Page 28 of Bulletproof Baby
"We can work on it, teach me. How does your back feel?" she asks.
"It stings from the scratches, but they'll heal. It's not bad, but my lip might bruise. I'd hate to see you pissed." I laugh.
"Yeah, I think the last time I hit somebody was in eighth grade. Frankie was being bullied, and the kid called him a fairy or something. I hit the boy first, balled my fist up and broke my thumb after I cracked him in the face."
"Damn, how hard did you hit the kid?" I chuckle.
She shrugs. "Don't know, I think I broke his nose. But you don't get to talk shit to my cousin or about my cousin. Doesn't matter who he likes. He's family."
"I know.” I gingerly touch my swelling lip, remembering the way her cousin threw himself at me. “He can defend himself and you just as hard as you fought for him."
"Frankie is like a brother to me. He was sent over from Italy after his folks died. He was like five or six? Our Nonna took him in. My parents would have taken him, but everything with the Bonetti Brothers was too much to manage. Now that I think about it, I spent more time with Frankie and Nonna than I did with them."
"Your parents built that company from the ground up?" I ask her.
"Yeah. My mother's idea was to go by the name Eddie instead of Edith when they first started. She got a lot done because people thought Eddie Bonetti was one-half of the brothers. Still, it was hard for them. That's why I let them talk me into this shit with Caputo."
"I get it. You want to protect what they've worked so hard to build—" I lower my voice when I hear something. The creak of the wooden floor outside her front door sounds like someone's making their way toward her apartment. It's amazing what I can hear in the silence of this quiet neighborhood.
I get up slowly, pulling on my pants and moving into the living room for my bag. I come back with my gun in hand and Lia's eyes widen. With a finger up to my lips, I motion for her to go inside the bathroom to hide.
The sound of someone picking the lock in her front door gets my adrenaline pumping as I fish my phone out of my pants pocket. I text Armande, but knowing that he's having a night at Kings doesn't give me much hope for help at this hour. I send out another message to some soldiers for the family and hope they get here in time.
Still, I ready myself for a fight. I made a promise to Lia, and I fully intend to keep it.
13
LIA
Fear drapes over me as I stand behind my shower curtain. The waiting, the silence, I wish it can paralyze me, but the soft murmurs of my own teeth chattering force me to clasp both hands over my mouth. My entire body shakes as the sounds get louder. Thumps, grunts, a struggle, multiple people and things breaking around my apartment.
Hot tears stream down my cheeks. My whimpers and prayers remain muffled behind my hands. When the sound of gunshots ring through the chaos, I jump back, trying to melt into the tiled walls of my shower.
I can't just sit here and wait. What if someone bursts inside? I'm not wearing anything, letting my mind wander to the most despicable things intruders do to naked women they find hiding in a bathroom. The amount of courage I summon is immeasurable, pushing myself out of the cold tub.
It's not the best option, but sorting through my clothes hamper lets me throw on a pair of loose sweatpants and a tank top. The fabric is barely over my head when the bathroom door splinters off its hinge. My screams echo around the room as Valentino viciously beats a masked man with his fists.
Valentino's sweat mixes with smears and specks of blood over his massive tattoo, making me wonder if it's his or that of the person he's fighting. The way they're tossing one another around the bathroom pushes me into the narrow space between the sink and toilet. I don't wait for any coaxing to take my opportunity to escape.
"Wait! Don't!" Valentino shouts as I step over them and out of the bathroom, right into the arms of another intruder. The black ski mask over his face doesn't hide his formidable size.
The strength of his hold as he lifts me off my feet is surprising. A hand covers my mouth before I can scream, but I can see the body of one man unconscious on the bedroom floor.
"Get her out of here," the man fighting Valentino snarls between blows. Valentino delivers a final punch, knocking that man out before turning toward me.
Every limb on my body flails and kicks before I drop all of my weight to my feet.
Be a rock. The words barrel into my head. It's the only thing I remember from my days of play fighting with Frankie. Anchor myself to the ground, make it difficult.
"Fuck, this bitch is heavy," the intruder grunts as he leans over me, trying to lift me like a boulder. Instead of letting myself be taken, I uncurl myself and ram the top of my back into the man's core.
It's just enough time for Valentino to wrap his arms around the intruder's torso, knocking them into the corner post of my bed. My bed doesn't stand a chance as its corner collapses after the collision.
Where are the police?
Hasn't anyone called them?
My eyes scan the room, trying to figure out where my phone is. The only light comes from the streetlamps shining a soft orange glow outside the window. Valentino continues to battle the last intruder when I hear the noise of more men storming into my little apartment.