Page 67 of Corrupted Heart

I have tons of missed calls from Dante, and Carmine, and Nico. From Milena and Naomi, too. There’s more unread texts than I know what to do with. But it’s the newest notification that just dinged, from Nico, that rips into my mind like a blade.

Nico

EMERGENCY. WHERE THE ACTUAL FUCK ARE YOU

Oh God.

13

BIANCA

“Seriously. Where the fuck were you?”

There’s a shocked numbness in the car as Nico roars through the city toward Mt. Sinai Hospital. I still don’t know where Kratos’ gothic church is, because the car that’s taken me away both times I’ve been there has blacked-out rear windows. This time, when I jumped in, I told the silent driver to take me to Nico’s address.

He refused with a shake of his head, and would only drop me off back at my house. So that’s where Nico’s just picked me up, to bring me to the hospital.

“Bianca!”

I flinch, my face burning as I turn to him.

“I stayed late at work,” I lie, feeling like shit.

“With your fucking phone off?”

“I’m sorry,” I mumble as I turn and stare out the window. “I…”

Nico exhales. His hand reaches across the center console of the car, taking mine.

“Sorry,” he mutters. “I’m just…”

I twist to look at him, watching his eyes grimly staring at the road as his jaw grinds.

“This is all my fault, isn’t it?”

His eyes soften as he glances at me.

“Stop it.”

I blink back tears. “No. It is. This is because of what I did.”

“Bianca, this is the world we live in, okay?” he hisses. “This is the mafia. Shit like this happens?—”

“I torched Kratos Drakos’ fucking car, Nico!” I yell, my face paling.

I swallow down the lump that’s formed in my throat as I glance at the streets of Manhattan speeding past us as we roar toward the hospital where Dad is being taken care of.

And here I thought the punishment for my sins had just been doled out, back in the church, by Kratos’ own hands.

And mouth.

And cock.

Oh, God.

As it turns out, I was wrong.

Dad was in the basement of one of the restaurants our family owns, hosting one of his monthly poker games, until a homemade firebomb was tossed through the window, blowing the place all to hell.

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