Page 150 of Where the Wicked Reign

“All done,” I said, stepping back from Bianca Leone after finishing stitching up a particularly nasty gash across her cheek.

She grabbed a mirror off the counter and took a look at what I’d done. “Impressive work.”

“That means a lot coming from a surgeon,” Cat told me, as she stood in the Charon Manor kitchen a few feet from us, typing rapidly on her phone.

“Well, I’m no Milo, but I can handle a couple of minor stitches here and there.” I eyed her. “What’s the deal with the Leone Estate?”

While I’d treated her mom, Cat had been working on hacking into the surveillance cameras there to try to get a picture of what was happening, and how Nico and Milo were, because with them immersed in that shitshow, we’d figured they wouldn’t be reachable.

I’d also been able to tell from her reactions to the initial state of her mom when we’d brought her back here that she’d needed to focus on something else in order to keep her emotions in check. As if the day hadn’t already been bad enough for her as it was without this adding to it all.

She finally walked over to us, barely able to look at her mom directly because of the upsetting state of her, and she focused on her phone in her hand, telling me, “The Lone Gunners took out the security system when they first arrived, which cut the surveillance feeds, so it wasn’t as simple as merely accessing that.”

“That’s simple?” her mom questioned wryly.

I smiled at her and thumbed Cat. “For this fierce tech whiz, yeah.”

Cat rolled her eyes, then reported, “I had to improvise, and I tapped into the camera apps of a few Marchetti and Leonepersonnel,activating them and using them to piece together a picture of what’s going on. Fortunately, there were several soldiers with their phones out, using them to keep their superiors updated on various aspects of the invasion. As such, I was able to confirm that Nico and Milo are fine. The Lone Gunners retreated around ten minutes ago. The ground floor of the mansion is in utter carnage, glass and debris everywhere, fires that they’re fighting to put out without having to alert the authorities. There are several casualties and even fatalities. Even that Madam they were looking to do business with whom owns that chain of brothels just outside the city was killed during the attack, so that’s off the table for them now. Santino will be furious about that, given what already happened with his human trafficking startup. You know, along with the fact that a force dared to attack his domain at all? I can’t determine the numbers yet where the fatalities or casualties are concerned. Unfortunately, Leo survived, along with that Capo, Gio, that you all hate, and even Angelo.”

Before I could get a word out, let alone absorb all the information she’d just imparted, she came to me, urgency spilling from her, as she told me, “You need to lie low for a while. After what you told me happened in that room with Angelo, he’ll consider you marked. He won’t just take the warning and stand down, believe me. He’s still holding a nasty grudge against me, for fuck’s sakes, for rejecting him years ago, and look how that’s playing out now. Even after lying low for a while, once you head back out into the world, you’ll need to up security around you.”

“Marked, huh? Like, for death? Little old me?”

“Not for death. You’re too high-profile for him to risk that. But marked for him to mess with.” She winced. “To harm too. You need to take my warnings seriously, Julian.”

I stroked her arm, assuring her, “I will, darlin’.”

As much as I despised the idea of giving an abusive tormentor like Angelo Simone any power of me whatsoever, I could see just how worried she was about the situation. So, if I could give her some peace of mind right now, I would. “I’ll remain here for a while until things die down a little.”

“Thank you,” she said, beaming up at me.

“Or you should all come with me,” Bianca spoke.

“That can’t happen, Mom,” Cat told her.

“Come here,” Bianca urged.

When Cat hesitated, Bianca assured her, “It looks worse than it is. These are just superficial injuries. I’ll be fine. Iamfine.”

Cat walked to her and took Bianca’s outstretched hands. Pain blanketed her mom’s features as she took in her daughter in her dirtied and torn wedding dress, the cost of our escape through the forest that the Leone Estate backed onto.

“I didn’t want this for you. Truth be told, I didn’t want you married at all. You’re too free for that, full of determination and lofty business aspirations. I hated the idea of anything getting in the way of that. But to be forced into marriage is another awful thing altogether. It makes me sick to my stomach. The fact I wasn’t there too… it’s just…”

“Mom, I told you that we’re just playing the game. It’s not as dire as the families believe it to be.”

Yeah, she’d told her mom the whole deal on our way back here.

There hadn’t really been much choice with the state she’d been in. Cat had needed to prove to her that she was safe with us in coming back to Nico’s place.

“It’s arguably all the more dangerous. The people you’re going up against… this could very well be a suicide mission, Caterina.”

“It won’t be. I promise. And I’m going to do this, follow through with it all, for the both of us. That bastard will pay for what he’s done to us.”

“I don’t want revenge, just peace,” her mom uttered sadly.

Hell, it was fucking heartbreaking.

Cat gave her hands a squeeze. “And you’ll have it. We’re going to get you far away from here. He won’t be able to track you down this time. You’ll be safe.”

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