Page 123 of His Dark Vendetta

“I counted four men,” Vinnie said. “An unmarked Hyundai. At one point someone shouted, ‘Italian fucks,’ but I couldn’t make out the rest.”

Marco removed the cigar from between his teeth. “Stay away from my sister,” Marco said, slow and grim. Smoke trailed from his lips with each word. “You hear that, you Italian fucks.”

My heart slammed into my ribs. “Rory,” I said. “Siobhán only has one brother.”

Marco tipped his head.

What happened at the deli was traumatic enough, but when she found out her brother orchestrated the hit? I shoved a hand into my hair and pulled. “Dio. This is going to kill her.”

Her family had put her in danger. Again. And not just her, but our baby. I might be able to protect her from bullets, but I couldn’t protect her from her family no matter how much I wanted to spare her that pain.

“Do they know she’s pregnant?” Vinnie asked.

“No, not yet.”

Vinnie looked at Marco, and they exchanged an unspoken message.

“Does she know anything? Where they might’ve taken them?” Gio asked.

“No,” I said and shook my head. “She stays out of her family’s business, and I’m not going to ask her to get involved.” I met Marco’s eyes. “I won’t put her in that position.”

Marco held my gaze. “Luca’s right. Siobhán doesn’t know, and she’s one of us. I don’t want my grandchild in danger.”

Grandchild… I was going to be a father. I was still trying to wrap my brain around the idea, but it created such warmth in my chest. And for the moment, Siobhán was safe. Our baby was safe. I’d go to her as soon as I could. Comfort her. Make sure she knew I wouldn’t let anything happen to either of them.

“We need information,” I said. “And I promise you, Siobhán doesn’t have any, but I bet I know who does.”

Gio lifted an eyebrow.

“Durand,” Vinnie said.

I nodded. “Assane Durand. He’s hosting a game Saturday night.”

“We can’t wait that long.” Marco gritted the words out, and his eyes sparked.

“No, we can’t.” Without knowing the endgame, every hour could be the difference between life and death for Vito and Gina. “But we can reach out, see if he’ll bite.”

“He stays out of shit like this,” Vinnie said.

“True, but it’s worth a shot,” I said.

“I’ll send the message,” Marco said.

“What about Providence?” I asked.

“What about ’em?” Gio asked. “Patrizi’s not going to know shit about what’s going on up here, not any more than we do.”

“I already called him,” Vinnie said. “Told him to keep an eye out.”

I rolled my shoulder and sipped my scotch. The joint was stiff from the swollen muscle, and the exit wound still pinched, but I was almost fully healed thanks to Siobhán.

Feeding took on an entirely new meaning after drinking from her. It was intimate, special, and she’d shared her blood not just to provide me with sustenance but so I could survive. But I neededherto survive. A future without Siobhán was no future at all, and I would do anything to make sure I’d never face that possibility.

“Mikey’s arraignment is Monday,” Vinnie said with an edge of suspicion and frustration. “Can’t help wonder if Vito and Gina suddenly going missing isn’t a coincidence.”

“Maybe,” Gio said and rocked his head. “Regardless, someone’s gotta take care of the case.”

“One of my lawyers will handle it,” Marco said. “Anna can step in for Gina at the Foundation, but she’s going to need help with anything related to Sources.” He glanced at me, and I nodded.

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