn’t say anything, just kept completely still. If someone told him a week ago this would be his life, sitting there with his father pointing a gun at him while the sister he didn’t know existed sat on his chest like a human shield, Tino would’ve told them to stop smoking so much.

“Daddy,” Carina whispered. “Please.”

“Get outta here, Carina!” Frankie gestured to the door with the gun.

He really was not smart.

He’d forgotten about Nova.

Who was apparently suicidal.

Very angry.

And crazy fast.

Nova leaned over the edge of the couch, striking the side of Frankie’s neck with a violent, front-knuckle punch. It was a good, clean, wide-open shot, when anyone knew that bone wasn’t too difficult to break.

Or Tino thought anyone knew it.

Apparently someone forgot to tell Frankie.

Carina screamed when the gun fired, and Frankie went down. Nova cleared the couch like a f*cking gymnast, shouting, “Run!” right before he kicked Frankie in the head.

Tino’s foot was broken, but he managed to make it to the door with Carina in his arms. He wasn’t even sure how he ended up with her. Some weird instinct. When he jumped up, he just swooped her up too while Nova kicked the shit out of Frankie.

Actually kicked the shit out of him.

That hit wasn’t something to knock their father down. It was a punch meant to kill him, but there was a reason why Italians, particularly Sicilian Italians, dominated the underworld. Like rats, they thrived in dark places and were extremely difficult to kill.

New York hadn’t gotten rid of either problem.

No war could exterminate them.

There were always more coming out of the woodwork.

And nothing brought them out faster than gunfire.

Tino wasn’t real sure what his plan was, but he was having a hard time with the idea of leaving Nova behind. “Nova!”

“Go! Run, stronzo!” Nova shouted when he came up behind them, and for one heartbeat Tino felt free when he realized his brother was running with them.

Like they could make it.

All three of them could get to the car and just f*cking leave.

It was a dumb idea.

Something a twelve-year-old came up with as he grabbed the metal railing on each side and lifted his feet, because he’d been practicing this shit. Stupid cast. Tino went first, but Carina was right behind him, with Nova at her heels.

Tino was halfway down when the others came from around the pool.

The gunfire must have sent them running.

“Grab those f*ckers!” Frankie’s voice was gravelly and furious.

Tino didn’t turn around, but he heard Nova go back up, felt the tackle shake the entire staircase. Tino had other problems, namely the four big, thick men in front of him and Carina behind him.

He lifted his legs higher as he slid the rest of the way down and nailed the first guy in the chest, which made the pain explode in his foot like a nuclear bomb.

He couldn’t outrun these *s, and he suspected they weren’t going to start shooting with Carina in the mix. So Tino fell onto the guy he kicked and hit him like he meant it. It was a Nova sucker punch, something meant to knock someone out rather than just play.

And this motherf*cker obviously wasn’t expecting it. He hadn’t even thrown his hands up to protect his face. When he dropped his gun, Tino grabbed it, though he didn’t have the faintest idea how to shoot one.