Romeo (Blood Brothers) (14 page)

Romeo sighed when he found himself back in front of his building. He nodded to the doorman as he walked inside. He felt like a piece of him was missing and he didn’t know how to deal with it. Romeo entered his residence and threw his keys on the table, noticing the angry flashing light of the answering machine.

He wasn’t inclined to answer it, but no one called him on his line unless it was a matter of life and death. He clicked the play button.

“Whatever funk you’re in, get out of it. Call me when you get this message.”
Beep.

Romeo shook his head. Leave it to Dante to get straight to the point. He picked up the phone and punched Dante’s numbers in.

“Dante here.”

“What the hell is so important that you called me on this line?”

“Get your ass over here right now.”

“Where is here?”

“Edinburgh.”

Romeo frowned “What are you doing there?”

“We’ve located Locke’s base.”

Romeo roared. “He’s been found?! Why wasn’t I notified right away? This is my mission!”

“Is it, Romeo?”

“Haven’t I taken out the first five members?”

“And there’s still one alive,” Dante pointed out smoothly. “When this is taken care of, we’re going to have a long talk, Ro.”

“I’m not in the mood to be lectured by you, Dante.”

“Fine, I’m not going to lecture you but I would like to discuss your strange behavior.”

“Okay, if we talk about mine, we’ll talk about yours next, right?” He countered.

“This isn’t about me,” Dante hissed, his annoyance coming clearly through the phone. Romeo thought his older brother had a lot of nerve to bring up his so-called strange behavior when it was Dante who had been acting like a prick for the past few months. Romeo realized, however, that this was not the time to argue about it.

“Okay, fine. I’ll be on the next plane out, but if you’re so concerned about my performance and you’re already over there, what do you need me for?” The devil in him couldn’t help but ask.

A pause on the other end of the line followed his question.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

“There’s some kind of summit,” Dante finally answered.

“What do you mean?”

“There are a lot of rogues here. Locke seems to have gathered a small army around him.”

“Shit. How many?”

“At least fifty.”

“Strength in numbers, huh?”

“Something like that. Make sure Wolf is on that plane with you.”

“Who else is there with you? If Locke has fifty deep, we’re not going to be able to take them out by ourselves.”

“Nico, Jagger, Sasha, Marco—”

“Marco is there? What about Maggie? I’m surprised he would leave her side.”

“She’s here, too.”

He had to be joking. “What? Are you crazy? She’s going to get herself killed.”

“Not to fight. Do you think Marco would allow that? No, he’s out for blood and refused to miss this.”

“What about his mate?”

“She’s safely tucked away at the hotel. When we fight, she’ll be guarded by three agents.”

“Why does he have a hard-on for this fight? He’s been inactive for the past few months.”

“He and Maggie were attacked in their home.”

“Shit! When the hell did that happen and why wasn’t I told?”

“It’s hard to tell someone I can’t get in contact with.”

Romeo sighed. “How about when I called you about the traitor among us? Don’t you think you could have told me then?”

“I would have told you, but it happened after we spoke.”

“Is... is the baby okay?”

“He’s fine.” Dante’s curt tone told Romeo that it would be a good idea to change the subject.

“Do you think three guards will be enough to protect her? Those red-eyed rogues are more powerful than the ones we normally deal with.”

“Sasha and her brothers have put a ward on the hotel room. It will be very hard for our enemies to break through.”

“The Romanov brothers are there? They’re more psychotic than you claim me to be. Sheesh, this must be extremely dangerous if you had to enlist their aid.”

“Just the twins—Cutter and Blade. I also have Angel, Carter, and a dozen others. We attack tomorrow.”

“Can we trust the people you’ve chosen for this mission?”

“I was very careful to select only agents who have been with the Underground for several years and I’ve done some careful background checks on all of them to make sure there wasn’t any suspicious activity among them within the past several months.”

“Good. I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

“Thank you.”

A brief pause followed. “Dante—” Romeo broke off, not really certain what to say.

“What?”

“Nothing, just take care. Uh, I don’t always say it, but I do lo—”

“I know. I’ll see you when you get here.”

Romeo sighed, rubbing his temples. He, at least, now had something to take his mind off Christine, but what would he do when this was all over?

<><><>

Dante paced the floor of the hotel room after speaking with Romeo.

