BURNING HOT

CHAPTER 12

ILA quickly retreated behind the bed, her vulnerability laid bare. As bullets whizzed dangerously close, she anxiously scanned for her friend, only to witness her masseur's lifeless body crumple to the floor, struck by a deadly bullet to the head.

"Foul bastards," Grace spat with a mixture of fear and anger, her instincts keeping her one step ahead of the lethal projectiles.

Ila's heart raced as she surveyed the chaotic scene, her only lifeline being her cane, tantalizingly close yet perilously out of reach. She knew that any attempt to reach it would invite a barrage of gunfire, their assailants numbering four strong. Desperation gnawed at her as she hoped for Sam's swift intervention; perhaps he was facing his own set of complications.

"Puttane viziate," a voice sneered from the doorway. Sam must have a sniper in place by now; if not, their options were dwindling rapidly. Ila dreaded the next command.

"Get them," the ruthless order echoed, leaving Ila yearning for more time. Grace's patience was wearing thin, evident in her restless demeanor. The sounds of the approaching pursuers drew their attention back to the room, but this time they held their fire.

"I'm going to assume you're going to be uncooperative, Ila Ivanov," the voice sighed, a veil of frustration concealing an ulterior motive. "We couldn't reach Matt in time, and I've lost five of my men. I won't leave until I've avenged them."

Relief washed over Ila at the mention of Matt's safety, but she could see through the man's deceit. They were marked for death; no compromise would spare them. His reckless gunfire had already sealed their fate, and Grace's presence only fueled his vengeful resolve.

"Don't endanger your friend's life. Surrender quietly, and we'll leave her be."

Ila exchanged a glance with Grace, both knowing that this offer was a facade. Survival was uncertain, for their attackers desired blood, and Ila's would suffice. Had they wanted them alive, they would not have resorted to gunfire, and Grace was merely a bonus.

"Boss, let's finish them off. It's unwise to toy with them any longer. Time is running out," a younger voice implored.

"Stai zitto ragazzo," the leader admonished. "There's no honor in a swift death. They've slain our brothers. These two deserve a life and death of humiliation."

Ila was determined not to offer either choice. Fury simmered within her as she stifled a curse, waiting in tense silence beneath the bed. When the footsteps moved away, she rolled away to avoid detection.

"No!" Grace's anguished cry pierced the air.

"Fottuta cagna rossa," the familiar voice hissed. Ila watched helplessly as the man roughly restrained Grace, who cried out in pain, a convincing performance that bought them time. At least she had managed to wrap a towel around herself, unlike Ila, who remained exposed.

"I have your friend. Playtime is over," the leader declared, bringing Grace to a stand in the room's center. It was the opening Ila needed.

"Release her. I'm coming out," Ila called, inching her way toward her cane. "I need my cane." She remained low on the floor as the circle of armed men closed in around her. Ila was acutely aware that her nakedness might serve as a distraction, and she was determined to use it to her advantage.

She looked at her friend and then at the man holding her up against himself.

"Ah, there you are." His smile was sickly evil, a twisted parody of humor. As his eyes roamed her body.

"Boss, we really don't have time for these games."

"Boy, you'll find it in your best interest not to interrupt me again. Segui i miei ordini." 'You follow my orders.'

"You could simply let her go and have me." Ila looked at the man; she didn't need to seduce the fool. Being on her knees, naked with her compelling voice, was enough. She knew the games the sick men were into.

"Really, troia?" 'slut'

"Can I stand, please?" Ila waited for him to nod before she slowly stood up, holding her cane but not using it. They were all staring at her distractedly except for the youngest who seemed to be the smartest.

It was a small movement only she saw, and in the next moment, Grace headbutted the man holding her so hard he screamed like a banshee.

She pulled her cane and went straight at the youngest; he was going to pull the trigger. She had her blade slice through his throat so fast he would never have seen it coming. She was on the second man as she slashed across his chest. She was open to the last man's aim, but before he could pull the trigger, his body jerked backward as Ila watched her friend pull the trigger again, taking the guy in the head.

Ila looked around the room; damn, the whole place was damaged with bullet holes, and then there were the bodies. It was a pity the two masseurs didn't survive the shootout. She hated when innocent people lost their lives in fights like this.

"Thanks," Ila whispered and flung her sword, getting the little blood on it away before securing it back in the case.

"Always got your back, sestra," 'sister' Grace replied as she watched her friend search for a robe to wear. "What are we doing about this one?"

