The Ones Who Saved Us

Chapter 49

A/N

I posted the last chapter not too long ago, so make sure you read that one before continuing. Enjoy!!

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Avalee's POV

My five older brothers and father were seated in chairs, Nikolai's men pointing guns at their heads. The sting of betrayal was fresh, especially as Uncle Michael stood by Giancarlo with a smug look on his face.

Hunter pointed a gun to my back, but I was only thankful that no guns were aimed at my little brother, who looked scared out of his mind.

As I held Teddy close to me, not daring to let him go, I searched for any sign from Alessandro that it was time for me to take Teddy and run. Maybe it was the number of guns in the room pointed at my family or maybe it was the fact that we were so incredibly outnumbered, but I didn't see my oldest brother holding up four fingers or mouthing the word run.

But I had to at least try.

Using the technique that Matteo and Emilio taught me, I disarmed Hunter with one swift movement and knocked him to the ground, taking his gun and pointing it at Uncle Michael. "Let my family go or I will kill you."

As Uncle Michael took a step towards me, I took the safety off, causing him to raise his hands in surrender. "Sweetheart, I wouldn't do that if I were you. You see how we have guns pointed at your family?" he said, gesturing at his men. "If you shoot me, then one of your brothers or your father will die. The choice is yours."

I looked in the direction of my family, who all sent me looks of reassurance. "It's going to be okay, tesoro, but you need to put the gun down," Alessandro said.

I hesitated before lowering the gun. Uncle Michael held his hand out and said, "Hand it over." Taking Teddy's hand, I started walking over, but was stopped once again by Uncle Michael. "Leave your brother with Hunter. It looks like we'll need extra leverage to keep you cooperative."

I tightened my hold on my little brother and shook my head. "I won't do anything. Promise."

"I'm not taking any chances," he said. "Now give me the gun."

Giving one last squeeze to Teddy's hand, I left him with Hunter, who already had another gun in hand. I placed the gun that I had in Uncle Michael's hand as he said, in a way that seemed almost gentle, "Please don't do that again. I'd hate to actually follow through on one of my threats."

Uncle Michael pointed to a worn out bag that was by his feet. "There's handcuffs in there. I want you to handcuff your brothers' and father's hands behind their backs. Can't have them trying to do something stupid like what you tried."

I grabbed the bag and lugged it over to where my family was, warm smiles gracing their features. Even in this highly stressful situation, they didn't show their fear. If anything, they seemed calm, at ease, not slightly worried by all the guns or the fact that it seemed like Giancarlo, Uncle Michael, Nikolai, and their entire team had won.

Papa was the first one I reached. He stood up to give me a hug, but the click of a gun's safety made him sit back down. I crouched down in front of him with the bag, fumbling through it for the handcuffs and pulling out one silver set. Papa crossed his arms behind the back of my chair and gave a small nod. "It's okay, baby. Do what Michael told you to do."

I neared the back and softly took his wrists, carefully putting the handcuffs on so his skin wouldn't get caught. "I hope that's not too tight, Papa."

"It's perfect, love. Don't worry."