Blood Bonded

31

Dominic burst back into the kitchen and his people made a path. His chest tightened in gratitude. Gabe? How would Gabe be here?

Dominic burst back into the room. Chaos had ensued. Muci and his men were vigorously fighting against his father's men. The Lombards and Capos stood off to the side, directing their people to attack one side or another at strategic moments.

He scanned for Gabe but didn't see his little brother anywhere. Why were they fighting? Then, he locked eyes on Muci clearly.

Gabe stood there, beginning to sweat in a tuxedo, a knife at his throat. Dominic looked around. His father's people would win, but all it took was a flick of Muci's wrist.

Gabe shrieked and everyone froze. Blood ran down Gabe's neck.

"No one move or this boy gets it!"

Dominic stared and Gabe finally saw his big brother. "Nic!"

Muci noticed Dominic as well. He smiled broadly. His eyes were wide and bloodshot. After all, he just found out that his entire family didn't belong to him. Dominic looked down and noticed Muci's wife lying in a pool of her own blood, dead.

Dominic pulled his silver knife. Muci tightened his grip. "You can't throw that faster than I can slice his neck."

Dominic looked at his father, who had sat down nonchalantly. He nodded to Dominic. "Do you ask you like. You like him more than I do."

Gabe swallowed and stared at Dominic. Dominic's mind raced and his heart throbbed. "Let him go and you can leave in peace. You kill him and you die regardless."

Muci scoffed. "You think I won't die anyway?" His voice cracked. "Your father has been eyeing Chicago for years. You think he won't find a loophole to justice my death? Who here is strong enough to fight back, huh? Who do you think ordered the hit on the Bacardis? You really think hunters would do that, unprovoked? You must be stupider than I thought."

"Is stupider even a word?" Gabe asked, confusion written over his face, even as he had a knife pressed against his throat. "Or is it more stupid? Ms. Johnson insists—"

While Gabe spoke, Muci glanced down at him in annoyance. Dominic took the momentary distraction and launched the dagger at Muci. The dagger dug into his hand and he lurched backward. Gabe dove down and managed to scurry over to Dominic. Dominic grabbed Gabe and Gabe pointed behind him.

Dominic turned and saw Raelyn standing at the service window, staring out in a daze. To Dominic's horror, his people were fighting with his father's in the background.

As Muci wailed in pain, Rossi commanded people to kill Muci. Dominic tucked Gabe under his arm and headed into the kitchen.

"Is Muci dead?" Raelyn asked.

Dominic grabbed her and began pulling her down the aisle, trying to avoid the flying knives and pans. "Where is Dane? Where's Crockett?"

Raelyn blinked. "Uh. Not sure. I—I'm not sure how I ended up here, but I knew I would be." Dominic pushed the two of them into a corner and whirled on two Rossi guards who had made their way around a table and brandished knives.

"Don't look!" he called back. He flipped his second knife out and sliced through one of their wrists, nearly severing the limb. She screamed and fell back. The other jumped toward Dominic's bonded and little brother, but a shard of light cut past his cheek and nearly burned off the vampire's face.

Dominic whirled and saw Raelyn slowly lowering her hand. She looked at it and then at Dominic. She furrowed her brows. "Sorry," she said, rubbing her head, "was I not supposed to do that?"

Dominic ignored her question and grabbed her arm. She had her other hand clutching Gabe's neck. As long as they both made their way with him, it didn't matter. He pushed them through the service door and saw Crockett and Iggy arguing with Dane tied to a post.

"What the hell did I tell you!" Dominic roared.

They both turned in shock. Then, they saw Raelyn. Iggy blubbered in shock.

"Get in the car!"

Iggy nodded, and went to untie Dane, who was barking and baring his teeth. Crockett opened the door and Dominic get the two of them inside. Once Dane was freed, he jumped inside and lay across Raelyn protectively.

"Too little, too late, dog," Dominic grumbled.

Iggy slid in the front seat. As Crockett opened his door, the service door burst open.

"Go!"

Crockett barely managed to jump into the car as Iggy took off. Crockett pulled out his gun and held onto the side of the car, shooting back at Rossi's men as they swarmed toward the SUV. The car lurched into the road and Crockett slammed the door. Iggy made a sharp turn, and they began darting down the road, weaving through traffic.

Dominic looked at Raelyn and Gabe. "You guys okay?"

Gabe nodded. Raelyn nodded, too, leaning her head back. She still had a hand on Gabe's neck. Once her head touched the headrest, she passed out. Dominic shooed Dane away to fix her seat and buckle her properly. Then, Dane climbed over her again.

Raelyn's hand fell of Gabe's neck and Dominic saw that she had been holding a napkin to the cut on his neck. Gabe shrugged. His wound had healed a few seconds after the cut.

Dominic stared. "You okay?"

Gabe nodded, smiling at Raelyn. "I like her."

"You could have told her your neck healed."

Gabe shrugged. "I told her. She didn't budge." He looked over at her. "Is she drunk?"

Dominic glanced her way. "No. Not sure what she is, though." He whirled back to his little brother. "You were not supposed to be there," he accused.

Gabe nodded. "I wasn't. But then—"

"Boss, we have company," Iggy shouted.

Dominic glanced back and saw three black Mustangs following them and gaining quickly.

"Take us to the safe house. Lose them. Now."

"Understood." Iggy smiled.

Crockett never quite understood why Dominic kept Iggy around. In this moment, he learned.

The short man floored it and turned down a tunnel underneath the city. The pursuers followed, edging closer and closer. "Everyone buckled?"

Gabe hurried to put on his seatbelt.

Iggy slammed on the brake and turned ever so slightly, snipping the back wheel. The rear-wheel drive car made a sharp turn and spun out as Iggy pressed the gas again and zoomed past. "What idiot tries to do a chase in a Mustang? Rear-wheel drive my foot," he muttered.

He drifted out of the tunnel and down an alley, forcing the last two cars to follow him single-file. He slowed down, which made Crockett tense.

Iggy counted slowly. "Three...two...one." On one, he floored it and burst onto a public street. He continued his made dash toward the river. A large cargo ship was beginning to pass. "Good timing." Gates began to close on the bridge over the river. Once the gates were closed and all the cars were gone, the bridge began to open, the road splitting down the middle to accommodate the large boat in the river.

"Are we going to jump that?" Gabe shouted, grabbing his seatbelt.

Iggy floored it toward the bridge. "This is called a Bascule Bridge, Gabe." The two Mustangs came up on either side of them and fired, shattering a window on Dominic's side. Iggy smiled. "And there's a trick to these."

All three of them slammed into the flimsy gate, their SUV taking the brunt of the weight and slowing down. Iggy whipped the wheel to the right and hit the brakes, stopping them just short of the jump. The two pursuers leapt over the gap and onto the other side.

Iggy smiled and drove back down the ramp. "The trick is that no matter how cool jumping over that bridge looks, it will wreck your car, especially if it's a low-riding Mustang." He put on his blinker and merged with traffic. The front bumper was worse for wear, but they had evaded everyone. "We're going to make a quick stop to switch cars."