Page 126 of Vito

I'm about to head into a building where there'll be multiple expectant mothers in various states of pregnancy.

Memories of being carried into a shithole clinic, fighting for my baby's life and being forcibly strapped to the table, assault me and my vision blurs.

"Ed!" Frank grabs the wheel and steers us back into our lane. "Jesus, are you okay?"

I shake the horrific memories away, feeling a bead of sweat drip down my temple. "I'm fine."

Inside, I might shatter.

But then I think of Gina. Sophie. Her baby.

My spine stiffens. "Fuck you,Edna and Peter," I whisper.

Frank is still staring at me as I look for a spot to park. "Focus on your job, Frank."

Shit, I'm such a goddamn dick.

Seeing a spot open up, I whip in as soon as the SUV pulls out. I'm out of my car, not waiting for Frank. I'm being careless about my safety; I know that. I should've scanned around before I got out; I should've waited for Frank. But my safety isn't what matters right now. I need to get that cube from Gina because it's like a ticking time bomb. I need to get it away from her and lock it inside my Fort Knox office.

Frank curses as he races to catch up to me. "Ed, what the hell is going on? I can't protect you if…"

I tune him out as I call Raf. "Please don't have left yet," I mutter as it rings.

If the appointment were over, they wouldn't have lingered here. Especially if they think an enemy might try to attack.

"Ed," Raf answers. "We're coming down in the elevator to the lobby."

"I'll be there." I hang up and pocket my phone.

I can quickly grab the cube, and hopefully, I won't have to encounter too many pregnant women. If I had to go up to the OB-GYN floor, I would've been inundated, and I'm not sure if I wouldn't have completely spiraled.

Frank and I walk on the sidewalk toward the entrance of the medical building. I glance at Frank, who's scanning around, frowning. His hand is relaxed but close to his hip holster, shielded by his jacket.

"What is it?" I ask.

"Something feels off. Suddenly, there seems like a large influx of traffic on the street." He pushes me ahead and nods at a group outside the building. "Santoro men," he tells me, hurrying us into the building lobby.

There's another large group of men and women, clearly security personnel, in the lobby. As the elevator dings, announcing the arrival, they form a protective shield around it.

I can't see Sophie or Gina, but I can see Creed and Raf, both tall within the protective circle.

Creed's icy-blue eyes meet mine, a frown creasing his forehead. His look isn't unwelcoming, just wary.

Raf moves toward me, the shield of guards parting to let him through. "What did you need, Ed?"

Gina curses in Italian. "Raf, you said she wanted to speak with me, so let me speak to her." At Raf's nod, the guards let Ginathrough. She pushes back her wisps of hair that have escaped the braid on the crown of her head and smiles at me. "Hello, Eden. It's so nice to see you again, my dear."

For reasons I can't explain, the hair on the back of my neck stands up.

"I'm sorry I can't explain more right now," I say quickly, suddenly overwhelmed with the need for them to get out of here. "But I need the gift back that I gave you, Gina."

"Of course," she says slowly. "I understand if you'd like that back since your brother made it." She opens her purse just as the sound of gunfire blasts out on the street.

I instinctively push Gina back into the middle of the security so they can surround her.

I spin toward the front lobby windows to see what is happening. To my horror, the street is gridlocked with vehicles, and masked gunmen are opening fire on the Santoro guards outside.

"Initiate the backup protocol," Raf yells, and their group pushes toward the backdoor. "Luigi, update me on the security cameras." He pauses, then curses, turning to Creed. "Security cameras are out. We're blind."

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