Page 78 of Bittersweet Endings
“No, I didn’t. She did.”
Lucky’s mouth dropped open. “But she left with…”
Marco crossed his arms over his chest. “Jesus Christ, maybe we stop standing here with our dicks in our hands and figure out what the hell this all means.” He paused to glance at hisfamily. “She’s the best version of herself I think I’ve ever seen. She’s strong, smart, and filled with fire. Something else is going on.”
Silence settled between us for a moment.
I exhaled sharply, turning my glare back to Lucky. “So what’s it gonna be? You gonna keep running your mouth, or are we going after her?”
He muttered under his breath and pulled out his phone, already dialing. I turned towards the street, my jaw still tight.
Tires screeched against the pavement as a blacked-out car pulled up. The second the door swung open and Mario Agostino stepped out, his anger was palpable. He maneuvered around the bodies littering the yard and darted towards us.
Lucky stiffened beside me, turning towards his father, but before he could get a word out, Mario was already barking orders. “I don’t want excuses. I don’t want arguments. I want men on the tarmacnow.” His voice was sharp, his cold gaze flicking between us before settling on his son. “Your sister is about to be dragged back to California, and if we don’t move fast, we lose her for good.”
“What happens if we don’t catch her before they leave?” Lucky glanced at me.
“You have to ask? He’s still breathin’ for a reason. He’s been hiding,” Lorenzo muttered.
Lucky clenched his jaw. “We don’t even know where they’re taking off from?—”
Mario cut in. “Yes, we do.” He pulled a phone from his pocket, reading something on the screen. “JP’s got a jet waiting at a private airstrip fifteen miles from here. Wheels up in less than an hour. We intercept him before then, or…” He didn’t finish his sentence.
Tension coiled inside me like cancer. I already knew what JPwas capable of, but something about the way Mario said it made my blood run colder.
Lucky rubbed a hand over his face with an exaggerated exhale.
“We’ve failed her enough,” Mario said. “I won’t do it again.”
None of us spoke for a second. Then I moved first. Their guilt riddling them with indecision. But me? I’d saved her once, and I’d do it again. And then, I’d end JP with a bullet between the eyes.
I stepped towards the car, yanking the driver’s side door open. “Let’s go.”
Matteo and Lorenzo slipped into the back seat without another word. Lucky hesitated for half a breath, then followed his family and men to their own cars.
We were out of time. And if JP thought he could put Octavia on a plane and vanish, he had another fucking thing coming. She was going to California.
With. Me.
The car raced through the night. The weight of what had just happened pressed down on all of us, but no one said a word while something close to guilt consumed me.
For not ending him sooner. For not claiming her sooner.
“So,” Matteo broke the silence. “Took you long enough.”
I didn’t respond. Just kept my grip tight on the wheel, my eyes locked on the road ahead.
“What happens when she doesn’t choose you? After everything she’s been through, she might want out. Freedom from you. Fromil famiglia.”
The words hit harder than I wanted to admit.
Before I could answer, Lorenzo let out a low whistle from where he was sitting in the back seat with his feet kicked up. “Damn, Carmine. Never thought I’d see the day. Big bad Ragetti reduced to a fucking chump.”
I gritted my teeth. “Shut the fuck up.”
He ignored me, stretching his arms behind his head. “Nah, I think I wanna bask in this for a second. You reallyarea dumb fuck, you know that?” He leaned forward, resting his arms on my seat. “You should’ve locked that shit down from the start. But no. Not Carmine Ragetti. You had to play your little games. Now she’s out there choosinganyone but you.”
“Lorenzo,” Matteo warned, and Lorenzo shrugged.
