by Sienna Blake
“If that’s a dead body, I’m pretty sure someone beat you to it.”
He pulled out his phone and stared at it, chewing his lip. “Damn, I…”
I rolled my eyes. “Let me guess, it’s a woman and she wants you to come over. Is it Lacey?”
A guilty look crept over his face. Not Lacey.
I waved at him. “Go, Espo. I can eat Ming’s all by myself. At least one of us should be getting laid.”
Espo gave me a sad look. “Sorry it didn’t work out with the rose guy.”
I shrugged, even though it hurt. “It happens. Plenty of fish in the sea and all that, right?” I lied.
It took twenty-five years for me to find someone like Roman. It might take another twenty-five to forget him.
No, that was a lie. I’d never forget him.
At least I was comforted by the fact that she might make him happy.
6
____________
Roman
From the corner of the alley across her street, I watched as Julianna and her partner pulled up in his unmarked dark police sedan. My chest tightened at the sight of her lovely profile, honey hair tied back at the nape of her neck. She laughed at something Espinoza said. My stomach twisted. See, she’s happy. It’d only been a month and she’d moved on. You were easy to forget.
She was not. She was branded onto my heart, stained into my soul.
If I was going to die tonight at Dante’s hand, then at least I could say that my life had been worth it because she had been mine. At least for a time.
Espinoza placed a hand behind her seat and leaned in. Close. Too close. What was he doing? My stomach clenched when I remembered what Benvolio had said about them. “They’re fucking, dude. That’s the word on the street. And you know what they say, where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”
Was it true? Was he fucking her? Was he the reason I’d been so easy to forget? How dare he. She was mine. For a second, rage blinded me. I strode out of my hiding spot, determined to rip them apart.
Julianna opened the passenger door and stepped out of the car.
He didn’t follow.
I stopped right there at the edge of the sidewalk. He wasn’t going in with her. If Julianna looked over right now, she’d see me.
But she didn’t. She walked into her building, giving Espinoza a tiny wave once she was inside. I backed into my hiding spot again just before Espinoza could spot me. When we both lost sight of her, he pulled away from the building.
She’d be walking into her apartment right now.
My gaze found the skeleton fire escape, a rickety ladder of rust and spider webs scaling up the side of her building, parts missing. Perhaps I could climb up her building one last time...
I could feel the heaviness of death around me. If I could just…touch her one more time. If I could talk to her…
Don’t be stupid, Roman. You came here to make sure she was okay, and she is. The best thing I could do was to leave her alone. She probably wouldn’t even spare a thought for me when she read in the papers tomorrow that Roman Tyrell’s body was found washed up downriver.
I didn’t follow her into her apartment. I slid back into the shadows, walked back to my bike, and prepared myself to meet my fate.
7
____________
Roman
Little Italy had once been a bustling trading spot for the immigrant population of Verona. After my father rose to power, it crumbled into a quivering mess of seedy bars, strip clubs, and illegal gambling dens. Mostly it was abandoned, the forgotten homeless squatting in derelict buildings. The few reputable restaurants still open shut their doors well before nine p.m. With alleyways like twisted warrens and the kind of dark that sucked up the pathetic glow of streetlights, Little Italy was nearly deserted after midnight. It was a notorious spot for things that went on that the gentile population of fair Verona didn’t want to know about. Dead Man’s Alley was right in its rotting center.
A distant clock sounded three times, signaling midnight.
“Where’s your dueling partner?” Dante’s voice rang out, distorted by the hungry wind. His silhouette extended from the shadows from the other side of the alleyway. Two others followed. Shit. Dante had come with two of his men. If he was as ruthless as they say he was, he probably had more backup somewhere else.
Where was Mercutio? He was supposed to meet me here ten minutes ago. I pulled out my phone. I’d missed a call from him. I would have been on my bike, riding across Verona when he called, the ringing lost under the roar of the bike’s motor and the wind in my ears. He was probably calling to tell me he wasn’t going to show up. Too late for me to call him back now.
