Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 76934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
“I was already planning on it.”
“But I need to know what happened.”
Alara and I both launched into it then, filling in the gaps for each other as more and more Costa men filed into the apartment.
“Where’s the drive?” Lorenzo asked when we were done.
“I still have it. Stupid fucks didn’t see it sticking out of my damn laptop,” Zeno said, shrugging, as a man who had to be his brother grabbed his chin and turned his head to check out his steadily darkening black eye.
“Okay. I’m gonna need to get Silvano in here. And we all know how that’s gonna go. So let’s start clearing out. Not you,” he said to Zeno. “Nero is parked outside with my car. Take it to go see Salvatore.”
With that, we were dismissed.
Stuffed in the back of the town car, the whole night came back to me in flashes.
And I knew two things.
I would absolutely do it again if I needed to, no matter what my uncle thought.
And I wanted to go into the family business.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Christopher
It would forever go down in history as the night that all hell broke loose.
Charlotte getting sick was bad enough.
Then the hospital visit, where she cried about having to get stuck for the IV and looked sweaty and red in the hospital bed until, finally, the fluids, meds, and cooling blankets did their job.
I was sure that was it.
That we would go home and bunker down for a few days.
Then the call.
I’d never forget the sound of Liam’s voice as long as I lived.
It was a mix of scared, commanding, and determined all at once.
Then the sound of the gun racking.
That shit sent a chill down my spine.
I alternated between trying to call him and getting through to Brio.
By the time the cab pulled up by their house, they were already outside and ready to take her. I saw the conflict on Brio’s face, knowing he wanted to come with me, wanted to save Alara. And Liam. But he knew I needed him to keep Charlotte safe. And that he was the one I trusted with the job the most.
Everything was a blur after that until I ran into that apartment and my nephew aimed a gun at me, a steady, cool look in his eye. Like if it hadn’t been me, he would have done what he needed to do.
I didn’t know where to look then, my gaze flicking between my nephew and Alara so fast, I almost felt dizzy.
They were both hurt.
The bruises blooming across Alara’s throat made my chest constrict, knowing how hard she had to be choked to leave them there.
But it was Liam who looked the worst.
He was bruised, bloody, his body hinged to the side like his ribs were bruised or busted.
Alive, though.
That was what mattered.
Everything else could be fixed.
And that was what we were doing at Salvatore’s again.
“Go with Liam,” Alara demanded when Salvatore and Venezio each stood next to open exam room doors.
She disappeared into the room with Venezio. And it was only then that I realized she was dragging her foot behind her.
Fuck.
“You should be with Alara,” Liam said as Salvatore grabbed his chin and moved it side to side, then pulled down his lip to check his teeth.
“I’m right where I need to be,” I assured him. Even if a part of me was in that room with Alara too.
“Teeth seem fine,” Salvatore said, trying to rock them with his finger. “But you tore the fuck out of your inner lip. That’s gonna suck for a while.”
I reached out, grabbing Liam’s shoulder and giving it a squeeze. He was playing it tough, but I knew he had to be hurting.
Salvatore took his time checking Liam’s vitals, his pupil response, poking around the bones in his face to make sure nothing was broken. Then he asked Liam to stand and pulled up his shirt.
“Christ,” I hissed, seeing the red and blue smattering the skin already.
“Looks worse than it feels,” Liam said, wincing as Salvatore pressed his ribs.
“Bullshit,” I said. “But I appreciate your trying to lie.”
Salvatore went through the questions then, asking about his breathing, heaviness in his chest, then about dizziness, double vision, covering all his bases for busted ribs and a concussion.
“I want to scan the ribs,” Salvatore said. “But I’m pretty confident they’re just bruised. Hard. I’m sure he has a concussion, but he seems stable. And you know what to look out for with that.”
“I do,” I said, nodding.
“I’m fine. Go check on Alara,” Liam demanded.
“Go on,” Salvatore encouraged. “I gotta clean his lip and decide if he needs stitches. Any idea when he had a tetanus booster?”
“Um, when he was eleven or twelve.”
“Should be fine then. Go on. He’s fine.”
Liam gave me a nod, and I moved into the hall just as Venezio was wheeling a very unhappy-looking Alara from the back room.