Page 83 of Maximum Bet

I take a shuddering breath and blink away my tears.

“If nothing else"—I lick my lips—“we have to fight.”

Dominic’s smile is blinding before he presses his lips against mine.

“Have faith,bellissima,” he says. “We have an army and our allies behind us. We will end our enemies once and for all.”

I grasp Dominic’s arms, squeezing the flexed muscle.

He grins and drops his hands, reaching out to grab one of mine. As he turns to continue our trek to the top floor, the door on the landing above us slams open.

Dominic draws his gun, pushing me behind him. I mimic his actions, raising my weapon but crouching low.

At the top of the landing, two figures freeze. The first scoffs while the second lets out an amused chuckle.

“While I appreciate you protecting my daughter, Tariello, I’d prefer that you drop your weapon.” Amusement sparks in my father’s eyes as he spots me stationed behind my husband.

“Oh, my God, Dad!” I rush forward and throw my arms around my father as Dominic lowers his gun.

“I’m glad we found you,” Victor Cortez says from my father’s side. “Jonathon was about to bust down every door in the hotel until he knew his little girl was safe.”

“We were hiding out with Nico in the honeymoon suite,” Dominic explains. “But a group of Bratva-cartel soldiers infiltrated that floor. Marco and Nico are holding them off, but I don’t know how long the two of them can handle a group by themselves.”

“Then we’ll go help them,” Victor says, descending the stairwell.

Releasing me to follow, my father turns to Dominic. “Where are you headed?”

“The top floor,” Dominic says. “We were told it’s clear.”

My father grunts, eyes squinting. “Yes and no. The Bratva-cartel soldiers are gone; well, most of them have left the Earth permanently, but we lost sight of Anatoliy.”

“Do you think he’s still up there?” I ask.

“Maybe.” My father’s eyes cut between Dominic and me. “Although I’ll be surprised if his crew left him unprotected.”

“Leo is sending us backup,” Dominic says, squeezing my hand. “We’ll find a spot to hunker down out of sight.”

My father nods, his expression wary. “Dominic, there’s one more thing you should know. Perez isn’t here. My counterparts in Boston pegged him in Miami earlier today. We think he was meeting with Santos.”

“But he sent his men . . .” Understanding flashes across Dominic’s features. “He’s running things from afar.”

My father’s lips quirk in a wry smile. Even if we take down one enemy today, another will linger in the background.

“Well, then.” Dominic tsks. “I guess we’ll have to make sure we wipe out his men and leave his organization floundering.”

My father chuckles as gunshots ring out from the floor below.

“I’d better go help them,” he says with a nod. “Keep her safe.” He points in my direction as Dominic promises he will.

With a quick goodbye, Dominic and I are rushing up the stairs.

Within a minute, we are perched behind a door that leads to the terrace on the top floor.

“You ready?” Dominic asks, holding me against the wall so I’ll be out of sight when he steps through the doorway.

“Whenever you are.” I blow him a kiss, feigning a bravado I wish I had.

With a deep breath and set jaw, Dominic passes through to the terrace, clearing the space before motioning me forward.