LEVI

'Spread your arms," Nico told me.


I spread my arms out to both sides, and he slipped the bulletproof vest over my T-shirt.

Geneva walked into my office in the middle of this. She stood off to one side watching while Nico started tightening the straps.

He yanked me in all directions and made it so fucking tight I couldn't move. 'Jesus!" I gasped. 'I can't breathe."


He stood back and scrutinized the vest. 'Take a deep breath." I inhaled with difficulty, and he nodded. 'You're fine."

He went back to jerking me around. 'Christ!" I yelped. 'You're gonna break a rib!"


'You don't want it too loose or it won't do its job." He stuck his fingers between the vest and my shirt. 'You're all right. You can finish getting dressed now."

I limped over to the hanger in the corner and struggled to stick my arms in the sleeves of my tux shirt. Nico went to the chair by my desk and started ripping open the Velcro on his own vest.

Geneva watched him put it on and tighten the straps. 'Do I have to wear one of those?"

'No." He dipped his eyes to her bare shoulders and exposed cleavage. 'It would be too obvious."

She snorted, and he grinned at her. If she didn't already tell me something was going on with them, that grin would have given it away by a mile. I had never seen him look at anyone like that—ever.

His eyes shone, and he didn't look so much like a monster from a horror movie, but she didn't smile back. She watched him with unwavering fascination while he buttoned his shirt, tied his tie, and slipped into his jacket.

Then he put on a shoulder holster with two handguns, one under each arm. He arranged more guns all over his body—behind his back, strapped to his lower leg, and even another holster on his forearm.

He moved around in the vest a lot easier than I could. The vest made me feel like an old man, but she didn't notice. She came toward me, and when I finally finished, she slipped her hand into my elbow.

Nico opened the door for us, and I escorted her out of the house. The long convoy of limos glistened in the moonlight. We paused at the bottom step, and Nico caught up with us. 'This way."

He veered sideways and led us to the very end of the convoy. He opened the door to the second to last limo. Neither Geneva nor I knew which limo we would be in until this moment.

We both slid inside, and Nico climbed in after us. Five huge guys armed with AK-47s packed the car already. We had to jam in even tighter, especially when Nico sat next to Geneva. His bulk blocked her from the opposite door.

We took our seats, and the cars started filing out of the driveway. Nico started talking fast. 'Remember what I told you before. As soon as the shooting starts, get down on the floor, and don't get up until I tell you it's safe."

'Okay," she panted.

'These guys will move in to protect you from any stray bullets. They might have to get down on top of you, so don't be surprised. They're all ready to cover you if the Navaros make it all the way to this car."

Geneva nodded. 'Where will you be?"

'I'll be here. I'll be guarding you too, but we don't know how many they're bringing out against us. We just have to take it as it comes."

'Okay," she whispered.

'All the Terranovas will move in to protect the car too, so things are likely to get hairy for a while. Just stay down, and stay covered."

She nodded and gulped, but she didn't answer.

Nico glanced over at me, and I nodded to tell him I understood, but I couldn't reply. My nerves stretched to the breaking point, and the bulletproof vest didn't help at all.

Nico glanced through the window. 'We're coming up on West 122ndStreet. Get ready."

All the security guys locked and loaded their guns. The tension in the car spiked off the charts, and Nico switched off the dome light inside the compartment.

Geneva shrank deeper into her seat, and Nico seemed to swell in response. He shifted farther forward so his bulk blocked as much of the door and window as possible.

I found myself shrinking too. I couldn't exactly jump out of the car and start shooting at the enemy. That wasn't my position, much as I might like to think I could be as much of a badass as Nico.

'The traffic light is changing." Nico yanked the gun from his back. 'We're stopping. Get ready."

I couldn't breathe, and I felt Geneva shaking against my side. Nico pivoted from side to side looking out the window.

The seconds ticked by in an eternity of waiting. No one moved or made a sound. The red traffic light gleamed on the pavement outside.

We were right inside the zone where Ryder said the Navaros would attack. Our own security guys hid in the shadows out there. Our sharpshooters had the car in their sights right now. If any Navaros were going to attack, they would do it now.

Nothing happened. The light turned green, and the convoy started gliding down Broadway again.

'What happened?" Geneva whispered. 'Why didn't they attack?"

'I don't know." Nico pulled out his phone, punched the screen, and held it to his ear. His tone changed to a short, harsh bark. 'They must have changed the location. Break your position and follow us to the Met. They might attack anywhere along Broadway."

He hung up, slid back into his seat, and turned to Geneva. 'You okay?"

She nodded, but she wouldn't stop shaking.

'Just sit tight," he murmured. 'Better that we get there in one piece than to cut any corners."

'Why wouldn't they attack where they said?" I managed to choke out.

'I don't know, but I know one thing. Ryder didn't steer us wrong. He didn't risk his neck to give us false information."

The limo kept gliding down Broadway. Nothing happened. Silence enveloped the city. Nico kept looking out the window, and the security guys held themselves at high alert, but the Navaros didn't attack.

Nico's phone chirped, and he swiveled around. 'The Met is five blocks away. We're almost there."

He started to turn back the other way when an almighty smash struck the limo from the side. I caught a flash of fire corkscrewing across the street, and then the rocket plowed into the limo's front end.

The whole car twirled sideways, and Geneva screamed. All the security guys got thrown against the opposite wall. I kept telling myself to get down on the floor and protect Geneva, but no one could move with the car spiraling out of control.

Nico got thrown on top of Geneva, and then another rocket punched into the limo from the other side. Deafening noise drowned out everything else. The car screeched across Broadway and smashed into a building.

The impact threw everyone into a heap, and the next instant, gunfire erupted out of the darkness.

Nico hauled himself upright, but a second later, automatic gunfire hammered the car. It popped against the reinforced sides, and some of the windows cracked, but they didn't give.

Nico rotated over to the door and leveled his sidearm at it, but before anyone could move, someone ripped the door open from outside. Nico popped off three shots before another belch of automatic gunfire exploded into the car.

His body jerked and tossed as bullets ripped across his chest. 'Nico!" Geneva shrieked, but it was too late.

A man in a black mask dove through the door and nailed his rifle butt square into Nico's already injured face. His skull snapped back, and the attacker grabbed him, yanked him outside, and dragged him from the car.

All the other security guys floundered to get out of the pile of bodies, but they weren't quick enough. The same black-clad guy dove in and snatched Geneva by the arm.

He started towing her through the door. I couldn't let them take her. I sprang forward and grabbed her by her other hand, but she was already too far away.

She screamed again when we both tried to pull her away from the other. I felt my grip on her arm start to slip.

In a flash, the attacker jabbed his rifle through the door and opened fire straight into my chest. The impact of bullets hitting my vest slammed me back, and I lost my grip on Geneva's arm.

Searing pain rocketed through my shoulder, and I tumbled back on top of the security guards.

Even then, Geneva's screams set my blood on fire. I scrambled out of the limo and found Nico already there. One of his arms hung limp at his side and he moved in a pained crouch with one sidearm dangling from his good hand, but he still went after the enemy in a rage.

He fired again and again into the retreating ranks. He only made it a few yards before the combined Levine and Terranova security force cut him off.

They advanced up the street raining automatic rifle fire everywhere. They drove the enemy back into the shadows and left Broadway a war-torn disaster zone, but the worst was yet to come. Geneva was gone.