“If you keep walking around the room like that you’re going to make us all dizzy.” Nico yawned. Boredom was etched all over his face. His arm was draped around his mate’s shoulder. The intimate pose sent a twinge of envy shooting through Dante.

Anyone looking at them could tell how much in love they were and he couldn’t begrudge his brother his newfound happiness. Having been bewitched by a manipulative warlock, Nico had suffered through thirty years of separation from his mate and son.

Dante glanced over at his nephew. Already Jagger had proven to be a formidable adversary, demonstrating the maturity and skill of someone several years older. Dante was proud of him and hoped that if he was ever blessed with a son one day, he’d be just like Jagger. At the thought of children, his heart twisted.

Only two doors away lay the woman he couldn’t stop thinking about. He cursed Marco for insisting that they come here, putting Dante in this tenuous position. When he was far away from her, the ache in his heart didn’t seem so strong, but in such close proximity it was difficult to maintain his peace of mind.

A knock on the door brought Dante out of his thoughts. He nodded toward Carter, who was closest to it. Carter admitted Marco. Dante looked away, feeling guilty about where his thoughts had been.

“Did I miss anything?” His brother asked as he entered the room.

“Nothing yet. How’s Maggie?” Sasha asked.

“She’s fine. Right now, she’s resting. I think all this traveling has worn her out.”

Dante heard the smile in Marco’s voice as he talked about his mate, which, for some reason, set him off. “Which is exactly why you should have kept her home,” he snapped.

Marco’s forehead creased, then he projected his thoughts to Dante’s mind.
And let those bastards get away with what they did? I’m not going to let that attack go unanswered. A man has a duty to protect his family and I’m not going to let what happened to Bianca and Gio happen to Maggie and our baby. Do you know that she has nightmares? They’ve been off and on, but ever since the attack, she’s woken up screaming every night. How do I assure her that everything is going to be okay when she’s attacked in her own damn home?
I’ll be damned if you keep me for paying those bastards back for what they did. And Maggie is safe
if
she is closer to me so I can get to her if anything happens. I won’t tell you how to run the Underground and you don’t tell me how to protect my family.

When put like that, it was hard to argue. Dante felt an asshole, but he could hardly make his apologies to Marco in a room full of Underground agents. He’d save it for later when they were alone after this battle. If they survived it. He turned away from his brother to address the crowd. “I think everyone is here now?”

Nico looked around the room. “Except for Romeo, I believe so.”

“He’s on his way. First off, I want to thank you all for being here tonight. Also, I’d like to send a special thanks to Branson and Jordan for tracking Locke down. I have to admit that I’ve wanted to take him down for a long time. It looks like we’ll get that opportunity. Tomorrow, we’re going to go in and attack on my signal. Apparently, there’s going to be some kind of meeting. We’re going to make sure it’s never completed.” He paused for a moment to survey the brave immortals gathered around him, all staring back at him with intent eyes.

“I’ll be honest with you. Some of us won’t survive this fight. We’re not dealing with ordinary rogues. They’re more powerful than any others I’ve seen before and they’re harder to kill so I want you to be smart about this fight. Shifters will fight shifters, warlocks against warlocks. Help each other out because if there are to be casualties, we want as few as possible—at least on our side.” Dante stopped again to look at everyone, his gaze lingering over his family’s faces.

Although he was grateful for their presence, he was more frightened that they were risking their lives for what was essentially his cause, not theirs. He loved them more than they knew and vowed that if he survived tomorrow, he’d make it up to them, especially Marco, for the way he’d been acting lately.

“You don’t have to worry. We will back you one hundred and fifty percent.” Nico stood up, a stoic expression on his serious face.

Marco smiled, walking over to him and patted him on the back. “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. We’ll always have your back Dante, no matter what.” He was grateful to have his brothers here with him and mentally prayed for Romeo’s safe journey here. He was so humbled by his brothers’ show of support for him when he didn’t really deserve it. He vowed he’d make this up to them even if it meant sacrificing his life for theirs.

Chapter Sixteen

Romeo stood outside the house full of rogues, positioned by the door as he’d been instructed to. He waited for Dante’s signal and his heart pounded with anticipation. This would be a battle royal unlike any other. There had never been such a gathering of forces. Warlocks, witches, vampires and shifters alike had converged on the one spot to declare which side they were on, each believing their cause was the right one. Romeo didn’t give a fuck what his opponents thought, he was going to tear apart anyone of them who crossed his path.

