Page 223 of Syndicate of Sin Bundle

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.

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