Page 20 of Bianchi

As the words leave my lips, I know they aren’t true. There’s no way he’s involved. Massimo has always been a silent, broody type, waiting until the perfect moment to unleash his unhinged attacks. He’ll strike when you least expect it, not plot secretly in the background.

Releasing him, I step back and run my fingers through my hair. I force some of the tension out of my shoulders before I speak. “You have a rat, Massimo, and the last time I checked, you answer to me, not the other way round. Have your men lined up in the backyard in the next twenty minutes.”

Massimo waits until I’m on the threshold of the room before calling out, “If you’re going to start taking out my men, then I should at least know why, Romeo. This could be exactly what they want you to do; make us weak so they can plunge the knife in and finally finish us off.”

I twist abruptly toward him, and when I speak, my voice yields no emotion. “There were three gunmen at the restaurant.” I scrub a hand down my face while I try to calm my anger. “Civilians were killed, Massimo, and the only people who knew it was me going to that restaurant are in this house.”

Heaving out a sigh, Massimo says, “Anyone could have tipped them off, Rome. We called the fucking press?—”

I can’t contain my fury, shouting, “They could have fucking killed her, Massimo. She’s mine.” I jab my finger in my chest before dropping it and stalking toward him. There’s too much energy flowing through me, and I need to get it out.

Massimo quirks a brow, a smirk on his lips as he rolls his tongue around in his mouth. “She’s yours, yeah?”

“To fucking kill. And only once we’ve got what we need from her. You and I both know the leak has come from inside your house and if you can’t fix it, then I will.”

“I trust my men, Rome. But—” He exhales sharply before continuing, “If you say we have a rat, everything moves to a need-to-know basis. We’ll find out who it is without needlessly killing people. Go and get cleaned up, then we can figure out a plan of attack.”

Deep down, I know that he’s right, but the dark and dangerous beast inside of me doesn’t want to listen. I’ve killed three men tonight, but it’s not enough. There’s a craving to do some damage pulsing under my skin.

A knock on the kitchen door pulls my focus away from Massimo. Doc walks in, closely followed by Daniele. “I heard there was a bullet wound that needed tending to?”

Massimo huffs out a laugh, muttering something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like, you could have fucking led with that.

I grunt an acknowledgment to Doc before moving toward the table and shrugging out of my jacket. I lay it over the back of a chair before getting to work on the buttons of my shirt. “It’s just a graze.”

With my shirt discarded, Doc picks up my arm, perching his glasses on the edge of his nose as he twists and turns it under the lights. “Yes, it looks like a graze and the scratches on your arm appear to be superficial. We’ll get you cleaned up to minimize the risk of infection, but it doesn’t look like you’ll need stitches. You’ll be pleased to know that you’ll survive.”

“I’m sure my enemies will be thrilled.”

Alma hands me a glass of amber liquid before she walks back to the counter, seemingly unfazed by the interaction I had earlier with Massimo. A headache pounds at the base of my skull as I silently urge Doc to work faster as he moves to get the first aid kit to clean me up.

I’m exhausted.

Both physically and mentally, but it’s a hazard of the job and I’ll never walk away. Yes, you have to always be on your guard and there is always someone looking to take you out, but my family is the mafia and the mafia is my family.

This is all I’ve ever known.

At some point in their lives, every man in my family has been the head of the mafia. We have instilled fear in our enemies and that is why, whoever is behind this, is attacking us from the shadows. But no matter how long it takes, they won’t be able to hide forever.

Chapter 12

Aurora

Unfocused, I stare at the wall in front of me, vaguely aware of the intricate gold floral pattern on the dark forest-green wallpaper. A heavy weight rests on my chest, making every breath harder than the last. I know that I should take off my dress and wash away the gore covering my face and body, but I can’t move. Every fiber of my being is frozen. What makes it worse is the never-ending loop playing in my mind of the maître d' and his lifeless stare as blood poured from the hole in his head.

He was an innocent man.

In a split second, he no longer exists in this world. He was just doing his job and now he’s gone. Who’s going to break that news to his family? Did he even have one? Oh God, what about the other diners? I close my eyes to ease the ache behind them, but all it does is transport me back to the restaurant. Memories of screams of terror mix with the echo of heavy gunfire, but instead of it being crystal clear, it’s muffled, like I’m underwater.

What is all of this death and destruction even for?

My eyes fly open and I blink rapidly, glancing around the room for an anchor to keep me in the moment. Rushing out a breath, I try in vain to focus my mind. Nothing is making any sense. If what Romeo said about my father being behind the attacks is true, then he wants Romeo and his family dead and he’ll take out whoever gets in his way.

Even if it’s his own daughter.

Why would he do this?

My parents split up when I was just a kid, but from everything my mom told me, my dad was loyal and loved us with his whole heart. It’s why he walked away when I told him to. No matter how much I convince myself that he made a choice, I know it was one I forced upon him. His life or mine. I’d spent the better part of the evening begging him to walk away from the mafia, but he told me that wasn’t an option. That they’d kill him if he tried to leave. And his sacrifice was all for nothing, because Romeo Bianchi has pulled me back into the life that I’ve tried so hard to stay out of.

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