Page 2 of The Mafia's Omega Queen

Haylee’s blood continues to seep through my fingers, but no matter how much pressure I apply, it refuses to stop. How the hell did things spiral so far out of control to wind up like this?

This can’t be the end of her story. Their story.

No one will survive if she dies.

People scream and jump out of the way as I hop the curb, driving erratically down the sidewalk of the busiest street in New York City. Traffic is backed up for miles, but that won’t stop me from getting to my little killer. Gavin sits in the passenger seat, clutching the ‘oh shit’ handle but wisely keeps his thoughts on my driving to himself.

Ten minutes ago, we received a panicked call from Arden telling us we needed to get back to the estate. Haylee is hurt, and there’s a chance she may not make it. Gavin and I were in the middle of interrogating a fucker in the basement of a closed club, but the second I hung up, I put a bullet between the traitor’s eyes, and we stormed out of there.

The moment we hit a clear intersection, I grab the handbrake and pull it up as I twist the steering wheel to the left, drifting across the lanes. An embarrassingly girly screech comes from my right, and I snort a laugh but refuse to acknowledge it any further. Pussy. Straightening the wheel, I drop the brake and slam the gas pedal, flying through the street with one destination in mind. My omega. At this rate, we may just make it in record time.

The gate surrounding the estate comes into view, and one of our security guys steps out of the booth and raises his hand, alerting me to stop. Not happening. I press the accelerator to the floor, the deep growl of my engine all the warning he’s going to get that I’m not stopping. Even from inside my car, I can see the guard pale as he recognizes my vehicle, and he frantically stumbles back into the main building. The gate splits down the middle, slowly opening to let us through. Shit. It’s going to be tight.

Gavin’s breathing speeds up on my right, the most he’s done besides squealing at my driving since we left the nightclub. There haven’t been words to be spoken since we got the call. Both of our minds are on the little blimp of an omega who stole our hearts. I clench my jaw in anger as we barely squeeze between the break in the gate by the skin of our teeth. Two other vehicles are pulled up haphazardly near the stairs leading to the main entrance. The second we pull up next to Vinny’s vehicle, I throw my car in park, the grinding of gears loud in my ears, and we throw the doors open and take off in a run for the front door.

The sight that greets my eyes is not one I ever wanted to see in my life. While I love a bloody macabre any other time, this one makes me sick to my stomach. Gavin stumbles, falling to his knees next to me as he starts to hyperventilate. “No, not again,” he cries as he breathes erratically, his hands balled in fists on his lap.

Doc is directing Arden on things that need to be done to save our girl, and most surprisingly, Vinny has lost his suit jack, passing things to the both of them as they call out what they need. The flurry of movement between the three of them makes it difficult to see the state Haylee is in, but if they are trying, it means we haven’t lost her yet. I step forward, catching sight of Andre sitting on the stairs, covered up to his elbows in red as he forks his bloody hands through his gray hair, watching on precariously. The poor old man was the one who found her, from what Arden said. We weren’t able to glean too much information from him during the call, but you can bet your ass I’m going to find out just who is responsible for putting my little killer in this state, and that person is going to be a lot worse off by the time I’m done with them.

Only one person comes to mind, though. And if I’m right, I’ll make the bitch wish she was swallowed instead of born.

Doc’s voice just barely drowns out Gavin’s sobbing from behind me, but I’m able to make out his request. “Someone needs to get the gurney from the medical room. Now. She needs surgery, and I can’t do it here.”

“On it,” I call out, bolting down the hallway, finally breaking out of my stupor and doing something to help. I’ve never felt so damn helpless in a situation before. The only things I’m good at are torturing and maiming. And loving my omega, of course. But I haven’t even gotten the chance to tell her that I love her to her face. And I do, with every blackened piece of my soul. The one and only time I’ve said it, it was a whispered confession as she slept. But now, we’re all experiencing what Gavin did when he lost his first mate. And the poor guy is living it again. Haylee and I may not have solidified our bond yet, but I can feel my heart cracking down the center, ready to disintegrate into ash if she doesn’t come back to us.

If my omega breathes her last breath, I will tear the world apart until nothing more exists, then I will join her in the afterlife. This life isn’t worth living if she isn’t by my side.

The wheels of the gurney glide smoothly over the marble flooring as I run it back into the foyer. Doc breathes a sigh of relief the moment he sees me and starts throwing everything back into his bag as I pull to a stop next to them. “Alright, this is going to take everyone’s help to get her on it without causing extra trauma. And I can only have one person in the room with me during surgery. So figure out who the fuck it’s going to be, and let’s do this.”

Andre jumps up from the bottom stair and takes a spot next to Arden as I move closer, finally getting my first look at my girl. A trembling growl rips through my chest as my eyes snap back and forth, cataloging every injury inflicted on her skin. I lock them away in my mind, knowing the bitch is going to get this back tenfold. Vinny steps up next to me, raising a brow as he silently communicates for me to get my shit together. Easy for that fucker to say he hasn’t believed Haylee’s innocence in anything that’s happened since the moment she was carried into the Andoneli Estate.

