Page 25 of Ruthless Passion

There's swelling around her face that I can't bear to look at. So, I focus on the machines behind her. "I was leaving a club last night and some guys caught me in the parking lot. They said they wanted my car, but I gave them the keys and this still happened."

"Fuck. They? How many guys does it take to attack a thirty-year-old?—"

She cuts me off. "Don't say my age out loud, Luca. It becomes too real and I'll have to stop saying I'm turning twenty-five for the fifth time."

"I'm sorry."

"Luca, don't apologize. You didn't stomp on my leg like you were trying to kill the world's largest spider."

I shake my head, anger bubbling under the surface. "How are you laughing about this?"

Her shoulders raise up and down slowly. "I think it's a mix between my morbid sense of humor and the painkillers. I don't want to involve you guys and you know, the family."

She air quotes, family.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Faith turns to face me with her head dramatically tipping to the side. "Don't pretend like you, Gina, and Sonny don't work for the mafia. I've seen enough these past eight years working for you guys. Look, I only wanted to talk to you and Sonny because one of the guys said that if I won't work for Vito, I won't work for anyone. Then they did this shit to me. You can pretend you and Sonny aren't made guys, but Vito brags about his affiliation like he can't get locked up for some of the shit he does."

"He's going to pay for this. Did you talk to the police?" I ask her.

"Of course I did. But what are they going to do? I couldn't give an actual description of the guys who did this and it's going to take them a while to pull footage from the club's security cameras. I wanted to tell you and Sonny to make Vito pay, but also, so you can let your other actors know to be aware."

Josephine immediately pops into my head. It's bad enough she's helping me put this movie together for that damn federal agent, but now, Vito's attacking my people. This ends now. I won't let her get hurt.

I thank Faith before leaving the room and heading back to the entrance of the hospital's Emergency Room, where Sonny's still pacing.

"Let's go," I growl.

We leave the hospital as I take out my phone to get Marzano family soldiers who can meet us at Vito Dacosta's club. Trips is a titty bar on the outskirts of the city that triples as a brothel and porn studio. There's no way I'm walking in there with Sonny's hot head temper alone.

The club's parking lot is empty as we pull up, with three other cars following us. We have backup as we storm inside the club in the middle of the early afternoon. A colorful array of lights swirls around the club like it's midnight. Three catwalks split the large room into three sections, with a long bar lining the left wall.

A group of three guys sit at the bar laughing among themselves while two dancers clad in G-strings sway awkwardly around poles in front of empty seats at the end of their catwalk stages. The filthy black carpet under our feet has blue and purple swirls in the design, reminding me of a bowling alley. The place stinks of cigarettes, cigars, and beer. I can't help but notice the sounds of loud moaning coming from somewhere behind the stages.

"Which one of you fucks likes to hit women?" Sonny barks.

I want to hold him back, but he's packing rage on top of his bodybuilder shape. He's not one of those types of guys whose muscles are useless. He puts them to work. While I'd normally encourage him to sit this out because of my nieces and nephew at home, I know he won't. He's as disgusted by people who hurt those who can't defend themselves as much as I am.

"Who the fuck are you?" One of the three guys replies, getting out of his seat and putting his hand in his back pocket.

One of my soldiers draws his gun without hesitation, which causes the three men to draw their weapons.

"We only want to know which one of you assholes decided to attack a Luca Brisco actress." I tell them before bullets start to fly.

"What's the matter? I thought actresses are supposed to break a leg." Another one of the Slimeball Three asks. The group laughs and high fives one another. I'm going to enjoy what happens next.

Sonny's angry as he looks around, snatches an ashtray off a nearby table, and flings it like a frisbee at the guy with his hand reaching into his pocket. It ends up hitting him in the head, knocking him out cold. The other two look at their unconscious counterpart, realize they're surrounded and drop their guns.

"Shit, we were doing a job," one says with his hands in the air. For this, Sonny and I approach them. A fist-to-fist fight will teach these assholes not to blindly follow orders.

One punch silences him for a moment before he gets angry enough to fight back. It doesn't surprise me. Some men fight while others take flight. He catches me with a good blow to my ribs, but I'm able to counter quickly with a hook to his face. I duck and land two more blows. One to his face and the other to his chest.

My knuckle lands near his temple, cutting him above the eye and drawing blood. The sight of his own blood as he wipes his eye sends him into a panicked rage and he charges me. The brunt of his shoulder cuts across the trunk of my body, wrapping me in a bear hug and slamming me through one of the wooden tables.

Fuck.

My back explodes in pain and while nothing's broken, I know I'm going to be sore as hell tomorrow. I don't get a chance to retaliate, as Sonny grabs the guy by the shoulder. He pulls the attacker away from me and lands a punch to the center of the guy's face.

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