Page 5 of Merciless Attraction

Ronan’s already in emergency mode as Natalie paces in circles.

“What are we looking at?” Ronan questions as he preps instruments and tools.

“We’re not going to crack her chest open. She’s more responsive than I expected so we can hold off on the Narcan. What’s the drug of choice at that place?” I ask him.

Ronan cuts his eyes at me. “I don’t know. They used to peddle coke and mollies, but I don’t know what the trending drug is these days. I have no idea what’s going on in there now. I only went to Trips tonight at Don Vito’s request.”

“More like his orders. Requests can be denied. You should have told me the real reason why we were going there. Why are you still doing anything for that asshole? He kidnapped an innocent kid.” My voice is barely above a whisper as I work on Gemma.

Ronan shrugs. “He may have condoned that, but he didn’t actually kidnap the kid.”

“Don’t do that, Ronan.”

“I’m not excusing it. Besides, he’s serving federal time for that, too. Honestly, I still owe him a few favors. It's why I did work for his organization in the first place. The same way the Marzano’s helped you...”

I shake my head not wanting to rehash our too similar histories into the medical field. It’s one of the reasons why we connect so easily.

He takes heed not to go down that rabbit hole, saying, “I was supposed to see how well Verducci did tonight.”

“Yeah, because this is a sure-fire sign of a successful grand reopening,” I shake my head while staring down at Gemma. I slide a few strands of her silky blonde hair away from her face.

Beads of sweat bud across her forehead, but the good news is she’s coming out of it. Gemma moans, clenches her teeth and immediately turns herself onto her side. Her words are muddy with discomfort. “What the hell, Nat? Why did you let me drink so much?”

“You only had one shot of Tequila.” Natalie says from over my shoulder.

“It feels like my brain’s being flipped around by a tornado,” Gemma moans.

Natalie’s gaze moves between me and Ronan. She shakes her head and moves closer to Gemma, telling us, “You should get a bucket and mop. This could get messy.”

“I willnotthrow up.” Gemma grumbles. “I’m not giving that asshole the satisfaction ofactuallymaking me sick to my stomach. I just need some Gatorade. Where are my fucking shoes?”

“I can do a recovery IV for you,” Ronan says as the sound of the front door clinic opening draws our attention.

I’m already scanning the room, wondering which drawer has a gun inside of it. This isn’t Ronan’s exam room, so it’s not likely I’ll find one. Hard thumps of my heart against my chest send spikes of adrenaline to my brain. Every inch of my body tenses with anticipation for a fight.

“What the fuck happened tonight? Where’s Gemma?” Damian Marzano’s voice booms through the empty clinic. Natalie, Gemma, and Ronan let out a collective sigh of relief. I find my body unclenching as well.

“Some asshole named Frankie spiked Gem’s drink,” Natalie tells him.

Damian pauses, taking a moment to study Natalie from head to toe before turning to me with a questioning glare.

“Look, I went with Ronan and spotted Gemma at the bar. Frankie Genero ordered drinks for them, but before I could do anything, she’d already taken the shot,” I tell Damian.

Damian’s face reddens with anger just as the other two Marzano brothers come in behind him. DonSebastien “Bash” Marzano is the oldest of the three, with Casper a few years younger than us and Damian, the youngest. Although they share the same gray eyes as Gemma, there’s nothing delicate about any of them.

Bash and I were close at one point, but life has a way of showing you who your true friends are. While I don’t doubt our friendship, six years in prison showed me where the Marzano family loyalties lie. Still, I consider him my friend, but I know that title doesn’t hold as much weight asDon.

Casper’s at Gemma’s side, helping her sit up while Ronan sets up the IV.

Bash notices the bruising on her arm and turns to me, “How’d this happen?”

I look at Gemma with memories of breaking down that storeroom door. “I didn’t like the look in her eyes at the bar and she wanted to go to the bathroom. I went to grab Natalie to help her, but Gem walked away from the bar. By the time we made our way to the bathrooms, she was already fighting with Frankie in some back room.”

“Yeah, but you should have seen him, guys. Antonio was so fucking strong the way he broke the door off the hinges.” Natalie says with excitement in her eyes.

The mere mention of it makes my shoulder sore. Damian darts his gaze between me and Natalie. I can tell he doesn’t like her admiration of my actions, but it’s only that. Admiration for me coming to her friend’s rescue. How could I not?

“I did what needed to be done,” I tell them holding out my hands out for them to see my bloody and bruising knuckles. “I broke his nose, but Verducci threatened to kill me since Frankie’s a part of the Dacosta family.”

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