He tensed as I pushed my thumb against his wound. “One fucking chance.”
 
 I stepped back, wiped my thumb onto my dress, and watched the doctor thrust his tweezers into Alessandro. His chest muscles tightened. I looked down at them, noticing a bullet scar on his left shoulder and another near his ribs.
 
 He gazed at me, no hint of a smile. “It doesn’t get easier, reginetta. Each bullet hurts like a puttana, in case you were wondering.”
 
 I mustered up a fake smile. “I wasn’t.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Now, tell me why the Sicilian Mafia is after you.”
 
 The doctor removed the bullet, pulling it out with his tweezers. He gave me a towel and told me to hold it over his wound. I pressed the towel—a little too hard—against his stomach. He winced. Good.
 
 “Was, reginetta. I was one of them.” He sat back, smirking. “Wanted to take a break and relax in America.”
 
 “Your life won’t get any easier here.”
 
 “Because you keep getting in the fucking way.”
 
 I pressed into his wound, making him wince again. “What’re you running from?”
 
 “I don’t run.”
 
 “So, what, you’re a snitch? Is that how you got out of jail earlier than you should’ve?”
 
 He shook his head and clenched his jaw. “I’m not telling you any more.”
 
 I pulled the gun out of my purse. I had him where I needed him. Holding the gun up to his temple, I smirked. “You will tell me everything I need to know.”
 
 11
 
 chiara
 
 “What? Are you going to shoot me?” He scoffed and gazed right up at me, that stupid-ass smirk stretching across his lips.
 
 Ray froze, letting Alessandro bleed out. Good. I’d taught him well.
 
 I tilted my head, staring down at those eyes that I hated almost more than Tommy, but I couldn’t hate anyone more than that stronzo.
 
 I cocked the gun back a bit. “Eventually.”
 
 “I don’t believe it.”
 
 “Let me show you then.” I pressed the tip of the gun right into his wound, making sure to get it really deep in there. My finger hovered over the trigger as I turned the gun sideways.
 
 He winced again and clenched his jaw. “Fuck you, reginetta.”
 
 “Three …” I pressed it deeper. “Two …” Deeper.
 
 He began ranting in Italian, his full pink lips moving so fast that I couldn’t catch a word he was saying.
 
 “Now, Alessandro.”
 
 Someone knocked on the door. I pushed out a breath, not willing to give up my position over him. This was my chance to get everything I needed from him. Nobody was going to ruin this moment for me.
 
 The knock turned into a forceful bang.
 
 “Police! Open up!”
 
 Alessandro narrowed his eyes at me. “Police? Why do you have police at your apartment?”
 
 I sighed in annoyance and threw the gun onto the table. “Maybe they’re here to take your ass back to jail,” I uttered under my breath.