He let me down. He never let me down.
You’ve let him down plenty. It’s no wonder that he decided not to stand by you for this.
As much as I wanted to, I could not hate Mercutio for not showing up. He was right not to come. He was right not to attach himself to a sinking ship. He deserved better than to die along with me. Live, Mercutio. Live a better life as a better man than I ever could.
I gave Dante a casual shrug. “I didn’t think I needed to hide behind my men. Unlike some of us.”
Dante bristled.
Jesus, Roman. Do you ever just keep your mouth shut? Not that it would have mattered. Dante wasn’t the kind of man to let me go if I asked. He’d make me beg, then he’d laugh as he killed me anyway.
He stopped about five meters from me, his men standing by his side like a pair of bodyguards. “Are you ready to join your dead mummy, Tyrell?”
I gritted my teeth and pushed aside my jacket to reveal the gun holstered to my hip. “Let’s get this over with.”
Dante nodded, a sneer lifting his mouth. He opened his arms out to the sides, revealing a single gun holstered to his side. His men helped him shrug off his long trench coat, one of them taking it from him.
We stared at each other across the dim moonlit night, the moon reflecting off the water. I saw my death in his eyes, two deep holes dug into cold dirt. My mind turned back to Julianna’s face. “Don’t do this, Roman,” her image begged me.
Too late. Too late to start again. Too late to say goodbye. Too late to change.
“On the count of three,” one of Dante’s men called, “shoot.”
I shifted my weight, testing my balance. I was a good shot, a good aim. But I had heard things about Dante Veronesi. His father had built his sons their own shooting range when they had been mere children. I had heard that Dante Veronesi could shoot the center out of the king of diamonds from a hundred yards.
“One…”
Everything seemed to slow around me, my heartbeat in my ears became long and overwhelming. Was it too much to hope that there was a heaven and that my mother would be waiting for me?
“Two…”
Who was I kidding? If there was a heaven, then I wasn’t being let anywhere near it. My fingers twitched by my gun. My vision sharpened down to two hateful eyes.
A gunshot fired, pain tearing across my left arm. I sprinted for cover behind a pile of crates as more shots whizzed past my head. The shots had not come from Dante but rather from somewhere else in the dark. My arm throbbed but I ignored it, drawing my own gun.
“You cheater,” I yelled. I cursed as a shot hit somewhere near my right, causing splinters to spit at me. “Where’s your honor?”
I heard Dante laughing. “You idiot. Your precious honor is just going to get you killed. Did you really think I was going to pass up the chance to end the Tyrell line?”
I shot out wildly from the corner of my hiding place. A barrage of bullets was their deadly answer. I was forced to crouch low as chips of wood exploded around me.
“Surrender,” he called. “I’ll make your death quick and painless. This is just business, after all.”
I wiped the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand. They had me surrounded. This was not a duel, but an execution. I wasn’t getting out alive.
8
____________
Julianna
One hour earlier…
The second I stepped out of Espinoza’s car, the smile slid off my face. Lately it hurt to smile, like I was somehow out of practice. As I made my way into my building, my thoughts turned to Roman. I wondered what he was doing tonight. He probably wasn’t alone like I was. He had Rosaline to keep him company. His fiancée, I thought bitterly.
I had barely gotten my key into my door when a deep male voice called my name. I’d been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn’t heard him come up behind me.
Startled, I spun, drawing my gun at the same time. I didn’t expect to see him. Mercutio Brevio was standing behind me, a serious look on his face.
“Whoa,” he said as I pointed my weapon at him. He raised his hands, showing me his palms in an act of placation. “Don’t shoot.”
“Mercutio?” I frowned. He didn’t like me. The last time we saw each other he told me in no uncertain terms to leave his best friend the hell alone. The reminder of Roman throbbed like a wound across my heart. “What are you doing here?”
