Page 46 of Broken Innocence
“We need an ambulance sent to…” An agent rattles out the house address as his colleague breaks from the group arresting the men still alive and approaches us.
“Special Agent Morris. Are you two okay? Do we need another ambo?”
Luca cautiously gets to his feet, and I gratefully accept his hand to stand on trembling legs. “No, I don’t think so. Eden?”
“I’m fine. What happened?”
The FBI agent glances between us, the swath of dead bodies, and handcuffed criminals. “We’ve been investigating the D’Amora organization for years, but a random tip about a local trafficking ring put us on Fabian’s trail. Our informant said something was going down today, so we were already preparingto storm the castle, so to speak. When you two showed up, then Enzo, we knew it was time to act.”
“Thank god you did.” I exhale a relieved sigh. And thank god they took their random tip—probably sent by Rafe—seriously.
“We’ll need your statements before you’ll be free to go, but you can wait outside while we clean this up.” Special Agent Morris gestures to the chaotic scene around us. The scent of blood and eucalyptus oil hangs in the air, and I breathe through my nose, the noxious fumes giving me a headache.
“Thanks, we could use the fresh air.” Luca tips his chin in agoodbye for nowthen hustles me out the exterior basement door the FBI breached. Yellow caution tape already forms a barrier around the mansion, and red and blue strobe lights paint the surrounding trees in color.
I can only imagine the gossip this will churn up with the neighbors. Even though they’re spread out, there’s no hiding the flashing lights and loud sirens heading this way.
“Guess it’s a good thing you plan on dismantling the BostonFamilyif the feds have been on their tail,” I murmur, randomly latching onto that bit of news.
Luca tugs my coat sides tighter together as a shiver wracks my body, but I don’t think it’s the weather seeping through the wool cloth. I think shock may finally be settling in as my adrenaline wears off.
“The feds are always investigating potential mob ties. Who knows how close they were to anything concrete before Fabian decided to go rogue.”
“Are the feds on to Blackthorn, you think?” The new worry compounds my already shot nerves.
“Not as far as I know, but we’ve got an inside man.” Luca grins at the admission.
“Of course you do.” Luca and his brothers are master planners. They don’t go off half-cocked like Fabian did. According to Allie,Mathias is particularly anal about ensuring their safety and secrecy.
Once we’re on the outskirts of the bustling mix of local cops and FBI agents, Luca faces me and cups my cheeks. “Are you sure you’re okay? I could have lost you in there. And what he made us do. Whatyouhad to do—”
I place my finger over his lips to stop his guilt-ridden speech. “Like I told that special agent, I’m fine. Shaken up and indefinitely put off from ASMR massage videos, but fine. You protected me as best you could in there.” Wrapping my arms around his waist, I hug him close, comforted by his warmth. The steady rhythm of his heart. Signs of his life—safe and unharmed. “What about you?”
He strokes the hair at the back of my head and presses a kiss to the tangled crown. My poor updo didn’t survive the night. “I’m still processing everything, but I’m okay. Fabian won’t bother us anymore with his upcoming prison sentence.”
“True… But what about your dad? I saw them doing CPR on him. Do you think he’s dead? That’s a lot to deal with—your half-brother killing your father.”
“We’ve only recently reconnected.” He shrugs, though there’s a tinge of something else in his voice. Forced nonchalance. Like he’s trying to convince himself that he doesn’t care what happens to Enzo. “It’s not like I didn’t plan my own act of revenge against him with my brothers. This just removes one more brick in The Syndicate foundation.”
“Luca…” I drop my head back to meet his shuttered gaze. Powering through the sudden fatigue weighing on my limbs, I reiterate the points of our last conversation about his dad. “It’s okay to change your mind. To love your dad. Or to not hate him as much as you used to. The two of you have spoken a lot recently, and he gave you those cufflinks from your mom…”
“I know. We’ll see how—”
“Luca! Eden!” Mathias’s powerful voice carries on the wind, and we turn to find the entire Blackchapel Bastards contingent, plus Allie, converging on us. How they got past the yellow police tape, I have no clue, but I’m thankful to see them. “What the hell happened? Dmitri texted us that he got a weird message from you, then Rafe tracked your phone here. Are you both alright?”
Stupid Fabian.
It didn’t even occur to me that Rafe could track our phones. By the time he had his thugs confiscate them, it was probably too late to turn them off or destroy them before the signals bounced off the nearest cell towers.
I let Luca explain the events of the evening, preferring to sink quietly into his comforting embrace. All I want is to sleep for the next twenty-four hours, but first we need to talk to the FBI and relay our story a second time tonight.
It’s bound to be hours before I’m cocooned in the safety of Blackchapel Manor and our cozy bed. Hours before I’m free to tell Luca the truth I realized earlier.
That I’ve fallen for my husband.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
LUCA