Somehow, Locke had managed to surround himself with several guards, clearly knowing his time was near. Romeo clenched and unclenched his hands, ready for action. He was barely able to keep himself in check.

Jagger, Sasha, and her brothers, Cutter and Blade, were working to remove the wards from around the compound. He figured that was the holdup. It must have been more difficult than they’d thought if it took all four of them to do the job. It was hard enough to wait here without knowing what his fate would be at the outcome of this fight, but standing around gave him too much time to think about
her
.

Damn it, he wanted to forget Christine. He cursed the night she’d walked into his life. She’d made him think she was sweetness and light when she really had the heart of a whore. What a fool he was for falling for someone who only wanted him for his body. Weeks ago something like that would have amused him but he didn’t expect feelings to get involved. Still, his heart couldn’t fully believe her words. Romeo didn’t understand how it was possible for two people to share what they had and it just be lust? It made absolutely no sense.

Are you all right?
Nico’s voice filtered into his mind. His younger brother stood next to him with a look of concern etched on his face.

It’s nothing. I just want to get this over with. Once Locke is dead, then maybe
it will put a halt to some of the mass killings.

Nico shook his head.
If you believe that, then you’re crazy. This fight is only the beginning. Once Locke is gone, we’ll still have to figure out who the hell
Il Diavolo
is and how he’s connected to us.
I’d bet anything that he’s
the mastermind behind all the massacres and he was the puppet master pulling the strings of the Council. But t
hat’s not what was on your mind, though. I’ve observed you enough to figu
re out something else is the matter.
And it has nothing to do with this fight.

I don’t want to talk about it.

Okay. But when you’re ready, I’ll be here for you.

Romeo sighed, unable to resist asking,
How do you do it?

How do I do what?

How are you able to deal with this... love thing?

One of Nico’s dark brows shot up.
Love?

If you tease me, you won’t live to see this fight,
Romeo threatened.

A smile split Nico’s face.
So that’s what’s been happening with you. Wait until I tell Marco and Dante.

Nico’s laugh reverberated through his head and Romeo had to call upon all of his self-control so he wouldn’t snap his brother’s neck. He’d expected this reaction and, under most circumstances, he would have been able to handle the light-hearted ribbing, but what was there to laugh about? He’d finally found the woman he wanted to spend eternity with but she’d discarded him like trash.

The laughter stopped.
You don’t seem happy about it.

You’re a fucking genius, you know that?

There’s no need to be nasty, Ro. Tell me what’s wrong.

Romeo released a mental sigh, knowing Nico would get the whole story out of him sooner or later.
She told me she doesn’t want to see me again, that she only wanted to know what it was like to fuck a vampire.

Are you trying to tell me she used you for sex? Wow.
Again, Romeo could hear the amusement creeping into his brother’s mental voice. He glared at Nico.

A sheepish grin touched Nico’s lips.
Sorry.

I know there was more than sex between us.
She wouldn’t have responded to me the way she did otherwise.

Why didn’t you call her on it?

I... I tried, but it was impossible. I’ve never felt this way in my life and it kind of sucks.

Love tends to do that to you. It isn’t always the sweet emotion poets spout off.

Don’t I know it?

No one can understand the dark hell I went through in working out my feelings for Sasha, but the reward has been more than worth it. Each day that I’m with her is a gift. If you truly love this woman, then you
have to
fight for her.

On the cusp of replying, they were joined by Jagger. He was pale and looked tired.

Nico turned amber eyes toward his son. “What’s wrong, Jagger?”

“The wards are strong and taking longer than expected to remove. Mama thought it would be best if I save my strength. They’re nearly finished.”

“I think you should you go back to the hotel. I must have been crazy for allowing you to come here.” Nico cursed vehemently.

“Don’t start, Papa. I can handle myself. How could anything go wrong with you, Mama, and my uncles surrounding me?”

Romeo admired his young nephew, who reminded him a lot of himself when he himself had been younger. The half-vampire, half-warlock youngling had indeed proven his abilities over and over again, despite his youth.

Nico didn’t look convinced but remained silent. He pressed his lips into a thin line.

Dante finally moved, turning to those anxiously waiting. “It is done.”