Mercutio’s dark eyebrows drew together. He looked away. Whatever he was here for, he was struggling with telling me. Whatever it was, it took a lot for him to come here. I lowered my weapon but I didn’t put it away, my eyes darting over his shoulder to make sure we were alone. “What is it?”
He shuffled his weight, his eyes darting around the hall. “Can we talk?”
“Talk.”
“Inside your apartment?”
I flinched. Was this a trick?
Mercutio must have sensed my hesitancy because he opened his jacket, then patted his body. “Look, I don’t have any weapons on me.” He eyed my gun, now pointed at the floor. “I hate the damn things. Besides, I’m positive you’d kick my ass if I tried anything.”
I didn’t move. Mercutio might not have a record, but that could just mean that he’d never been caught.
Now who’s being prejudiced, Jules?
“Please. It’s about Roman.”
Fuck. My heart felt scraped raw, my nerves fraying over just hearing his name. God, when would I be able to place him in the past? When would the wound stop feeling so fresh?
I tried to remain as calm as possible. I was sure that I failed. I nodded, my throat in a knot. I unlocked the door and let us in, holstering my gun.
“What about him?” I asked as soon as we were inside, my voice steadier than I expected it to be.
“Roman’s in trouble.”
“Trouble?” My stomach felt like someone was wringing it out.
“In less than an hour he’s going to be facing off against Dante Veronesi. A duel to the death.” My heart skipped a beat at the word death. “Dante is a ruthless cheater. Killing the only living heir to the Tyrell empire will cement his place as favorite with his father. He’s never going to let Roman walk away.”
“But the truce—”
“The truce means jack shit. They both blew that sky high. I can’t go to his family. They’d turn the duel into a bloodbath and use it as an excuse to incite a war.”
I cursed. Damn you, Roman. I swallowed hard, as bloody images ripped from crime scene photos flashed before my eyes. What the hell was he thinking by challenging Dante to a duel? They were illegal, first of all; a modern-day flashback to when men used to duel with pistols that the local Mafia had copied to sorting out their feuds. Second of all, what a stupid thing to walk into without backup. “Why are you coming to me?”
“I have no one else to turn to. No one else to help. I know…I know you care about him.” Even though you shouldn’t, was the accusation. “He’ll listen to you.”
“I don’t know if he told you but he…” I hesitated. How much of our relationship did Mercutio know about? I chose to play it safe. “Roman and I don’t exactly talk anymore.”
“Just call him. Talk to him.”
“He won’t listen to me.” I said, my voice coming out flustered. I wanted to help, but Mercutio was kidding himself if he thought that a call from me was going to convince Roman not to do such a stupid thing. He always did what he damn well wanted. “We didn’t exactly leave things on good terms.”
“He still…still cares about you.”
That was a lie. Why would he break up with me? Why would he say those horrible things to me?
“Please,” Mercutio said, “he is the only brother I’ve ever known. I know he can be an asshole at times…”
I snorted.
Mercutio gave me a wry half-smile. “Ok, he can be an asshole most of the time, but he doesn’t deserve to die alone at the hand of the Veronesis. And he will die if you don’t do something.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. Could I put my pride aside?
My mind sent me an image of Roman on the ground, bleeding out, reaching for me. “Jules…” his voice croaking before his eyes went dead. My heart seized. Mercutio was right. I couldn’t just sit here and do nothing. I had to try. Even if I was the last person he’d ever want to hear from. I couldn’t live with myself if I did nothing.
I grabbed my bag, rummaging through it for my phone. My phone, where was it?
Dammit. My phone. I must have left it at work.
Shit shit shit.
“Where’s your phone,” I demanded of Mercutio. I grabbed it from him and called Roman. I’d say anything. I’d beg, if that’s what he needed to hear.
Come on, Roman. Pick up.
It went to voice mail. My heart clenched when I heard Roman’s voice asking me to leave a message.