“Gavin,” Doc snaps, garnering his attention for the first time since we walked into the house. “As soon as we lift her, you need to get the gurney under her body and hold it steady as we lay her down.” He shakes his head adamantly from the same position he’s been in since we arrived. “Gods dammit. Get your shit together. She’s going to fucking die if you don’t get off your ass and get the fucking gurney under her!” Doc roars.

We all silently gape at Doc. This is the first time he’s ever really asserted any type of dominance in our presence, but it’s accomplished what we needed. Gavin stumbles to his feet and rushes to the medical bed as tears continue to stream down his face. The poor kid won’t survive this time if we lose her. That just means we need to do everything we can to save her.

“Alright, everyone, we do this together on three. I’ll hold her neck, Hunter, you need to cushion that arm, and Vinny, that means you need to take the weight on that side. Arden and Andre, level out your side the best you can but don’t jostle her too much. We don’t need the packing to come out until we can get her in the medical room. Ready? One. Two. Three.”

As a team, we lift Haylee’s lifeless body from the unforgiving ground, using special care not to inflict more damage on her vulnerable form. She remains limp in our grasp as Gavin moves the gurney beneath her, a sob breaking from his chest when she doesn’t protest the movement. Collectively, we lower her to the bed slowly, and the moment she’s laid down, Doc shouts, “Move!”

Gavin staggers out of the way, and Doc breaks out in a sprint, carrying our heart down the hallway toward the medical room. Blood streaks down the hall from the wheels of the gurney, the deep red color contrasting against the white marble. No one makes a move to follow, all too stunned at the brutal violence that occurred while we were gone.

Andre is the first to move, and he stops at the mouth of the hallway, glancing back at us over his shoulder with sorrow shining in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I should have protected her better,” he murmurs, his voice catching on the word her. “But I think she knew that, and that’s why she took me out first. It won’t happen again.” He breaks eye contact and hangs his head as he disappears down the hall.

“Fuck!” Vinny bellows, striding over to the nearest wall and putting his fist through it. The plaster breaks under the force of his blow, sending dust floating through the air. “Where the fuck was everyone?” he growls, spinning around to face us.

My body trembles as fury burns through my veins at how Vinny is acting. That motherfucker acts like he fucking gives two shits about her well-being. He never fucking cared before, so why now? The more shit that spews out of his mouth, the hotter the fire scorching through me gets.

An internal switch flips, and I can’t hold myself back any longer. Refuse to hold myself back. He deserves everything that’s coming at him and more. I fly across the foyer, dropping low and slamming my shoulder straight into Vinny’s midsection, knocking the breath from his lungs. The already damaged wall gives way as our bodies smash through it like it never existed in the first place and into a small closet, this one housing most of Andre’s cleaning supplies. The shelving carrying numerous products stops our trajectory, Vinny groaning as his spine connects with the unforgiving metal railings.

“This.” Punch. “Is.” Punch. “Your.” Punch. “Fault.” Punch. My multi-colored tattooed hands wrap around the smooth skin of his throat, watching in glee as his breathing speeds up and a shot of fear registers in his senses. “If you would have listened in the first fucking place, this wouldn’t have happened!” I roar, punctuating each word by slamming him harder and harder into the shelf. “If she dies, I’ll fucking kill you. Family or not. I don’t give a fuck. And don’t go thinking about calling your little skank of a girlfriend. She’s been trying to get in my pants since you two got together, and she’s just earned herself a one-way ticket to the whole intimate experience of my lair.”

“I plan to kill the bitch myself,” Vinny grits out through ragged breaths, pain flashing in his eyes the tighter my grip gets.

A mocking laugh spills from between my lips, the sound far deadlier than humorous. “Like I’m going to believe a fucking thing that comes out of your mouth when it comes to that bitch. We’ve told you numerous times about the shit she’s been pulling since you started dating her, yet you haven’t heeded a word we’ve said.” Feeling eyes drilling into my back, I know Arden is right behind us, listening to every word. Time to throw the final blow that will ruin everything he’s been working for. “After all, you’ve only been keeping her around and planning to mate her so you don’t lose the Andoneli family to Arden, am I right? What was it Big A said?” I remove a hand from his throat and tap my lips in thought. “Oh, oh, that’s right! If you don’t find a mate to love by your birthday coming up, the ownership of the family changes to your cousin.”

His eyes snap to mine, fear flashing in his gaze. Vinny spent his entire life being trained for his role as the head of the family, and he’s in jeopardy of losing that. And to his cousin, no less.

“How the fuck do you know about that?” Vinny mutters on a gasp as I replace my hold on his throat with both hands.

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