around before looking at Angel. “We need to get out of here.”
He was relieved when she didn’t say anything. She just stood and let him usher her out the back door to the alley. He felt his lack of weapon as they made their way through the darkened streets back to the car.
“What’s wrong?” Angel finally asked as he navigated out of the village.
“Nothing probably,” he said.
“Probably?”
“I got the feeling Sean was being watched,” he said. “I was worried we were made.”
“Do you think it was a trap by Raneiro?” Angel asked.
“I don’t know,” Nico said. “But I’ll feel better when we get out of here.”
They dropped the car off at the rental office and walked back to the flat, Angel leaning drowsily on his arm. By the time he put the key in the door, he was starting to believe he was just being paranoid. Raneiro had to know Nico would contact Desmond McDermott. It was the easiest way to gain private information about Sean Murdock. Raneiro could have had people waiting outside McDermott’s villa. He could have had someone tail McDermott and kill Nico and Angel as soon as they made contact. By giving Nico so specific a task, Raneiro had made him an easy target. No, if Raneiro Donati wanted him dead, he’d be dead by now.
He almost believed the internal argument until he opened the door and heard the click of the gun.
21
H er eyes barely had time to adjust to the light in the living room before she spotted the men. There were two of them; one tall and thin and standing by the windows, the other big and beefy, his neck the size of a tree trunk, sitting in the chair by the room’s writing desk.
Both of them had guns.
“Looks like our friends have had a nice day sightseeing,” Skinny said, his voice laced with a thick Italian accent.
Beefy sighed. “Young love. Ain’t it grand?”
“It sure is,” Skinny said. He waved the gun at them. “Come in and shut the door. And don’t get any big ideas about running. We’re not alone.”
Angel cut a glance at Nico, saw the internal battle being waged in his mind. A moment later he shut the door and stepped into the room, angling his body in front of hers in a familiar gesture of protection.
“Come in, come in,” Beefy said. “We’re just going to have a little chat.”
She stepped into the room, taking advantage of her position behind Nico to scan the room for something they might use as a weapon. It didn’t take long to realize it was futile unless she wanted to go slapstick and hit one of them over the head with a lamp. Somehow she didn’t think it would be very effective agains the cold-eyed, dead-voiced men in their room. Had this been Raneiro’s plan all along? Get them out of the US — away from Luca and anyone else who might help them — and kill them here on his home turf?
“What do you want?” Nico asked.
“Just wondering what brings you to our fair city,” Skinny said. “Somehow you don’t strike me as tourists.”
“Who sent you?” Nico asked.
Skinny stood, cocking the gun. “I think you’re confused. We ask the questions here.”
Nico nodded, taking another step in front of Angel. “I’m on an errand for Raneiro,” he said. “Just following his instructions.”
“Who the fuck is Raneiro?” Beefy looked confused.
Nico’s confidence seemed to falter, but he didn’t have time to say anything else before Beefy stalked toward him. Angel instinctively stepped forward as he raised his hand to strike Nico with the gun.
But Nico was way ahead of him. His hand shot up, blocking Beefy’s arm as one leg came up to kick the weapon from his hand. It clattered to the floor just as Skinny came up behind her. She’d been too busy watching Nico to see the gunman edge his way toward her, and she heard the click of the gun at her temple over the sound of the bones crunching in Beefy’s arms as Nico twisted it behind him. He pointed the gun pointed at the back of the man’s head.
“Unless you care less
He was relieved when she didn’t say anything. She just stood and let him usher her out the back door to the alley. He felt his lack of weapon as they made their way through the darkened streets back to the car.
“What’s wrong?” Angel finally asked as he navigated out of the village.
“Nothing probably,” he said.
“Probably?”
“I got the feeling Sean was being watched,” he said. “I was worried we were made.”
“Do you think it was a trap by Raneiro?” Angel asked.
“I don’t know,” Nico said. “But I’ll feel better when we get out of here.”
They dropped the car off at the rental office and walked back to the flat, Angel leaning drowsily on his arm. By the time he put the key in the door, he was starting to believe he was just being paranoid. Raneiro had to know Nico would contact Desmond McDermott. It was the easiest way to gain private information about Sean Murdock. Raneiro could have had people waiting outside McDermott’s villa. He could have had someone tail McDermott and kill Nico and Angel as soon as they made contact. By giving Nico so specific a task, Raneiro had made him an easy target. No, if Raneiro Donati wanted him dead, he’d be dead by now.
He almost believed the internal argument until he opened the door and heard the click of the gun.
21
H er eyes barely had time to adjust to the light in the living room before she spotted the men. There were two of them; one tall and thin and standing by the windows, the other big and beefy, his neck the size of a tree trunk, sitting in the chair by the room’s writing desk.
Both of them had guns.
“Looks like our friends have had a nice day sightseeing,” Skinny said, his voice laced with a thick Italian accent.
Beefy sighed. “Young love. Ain’t it grand?”
“It sure is,” Skinny said. He waved the gun at them. “Come in and shut the door. And don’t get any big ideas about running. We’re not alone.”
Angel cut a glance at Nico, saw the internal battle being waged in his mind. A moment later he shut the door and stepped into the room, angling his body in front of hers in a familiar gesture of protection.
“Come in, come in,” Beefy said. “We’re just going to have a little chat.”
She stepped into the room, taking advantage of her position behind Nico to scan the room for something they might use as a weapon. It didn’t take long to realize it was futile unless she wanted to go slapstick and hit one of them over the head with a lamp. Somehow she didn’t think it would be very effective agains the cold-eyed, dead-voiced men in their room. Had this been Raneiro’s plan all along? Get them out of the US — away from Luca and anyone else who might help them — and kill them here on his home turf?
“What do you want?” Nico asked.
“Just wondering what brings you to our fair city,” Skinny said. “Somehow you don’t strike me as tourists.”
“Who sent you?” Nico asked.
Skinny stood, cocking the gun. “I think you’re confused. We ask the questions here.”
Nico nodded, taking another step in front of Angel. “I’m on an errand for Raneiro,” he said. “Just following his instructions.”
“Who the fuck is Raneiro?” Beefy looked confused.
Nico’s confidence seemed to falter, but he didn’t have time to say anything else before Beefy stalked toward him. Angel instinctively stepped forward as he raised his hand to strike Nico with the gun.
But Nico was way ahead of him. His hand shot up, blocking Beefy’s arm as one leg came up to kick the weapon from his hand. It clattered to the floor just as Skinny came up behind her. She’d been too busy watching Nico to see the gunman edge his way toward her, and she heard the click of the gun at her temple over the sound of the bones crunching in Beefy’s arms as Nico twisted it behind him. He pointed the gun pointed at the back of the man’s head.
“Unless you care less
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