She looked at the unconscious man on the floor. After she had hit him hard with the back of her head, she knew she had clearly broken his nose; she had struck him by the neck and taken care of the last guy before he had the chance to pull the trigger.

They really should have listened to the young one when they knew they wanted to walk out alive. Mhm.

They looked up as they heard footsteps. It was Sam who ran in first, followed by Dean and Ice. "Took you long enough," Ila hissed out. Grace seconded that as she eyed the men.

"I would have met my creator today," Grace mumbled and looked back at the man lying unconscious; she kicked him right in the guts. "Wake up you piss of s**t, I'm going to have real fun with you."

Ila didn't look at Sam and the others and simply slipped on a robe before securing the knot. She turned to her friend.

"You can have all the fun you want with him, but I'm killing that fucker," she said it while turning to Sam. "How are the rest? Hope no one got hurt?" She asked softly.

"Everyone is fine; we need to get the both of you out before the media gets here." She had managed to keep things quiet for a while, only for this to blow up in their faces.

"The chopper is here," Dean informed them. Ila nodded and walked around the bodies; this whole outing had turned bad. Trouble was never far from them; it just always bided its time.

~°~°~•~°~°~

John was piloting the chopper by the time they reached the rooftop helipad. Matt and Kat were already inside and securely strapped in, but Sky remained outside. He appeared poised to breach the building until he laid eyes on her. His intense scrutiny swept over her form before shifting to his Godmother. It seemed they had met his approval, despite both being clad in robes and fluffy slippers, a precaution to avoid stepping on shards of glass.

The destruction in that room wasn't the sole issue; the rest of the group had encountered chaos downstairs, in the lobby and at the salon. Innocent bystanders had suffered severe injuries. Grace needed to contact her bank; fortunately, the building was owned by a friend.

"The rest of the team and I will stay behind to resolve this mess. I promised to shoulder the responsibility for whatever occurred," Grace shouted to make herself heard over the chopper's noise.

"You'll have to ride with this one; we can't risk the police getting their hands on him," Sam called out as Ice and Dean carefully carried the unconscious leader of the attack inside, having already securely bound him.

"Mr. Stark and I will stay behind to handle things." She turned and noticed Mr. Stark standing by the door, exchanging a nod of understanding. When she glanced at Sam, she could sense the internal struggle in his eyes. He didn't want to leave her side, but she couldn't help but feel a growing anger towards Grace and Sam. There was no way Sam didn't know about Al.

"Have a safe trip." Since escaping her ex-husband, who had subjected her and Sky to a month of torment, including forcing the young boy to witness her abuse, she had learned to suppress her anger. If Sky could endure that ordeal without outwardly showing his rage, she could certainly postpone her own anger until they were safely home.

"Let's go," John yelled out. She tore her gaze away from Sam and focused on Sky. She hurried over to him, not bothering to use the cane in her hand. After Sky was settled, she took her seat, watching as the helicopter lifted off from the helipad.

Sam had turned to ask Grace a question, and when he looked back up, his expression betrayed guilt. Sam was perceptive, and she wished he hadn't noticed this time. She wished that at least one person would be on her side instead of standing with Grace.

"Are you okay, Mom?" Sky sensed that something had gone awry, unrelated to the recent incident. He had felt the tension between her and Grace and then with Sam. Despite her usually composed voice, Sky could read her well. He gently placed her hand on his lap, knowing she didn't look like someone who had just survived a shootout.

"Did you come out of that shootout, or did you teleport from another side of the building?" Sky chuckled. "Because you look like an angry bride, robbed of her wedding gown." He watched her smirk at him, appreciating that his attempt to cheer her up was still effective.

"Yeah, right. I was about to sink my claws into your lovely godmother when this guy and his gang stormed in, guns blazing," she seethed, eyeing the man slumped in the corner, feeling the urge to kick him in the head.

"Well, they ended up saving her life," Sky pondered, wondering what this was about. Those two often bickered like children but never engaged in a real fight.

"What happened at the salon?"

"Kat refused to leave Matt's side," she did more than that; she brandished her blade and glared at anyone who came close to them. Not a single girl dared to flirt with them. It was the first time he had a peaceful haircut at the salon.

"Oh dear, you didn't even get your nails done?" Sky's mother never missed a chance to mention nails. Before he could respond, Kat spoke up.

