Page 95 of Sins of Bliss

“Yes.”

“I’m so sorry, piccola ladra.” Anger spikes through my blood, furious that she watched her brother take her driver's life.

Twodeaths she’s had to witness in the last month. One by me, the other by her brother. That’s two too many, and I feel immense guilt for my part in the devastating memory she has to live with.

She chokes back a sob.

I wish I could rub her back and settle her, but I know I must continue on the ropes holding her in place, so instead, I soften my voice and try to comfort her with words. “It’s okay, Vinnie. You are so strong, piccola ladra. You will get past this. Let it out.”

And she does, shaking her head as she hangs her head and cries. But her cries quickly turn to hyperventilation, and suddenly she’s gasping for air. The strangled sound of her breaths nearly shatters me.

The second her wrist is free, I rush around, pulling her from the chair and into my arms.

“Shhh,” I soothe, holding her tight with one arm as my other hand strokes her hair. She trembles against me, her body vibrating with adrenaline and unshed emotion from the last several hours.

She bawls in my arms until her tears turn silent, and her body begins to relax. She’s exhausted, and I can feel her physical strength diminish as she lets me care for her. As I hold her, I look past her and watch the scene outside unfold.

The officers have their guns drawn and pointed at Joseph as he tries to negotiate his way out of the situation he’s put himself in. Unfortunately, their guns are pointed at Nixon as well, but I am not worried about him. There are enough witnesses around to ensure he is not taken away in cuffs.

From my peripheral, I see Maurizio speaking to a man wearing smart pants and a dress shirt. Their discussion looks like it is getting heated. Maurizio’s arms fly up into the air while he speaks, and the man looks irritated. Closest to us, an officer clears the office space. His eyes dart around the room while he keeps an eye on me and Vinnie.

“Carpenter, call for transport,” an officer outside yells to the man Maurizio is speaking to. “He’s been shot in the leg.”

“Hey!” another officer yells over the commotion. “We have another body over here!”

La polizia begins to spring into action, pulling out radios and barking orders to each other.

“We need medics in here, too,” I yell over Vinnie’s head, letting them know I want her evaluated.

“I don’t need an ambulance,” she insists, but I don’t answer. Instead, while everyone is distracted and frantic, I catch movement from the corner of my eye and everything happens in a blur.

Somehow, Joseph has managed to reach his firearm, and despite the many officers that surround him, he aims it directly at me and Vincenza, and fires the gun.

Chapter 34

Vinnie

The wind is knocked from my lungs as I land roughly on top of Sly’s body, the reverberation of the gunshot ringing through my ears. I’m disoriented, but jump when anotherpop popradiates through the air.

Sly groans beneath me, having taken the brunt of the fall.

“Are you o—” I start to ask, but the bloodcurdling sounds of my father screaming my brother’s name stops me mid-sentence.

Ripping my eyes from Sly, I scurry to my feet, swaying slightly from the pounding in my head.

Through the open doors, Joseph’s lifeless body lies on the ground as blood begins to pool around him. His head is turned toward me, eyes still open. My father stands over him, horror-stricken, repeating “no” over and over.

Unable to control it, I double over in pain. Physical pain from the nausea that immediately rolls through my stomach, and the overwhelming grief that slams into me, realizing my brother is gone.

I scream, an agonizing, soul-wrenching scream.

For him.

For myself.

For the relationship with my brother that started off perfect and ended with such hatred from him, I refused to accept it.

“Vinnie,” Sly’s voice cuts through the noise. Grabbing my shoulders, he rights me, then places his hands on either side of my face. “Breathe, amore mio,” he says frantically, searching my eyes wildly, then skimming down my body. “Are you hurt? Were you hit?”

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