Shit.
I hung up and turned to Mercutio. His face was drawn, tension pulling his jaw tight. “He won’t pick up.” I handed his phone back to him. “We have to go stop them.”
Mercutio winced as he glanced at the clock on my wall. “We won’t get there in time.”
“Where is this duel taking place?”
“Dead Man’s Alley, Little Italy.”
Dead Man’s Alley. Shit. That place was dark, the buildings around it abandoned with plenty of places to hide. Dante could have snipers hidden anywhere. Walking into that with just Mercutio and me would be suicide. We needed help. We needed backup. I gritted my teeth. It meant doing something that Roman would hate me for later. Better that he hates me than him being dead.
“We can stop this duel in time if we call for backup.” I lunged for my cordless phone sitting on my counter.
“No,” cried Mercutio. He grabbed my hand, stopping me from dialing. “No cops.”
“I am a cop.”
“No other cops.”
“Merc,” I called him by the nickname I’d heard Roman call him, “if you want to save Roman, we need help. It’s too dangerous to do it alone.”
Mercutio shook his head and swore. “I knew I shouldn’t have come to you.”
“Merc, we are running out of time. Do you want Roman to live or not?”
He let out a curse. “He’s going to kill me…”
Us. He’s going to kill us for getting the cops involved. Better angry than dead. “At least he’ll be alive to kill us.”
He let go of my hand so I could dial. “You do what you need to do.”
I chewed my lip as the number rang, hoping to hell I was making the right decision.
My father picked up on the second ring.
I didn’t stop to chat. “There’s going to be a duel between the Tyrells and the Veronesis in Little Italy in less than an hour.”
“Where did you hear this from?”
“A source. We need to send a team there now to stop it from becoming a bloodbath.”
“A source?”
I withheld an exasperated noise. “A reliable source. Dad, we need to move on this now. I need a minimum of four units.”
There was a pause on the other end of the phone. “I thought there was a truce going on between them.”
“Obviously it didn’t hold.” Why was he taking so long to agree to send backup?
“Dead Man’s Alley in Little Ital
y, you said?”
“Yes.” Finally.
“It’s abandoned there. Just a bunch of empty buildings overlooking the alley. No restaurants or commercial spots around the place.”
“Yeah?” Mercutio was frowning at me with a look on his face like, what’s taking so long. I turned my back on him. “So?”
“No innocents will be injured in the crossfire.”
“The Tyrells and the Veronesis will kill each other if we don’t stop them.”
“Perhaps that’s for the best.”
“What? What the hell are you talking about, Dad?”
There was a pause. A long, heavy pause where I held my breath, the hairs on my arm raising as the anticipation built. He sighed as if I was being slow. “Sometimes,” he said laboring over each word, “you have to know when to hold back, Julu. Sometimes you have to let nature take its course.”
Blood drained from my face. What the actual fuck? “Dad, you’re just going to sit back and send who knows how many men to their deaths?”
“They are criminals, not men. And I am not sitting back. I am allocating resources.”
“You have to send backup now.”
“I do not have the luxury of reallocating uniforms to stop a bloodbath between criminals when I have innocent people who need their attention more.”
Tears stung my eyes. My father— my own father—was going to let Roman die, a man I knew was good, because of all the bad ones. “One unit. Give me one.”
“I’ll send a unit there later to pick up the pieces of whoever is left.”
My stomach coiled into a tight spring of resolve. Screw him. He might not send anyone to help. But I wasn’t going to stand by and let this injustice happen. “Fine. Then I’m going in there by myself.”
“Julianna, don’t you—”
I slammed down the phone, a prickly heat underneath my skin like a rash. I couldn’t believe it. My own father.
I turned to Mercutio, who was staring at me in despair. He wouldn’t have been able to hear what my father said, but he would have gotten the gist of it based on my reaction. “We’re fucked, aren’t we?”