"I did. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to change my nail polish for free," Kat chuckled.

"Don't forget how you made them rearrange the seating so you could watch us the whole time," Matt added.

"I needed to keep you both in my sight while watching the door," Kat stated matter of factly.

Ila chuckled. "Well, I'm sure it must have been quite a spectacle watching you protect these two." In truth, Kat was more like protecting her men. Ila noticed how Kat struggled with her attraction to Sky while harboring feelings for Matt. It reminded her of her own past. She knew she needed to speak with Sky, but first, she had to gather all the information Grace and the others had discovered.

"Well, it worked out well because Kat had hidden blades in those two guys that entered before they could even speak or draw their guns," Sky had briefly been surprised but quickly joined Matt in rising from his seat.

"They probably didn't expect to encounter someone who recognized them," Matt said, keeping his anger in check. Everyone seemed to act as if their lives were worth less than his, willingly putting themselves in harm's way to protect him, especially Kat and Sky, who had positioned themselves as to shield him like they had more than one life.

"That suggests they didn't come in guns blazing," she had been wondering about the attackers' intentions and how they had managed to reach them. Despite the large building, Sam had always been meticulous about securing their movements and surroundings.

"The ones who came to the salon didn't seem to intend to use their guns until it became necessary," Sky explained.

"Bananno would never have dared to kill Matt like this or make such an attack in a public place. It seems he made the mistake of sending his trigger-happy brother for the job," Kat informed, glancing at the tied-up man in the back.

"Al won't take this lightly at all. The moment he gets a report, he's going to be furious." Hearing Al's name weighed on her, and she looked at Sky and then Matt. She had dug herself into a hole, and now she had to face the consequences. Sky had always been an obedient child, even from infancy, as her aunt had once told her.

"And whose fault is all of this?" Matt didn't pose it as a question. He looked away from Kat's captivating eyes and gazed at the passing buildings as they neared the estate.

"What I'd like to know is how they tracked us down so quickly," Kat mumbled.

"Question of the year. I can't shake the feeling that they were already waiting for us, which sounds insane but not impossible."

"I'd be happy to help get those answers out of him," Kat said.

"No, you won't," Matt responded almost immediately, then turned his attention back to the outside.

"Are we landing at the back?" John asked loudly, and Sky,Ice and Dean chuckled.

"I never expected that from you, John," Ila faux-hurt her voice. Everyone knew how much she cherished her garden, and John's suggestion to land the chopper at the back was a playful tease. Three of their teammates always kept a low profile they made them self really scarce, and John happened to be one one those three and he was also Sarah's older brother.

John gently landed at the front driveway. Sarah was waiting by the door to welcome them.

"Sam said you'd need your cane cleaned," Sarah mentioned.

"Sam should have known better than to think I'll let anyone but myself take care of my personal weapons. You know how that is now don't you?" Sarah was an expert marksmanship in the team along with Lord another member of Sam's team.

"Also, your phone and belongings have been secured, but Mr. Barone requested to speak with you as soon as possible." Someone should inform Sarah that she'd make a great personal assistant.

Despite being the youngest she was a scary woman to look at to others and Valda another team mate was even more tough looking than her, Sarah was a valuable member of the team, just like everyone one else on Sam's team.

"Well, I'm not available at the moment," Ila said, trying to walk past her.

"Actually, he's already on the line." Sarah reluctantly handed her the phone, mouthing an apology. Ila sighed and accepted the call. "I should be informed the moment they get back," she told the rest, who knew exactly whom she meant.

She climbed the stairs slowly. "How can I assist you, Mr. Barone?" she asked calmly, although her emotions were far from calm.

"You promised to keep them safe one minute, and the next, you're all heading to a spa? Really?" It seemed Kat was right about him being furious, and she was the one facing his anger.

"That sounds about right." She was prepared to play this game with him all day.

"I knew you wouldn't take this seriously. I had my reasons for insisting he come back home so I could protect him."

"I don't want to get involved in how you handle things with your son, but I made a promise to keep him safe, and I never break my promises." She had made it clear she considered Matt as family even before their past came crashing back.

"You're already involved in everything, Ms. Ivanov." The sentence held a deeper meaning to it. "I wanted to let you know that I'm on my way."

"You're coming here?" Ila almost screamed, but years of training held her back.

"I've given you enough time." The call ended abruptly, leaving her staring at the screen. What the heck? He couldn't just drop that bombshell on her and end the call like that.