Page 16 of Brutal Power

“Works for me. Except she won’t be my fiancée.”

Omar’s voice gets hard. “Are you fucking around with me, right?”

“Not at all. By the time we sit down for dinner, Elena will be my wife.” I grin to myself, eyes closed, fingers rubbing my forehead. I couldn’t help myself.

I can practically hear Omar’s teeth grinding together. “Fine. Wife. Whatever. The girls will work out the details.”

He hangs up. I stare at the phone and lean my head back.

Fucking Elena. I bark out a laugh, unable to help it. God damn, that girl just worked a miracle. And all at once, my hard work and stress suddenly seem manageable.

Chapter 9

Elena

Trucks rumble down the oasis and their engines make my stomach twist with anxiety. I lean against the railing on the front porch of Stefania’s place and watch them slowly rumble to a halt.

“I keep thinking about the attack,” I say, and Stefania comes to stand next to me. “Every time there’s a firework or an engine backfires, it’s like someone’s shooting at me again.”

She puts her hand over mine. “We’re all still dealing with it.”

“Even those trucks freak me out.” I try to smile at her because she really doesn’t need to deal with my trauma. She’s got plenty of her own. “I’m fine though. Honestly, I shouldn’t complain.”

She gives me an odd look and is about to say something when a man calls out her name. He strides over, big and broad, with a handsome grin and good hair, dressed in comfortable tactical gear and flanked by soldiers.

“Well, look at this,” he says, stopping at the base of the porch. “My little sister. Do you plan on visiting Philly anytime soon or do I have to keep making excuses to come see you?”

“Keep making excuses,” Stefania says and goes down to give him a hug. “Saul, you remember Elena?”

“Sure do. How are things in the Bianco clan?”

“We’re keeping it together.” I join the pair of them and we walk over to the trucks. Bianco soldiers are spilling out from the surrounding houses and hustling over to get the trucks open. They’re packed with heavy-duty boxes, each of them marked as if they’re full of raw meat, but everyone knows what’s actually inside.

Guns. Lots and lots of guns.

“You ladies going to help unload?” Saul asks, shading his eyes. “Looks like there’s not much for us to do.”

“I can carry a few boxes,” I say, pretending to flex. One of the guards whistles at me and another punches him in the arm. I grin at them and do an exaggerated wink, just so they know I thought it was funny. I doubt they’d ever joke around with any of the other Bianco blood members except for me, and I like it that way.

As I stand around talking with Saul and Stefania, I spot Davide descending the steps from his house and start ambling over to the truck. I stare at him, almost speechless, and start to lose it with anger when he has the nerve to start unloading. I excuse myself and storm over toward him.

“Just what in the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I snap at my brother.

He pauses and his eyes narrow. “Helping.”

“You got shot, Davide. You also got arrested. You really think it’s smart to get involved with all this?” I gesture at the soldiers asthey work very hard not to pay attention to their boss getting a lecture from his sister. “You have got to be the dumbest man in the world.”

“Elena,” he says, growling my name. “Watch what you say.”

I know what he means. I shouldn’t talk to him like that in front of the other guys, but screw his pride and screw the stupid Famiglia. I don’t want to see him rip open his stitches because he’s too much of a man to let healthy people do the work, and I definitely don’t want to see him get arrested if this little brazen drop-off goes wrong somehow.

“Believe it or not, I have your best interests in mind,” I tell him, and I’m about to say more but Stefania materializes at her husband’s side.

“She’s right.” Stefania gives him a hard look. “Put the box down and step away from the vehicle.”

Davide’s jaw flexes. He looks like he’s about to listen, but instead he hefts it up onto his shoulder. “I’m fine,” he says, brushing past me and stomping off to stack the crate with all the others.

Stefania rolls her eyes. “See what I deal with?”

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