Page 115 of Shattered Hearts

Finn

Alone with myself, I force out a heavy breath.

I’ve been conscious for less than ninety minutes. And in that time, I’ve heard a full account of the past three days, starting from what I can remember, all the way to the present. The doctor said I’m due to be discharged today, pending the results of a few tests, which nurses have already conducted. The pain in my abdomen is still well under the control of the painkillers in my bloodstream.

Wish I could keep this numbness.

What I’ve resolved to do is going to hurt.

Take the fight to Enzo. Destroy him. End him so brutally that no one with the last name De Luca will ever dare come after us again.

Nothing about my plan will be easy. Especially since I intend to go after him on my own. This is between us, after all. I beheaded the De Luca clan by killing Matteo. Murdering me is his brother’s best vengeance and not something he’ll leave to one of his foot soldiers.

As an enforcer, I know exactly what Enzo wants. Me, alive and well, so that he can take his sweet time torturing me todeath. That’s what I’d want if he’d brutally slaughtered someone close to me.

My chest folds in on itself when I remember the stark and utter horror of the moment I thought Riley had perished. The reality set in for only a second, like the enormous, fanged mouth of a beast closing around my skull and ripping my head clean off.

The grotesque, excruciating pain of the bite—believing that Riley had died and that I was at fault—killed every single cell in my body at once, and I blacked out after that.

I saw red.

Riley told me what I was doing before I got stabbed. Choking the life out of some guy with my bare hands. I can’t even remember that. All I remember is thinking she was dead, and later, glimpsing her against an alley wall as the effects of my wound dragged me beneath the surface of consciousness.

In my hospital room, glass windows make up half of the wall. Through them, the blinding midday light shines and haloes the floating dust particles. My personal effects are neatly set on the end table next to this hospital bed, no doubt thanks to Riley. They’re arranged too thoughtfully to be the work of a nurse.

I imagine Riley sitting there while I slept, rearranging my phone, wallet, a change of clothes, cigarettes, a lighter Brianne gave me, and my butterfly knife. Even with tired, drooping eyes, messy hair, and dirty, rumpled clothes, Riley was still the most stunning woman I’d ever seen.

I get a sudden urge to kiss her. So strong, a riot starts in my chest. The thought of her inspires me to pick up my phone.

I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to do this for her. To keep her safe. To ensure the De Lucas will never be able to come after her again.

Get home safe?

I’m typing the message to Riley when my phone buzzes between my fingertips. An incoming call with the caller ID blocked.

This oughta be good.

Clay hardens at the base of my spine as I answer.

“Let me guess.” I rupture the silence on the line. “Bone Breaker.”

The silence continues for a beat, followed by a dark, rumbling laugh I’ve never heard before. “So, you’ve heard of me.”

Not exactly. “I do my research.”

“You’re thorough. Impressive.”

Back when Dad and I were investigating the logistics of Matteo’s assassination, intel on the De Luca family was paramount. I researched all the key members of the family and their administration.

Enzo De Luca was on the list.

Just…at the bottom.

“Tell me, how’s life outside your big brother’s shadow?” I soak my voice with sarcastic condescension. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

Not because I give a single fuck about the man trying to kill me, but because I need to conduct a test.

Every theory needs to be tested. Mine is that Enzo De Luca is nothing more than a power-hungry second son with an inferiority complex the size of Jupiter. I also suspect that Enzo’s “revenge” against me is actually an audition.

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