<><><>

Romeo followed closely behind Dante as they burst through the door. They stormed inside to a wide-open room filled with a mass of glowing red-eyed rogues. To his and, Romeo was sure, his brothers’ collective surprises, standing in the middle of the room was the last person they expected.

“Adonis,” Dante whispered.

Adonis greeted them with a maniacal smile on his face. “Welcome... brothers. I see you’ve brought reinforcements. But I expected no less of you.”

Romeo advanced, but Dante held up his hand. “So this is your doing?” He asked, staring the red-headed rogue in the eyes.

Adonis’s amber gaze gleamed with merriment. “Isn’t it obvious? Really, do you think the Council was intelligent enough to pull this off on their own?”

“Hey, wait a minute!” Devlin Locke stepped forward with an angry red flush on his face.

“Shut up, Locke, unless you want to join those who will not leave here alive,” Adonis hissed, before turning back to Dante, the smirk returning to his face.

“What’s this all about? You at least owe us that before we kill you.”

The redhead laughed. “You have me quaking in my shoes, Dante, but I don’t owe you a thing. Wouldn’t it go against your principles to destroy me? I thought you were protective of your brothers. Don’t you feel our connection? Doesn’t the same blood that flows through my veins flow in yours?”

“You liar! We share no blood tie!”

“On the contrary. Do you not see the resemblance? Yes, my hair is red, but look at my eyes. Aren’t they the same as brother Niccolo and GianMarco’s... and our papa’s?”

Romeo had silently watched the exchange while keeping a wary eye on the many rogues behind Adonis who seemed ready to pounce at any second. He’d realized they only waited for a signal from their leader, who apparently wasn’t Devlin Locke.

With Adonis’s revelation, Romeo stared at the vampire, not knowing whether to attack or wait to find out what the hell this all meant. Another brother? It had been hinted at for months, but when faced with the reality, he didn’t want to believe it, yet the claim seemed to be true.

There
was
a strong resemblance between Adonis, him and his brothers, especially Dante. Besides the coloring, they could almost be twins, with similar height, built and bone structure. No. This couldn’t be. Yet, even as he denied it, Romeo could feel a connection with the vampire. Judging from the quick look he stole at his brothers, they felt it, too.

Was this some kind of sorcery?

“No, Romeo, this is no trick.” Adonis smirked. Damn. Romeo cursed himself for not closing his mind from intrusions. “You did such a good job taking out the other Council members for me. I thank you for saving me the trouble.”

Romeo looked over at Dante, who’d lost all color in his face. “But Locke ...” Romeo’s voice trailed off.

Devlin tossed a strand of his long, hair over his shoulder and laughed. “The others mean nothing to me. They had served their usefulness.”

To know that they had somehow fallen neatly into this bastard’s plans made Romeo want to break shit.

“Yes,” Adonis continued, “the Council’s usefulness has expired, hasn’t it?” Before anyone could respond, the redhead was behind Locke in the blink of an eye. A fist exploded through Locke’s chest, whose eyes widened with shock and pain as a thin line of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Romeo didn’t know who was more flabbergasted—him, the rest of his companions, or the unfortunate Council leader himself.

“But... but you promised... You said I would be your second in command.” Locke’s voice grew weaker with each word.

Adonis yanked his arm out from Locke’s body, removing the other man’s heart as he did so. When the body fell, the redhead laughed. “I lied.”

The Council leader’s body lay on the floor and the room went deathly silent. Romeo shifted on his feet, feeling even more uneasy. What were they to make of this now?

Adonis laughed louder, seeming to enjoy the stunned expressions on everyone’s faces.

“Why?” Dante asked in a harsh whisper.

Adonis shook his head, an exaggerated sigh passing his lips as though the issue were quite simple. “Dante, Dante, Dante. It has amused me to hear about little brother Romeo’s cross-country murdering spree. Ironic, isn’t it? Your Underground is supposed to end the rogue threat, yet you condone the rogue-style slayings of Council members, each taken out in very interesting ways. They were innocent, you know, at least of the crime you’ve condemned them for.”

“Innocent my ass. I’m tired of talking. Let’s gut this motherfucker.” Romeo made a move to charge Adonis, but Dante’s arm came up to stop him.

“Wait.”

Adonis smiled. “They obey your commands so well, just like well-trained lapdogs.”

