Page 13 of Sins and Secrets

“I think that it’s best you leave,” I say, my voice gruff as I look at her. “My offer still stands, though. If you need to talk about what is happening with Arturo, my door is always open.”

Billie shakes her head. “I think it’s better if we aren’t alone with each other again. I appreciate the offer, though. I’ll do better with the capos, but I’m not promising not to break another nose.”

I chuckle, though tension floods the room. “Thank you for that. Your punishment for speaking to me the way you did and causing issues with the capos is to clean the main house for a week. I want that place as clean as a hospital.”

She winces and it’s only then that I think about my poor choice of words. Billie shifts her weight from one side to the other before giving a sharp nod.

“Well,” she says as she heads for the door. “I’m going to leave now. Thank you for not beating me.”

The devilish smile that she gives me over her shoulder has all the blood in my body rushing south. I groan and adjust my cock before sitting on the edge of my desk. A few moments later, Davide walks into the room with Roman behind him.

“Roman,” I say, reaching to the other side of my desk and pulling a gun out of the top drawer. “Let’s go for a walk, shall we? I believe I have a lesson to teach you and the other capos about what will happen if you put your hands on a woman.”

“It was that bitch’s fault.” He looks between me and the gun with wild eyes. “I didn’t do anything that she didn’t want.”

“Wrong fucking answer,” I say, flicking the safety off the gun and aiming it between his eyes. “I was hoping to do this outside, but here works too.”

The gunshot rings out as the bullet plants itself between Roman’s eyes.

“Take his body and get rid of it. Make sure the capos know what will happen to them if any of them decide to pull a stunt like this,” I say, barely glancing at Davide as blood drips down the wall. “And then call a team to get this cleaned up. I’m heading out.”

Davide nods, already on his phone. I turn the safety back on before tucking the gun into my holster.

As I step over the dead body, I give it a final kick.

Nobody will fuck with Billie again after this.

Arturo is still wrapped in bandages and attached to several different machines as I sit in the chair beside his bed. The steady beeping of his heart monitor is the only thing that lets me know he’s still alive.

Seeing him like this is difficult. I may have killed all the men who are responsible for his state, but I still blame myself. He was out on a routine arms’ run that he never should have been on. The lack of trust I have in my men — while proven to be a good thing — still got one of my best friends put in the hospital.

If I had been there, I might have been able to save him.

If someone else had gone on the arms’ run, Arturo wouldn’t be the one on the brink of death.

Billie wouldn’t be driving me insane with her antics.

While I anticipated her behavior, I’m still not thrilled it’s happening. I don’t want to be the bad guy when she is already upset about her father, but she isn’t giving me much of a choice.

It’s hard to be the villain when I’ve known her throughout her entire life. I’ve seen the way she handles loss and pain.

The only difference is that Arturo isn’t around to channel some of her angry energy into something more productive.

I’m out of my depth when it comes to her, and I don’t know what I can do to help.

“You need to wake up soon,” I say as I lean forward and cross my arms on the edge of the bed. “I need you to do something about your daughter. She is testing the limits of what she can get away with. I don’t know what to do with her.”

I leave out the part about dry-humping her on my desk and everything else I’ve imagined about Billie. Arturo doesn’t need to know the things I would do to his daughter if I was given half a chance.

Guilt claws at me as I look at him, wondering how he would react if he knew something had happened with Billie. I doubt that he would think twice about killing me. Billie is the love of his life, and she always has been.

“You know, I had to get rid of Roman. I know you never liked him. He tried to go after Billie. You would be proud of her. She broke his nose with a frying pan.”

I chuckle and drum my fingers on the bed. What else do you say to a man who is in a coma with a traumatic brain injury?

“She is going to be the death of me if you stay in this coma much longer. I told her that she had someone to talk to if she needed it, but if she’s anything like you, she’s going to bury that pain away.”

I sigh, my shoulders drooping as I take in all the machines for the millionth time since Arturo entered the hospital. I’m paying for the best care that money can afford, but the doctors still don’t know if he’s going to survive.

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