Rage boiled just below the surface, threatening to rear its head. Romeo’s fingers clenched and unclenched.

“What exactly do you mean by innocent? From the way I look at it, they were all guilty as hell.” Dante’s voice was calm and steady, but Romeo realized that his brother was just as close to snapping as he was.

“Those Council members had nothing to do with the killings. Oh, sure, they had some grandiose scheme of taking out humans, but honestly, of the billions of those fuckers that walk the earth, what good would terminating them all do when immortals have controlled this world since the beginning of time? We own banks, run the media, control the political climate, and rule the world already. We need the humans to carry out our orders and run our businesses. Unbeknownst to them, of course.” Adonis chuckled again.

Dante persisted. “Why then?”

“Why not?”

“I think we are owed an explanation, goddamn you,” Romeo hissed.

Adonis shook his head, looking bored. “Tsk tsk, little brother. I’d watch my temper if I were you.”

“You son of a bitch. You’ll tell us or die now,” Romeo challenged, taking another step forward. Marco yanked him back as two fierce-looking, red-eyed rogues also stepped forward.

Adonis sighed. “This endless quest for answers is tedious, so I’ll give you the short version. The Council had been talking about getting rid of humans for years, but none of them had the
cogilioni
to take any action. That is when Locke, the fool, came to me. He wanted me to help him execute this stupid plan of his so that he could get the head Council seat. I agreed to give him the power he sought as long as I would be the leader of this new world order. I enlisted other allies ...” He trailed off and focused on Sasha and her brothers.

“Your father’s thirst for power got him killed,” Adonis taunted with a mock pout.

Romeo expected one of the twins to attack, but surprisingly, it was Sasha who reacted. “You bastard! I will kill you! I will kill you!” She screamed, then cursed him in Russian. A burst of light tore from her fingers, but Adonis moved so quickly that it was barely visible to Romeo’s eyes.

Amazing. He was incredibly fast and would be a tough opponent to beat. Cutter and Blade held their sister back as they glared at Adonis. For once, those two were showing a little restraint, but for how long was anyone’s guess.

“Really, brother, was it necessary to bring a woman to a man’s fight?” Adonis turned back to Dante. “As I was saying, I let the Council believe I wanted what they did. I even sent some of my friends to kill a bunch of humans. I was very specific about who I wanted them to terminate, just to throw you gentlemen off the scent. I knew you’d believe that the Council was directly behind the killings and go after them. I even figured out that the four of you would eventually come together like this, especially when I sent my men to attack you and your families. Now, I will kill every single one of you and enjoy it immensely.”

Dante shook his head, a look of astonishment and anger on his face. Romeo knew exactly what his brother was feeling. They’d all been duped.

“I see you’re still wondering why I’d do this. It’s very simple, really. I hate you all. I will destroy everything that spawned from Giovanni and Marina Grimaldi. Just as I destroyed them, my sire and his bitch of a mate. That’s right. I killed them both. Look no further for
Il Demonio
because I stand before you now.” His smile encompassed them all. “Kill them all! Now!” Adonis suddenly screamed.

A hard blow thumped Romeo in the back if the head as all the red-eyed rogues converged on their group. He turned around and was stunned to see who’d attacked him.

Carter sneered at him with glowing red eyes.

“It was you! You have been reporting our every movement!” Romeo couldn’t believe it.

All around him Underground agents fought against the rogues around them. Dante and Adonis had their hands wrapped around each other’s throats. Marco was pounding a rogue in the face, while Nico rolled on the floor with a vampire who looked like he was trying to bite him.

“You son of a bitch! How could you do this to Dante?” Romeo demanded as he grabbed Carter by the collar.

The stocky vampire laughed before kneeing him hard in the nuts. “Very easily. Dante cannot offer me infinite power, but Adonis can.”

When Romeo dropped to his knees, Carter clipped Romeo on the chin, snapping his head back. The son of a bitch was stronger than ever. Romeo interlocked his fingers in one big fist and slammed it into Carter’s solar plexus. “I’m going to kill you, you cocksucker. We fucking trusted you and this is how you repay us?”

Carter doubled over but still managed to get a hit in, landing it right on Romeo’s nose. Blood squirted from his nostrils and he was pretty sure his nose was broken, but he was just able to avoid another fist.

“You’re all going to die, you know,” Carter jeered, somehow shaking off the blow to his chest and backhanding Romeo, who was still trying to get to his feet. His balls still ached like crazy, but too many people were depending on him. His incisors lengthened and his fingers transformed to long points.

He quickly dodged another punch and hopped to his feet, only to have Carter’s sharp claws tear into his chest. Romeo jumped back, thanking his lucky stars that the rogue’s fingers hadn’t had a chance to break through his sternum. The pain was excruciating, but he had to keep going.

Romeo delivered a blow of his own, followed by another jab and uppercut. The shorter vampire went stumbling back, falling into another red-eyed rogue who wasn’t having too good a time against Sasha. The witch was sending sharp random objects toward his head. The crazed look in her eyes kind of reminded him of a woman possessed. Sasha seemed to be holding her own so far and Nico kept close by.

Carter regained his footing and came barreling after Romeo, his claws extended. Unfortunately, Romeo didn’t get out of the way in time. The rogue’s fingers tore into his throat and he got elbowed in the chest. He fell back into another battling pair, with the new rogue pushing him back toward Carter, who was ready to hit him again. This time Romeo was just able to duck.

By now, the pain in his balls had dulled and so had the pain from the gashes in his chest and throat. He tore into Carter’s stomach, making the other vampire howl. Romeo head-butted his opponent in the face, then lowered his head toward the rogue’s throat. He stripped away a large piece of flesh and flung it back in his enemy’s face with disgust. “Die, you worthless sack of shit.” Gathering all his rage, Romeo wrapped his fingers around Carter’s neck and ripped his head off before spiking it on the ground like a football.

The head’s eyes remained open, glaring at him. Romeo bent over and tore into the cavity of the rogue’s chest and pulled out his heart, squeezing it to mush. Not wasting any time, he whisked over to his closest brother, Marco, to help him out. Already one dead rogue lay at his brother’s feet.

Marco pounded his adversary’s face with rapid blows. Romeo rushed behind the creature and grabbed his arms, holding him as tightly as he could while Marco disemboweled him.

Romeo let go in order to rip out the rogue’s spine, giving Marco enough time to get the heart. When the body hit the ground, Marco rushed over to Nico while Romeo ran over to Wolf, who was being double-teamed by two attackers. Romeo pulled at the rogue who was pummeling his friend in the gut.

Romeo and his opponent exchanged blow for blow, both giving as good as they got, neither backing down. Suddenly, the rogue split in half right before his eyes. He stepped back in surprise, then realized what had happened. Cutter Romanov stood there or at least Romeo thought it was Cutter; he could never tell the twins apart. “You owe me, Grimaldi,” the blond warlock smirked.

“Not quite, pal,” Romeo answered, bending down to dig out the fallen vampire’s heart and crushing it.

“Touché,” the warlock saluted him before rushing to assist another one of their allies. Romeo spied Wolf ripping the heart out of his opponent, then he sought out his brothers. Nico and Jagger were facing off with one rogue, while Marco had his hands firmly around another’s neck.

Sasha and one of her brothers were doing a good job of tearing another rogue to shreds. The witch had a huge black eye and an ugly bruise on her cheek, but she fought on. He knew Nico would continue to keep a close eye on her.

The number of Adonis’s troops was dwindling. Romeo was glad to see that most of the slain lying around him were rogues, but sadness hit him at the sight of a few dead comrades, one of whom was Angel Ramirez. Not having time to dwell on what he saw, Romeo searched for Dante and his heart plummeted.

Dante was getting his ass served to him. Adonis had him in the air by the throat, pounding him in the face. Dante clawed at the tight grip and struggled to break free, but apparently to no avail.

Romeo sprang at Adonis, jumping on his back, and raked his talons down the side of the redhead’s face. This was enough to make him drop Dante. Adonis roared, turning around so quickly that Romeo didn’t have time to dodge the fist that slammed right into his chest. The blow sent him flying halfway across the room. He crashed to the floor gasping for breath. He’d never been hit so hard in his life and he’d been hit thousands of times.

Adonis ran toward him but Dante had sprung back to his feet by now and delivered a blow to the back of Adonis’s head. The redhead stumbled forward, right into the fist Romeo had ready for him. It sent him backward, then to the side where he was hit again by Marco, who’d suddenly appeared.