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The slightest smile touched my lips at that. “Piccolo lupo.”
“You are a fighter, a survivor, a protector, a lover. You are the best of us, Vee. This will pass. This guilt you carry, the unease, you’ll understand it was the right thing.”
I didn’t know how to tell him that that wasn’t true. It’d take too long and words were not a gift right now. I wasn’t distraught because I’d killed him. He’d deserved it, and I knew that. What was devastating me was the fact that IknewI should feel a certain way, but in all honesty, I didn’t. I’d shot him to save those I loved. I may have taken a life, but I’d saved more.
I felt no guilt right now.
“How is she?”
I glanced up to see Zane and Kieran in the doorway, watching me carefully.
Zane had his shirt off, a bandage wrapped around his torso instead, and he’d changed his pants.
Kieran and Enzo had only had a few grazes, amazingly. How we’d all survived the gunfight was still difficult to comprehend.
“She’ll be okay. How’s Thomas?” Enzo asked as the pair of them strode in.
“He’s fine, needs some bedrest, but the doctor got him sorted. We’re going to be moving to another location, so it’s time for us to move,” Zane said.
“We’re giving the word that Thomas was killed in the gunfight. The Morettis have rounded up the last of their guys who went against the family, Dad is handling it all now. They won’t be a problem any longer,” Kieran added, and I sighed.
So they were declaring him dead in order to set him free. Perfect. He deserved that.
I, on the other hand, was not leaving this life now.
I knew it’d mean losing my men, and in that moment when I’d pulled the trigger, I knew what I was signing up for.
This life was going to be the life I lived now. Sure, I’d always have to be careful, but it’d be worth it.
Because these three brothers had become too important to me.
We were bound in spilled blood now.
31
VERONICA
Istood on the large back porch, staring across the vast estate of the main compound, a mansion set on a gorgeous estate with guards and all sorts of security measures in place.
“Need a breather?” Enzo asked as he stepped up beside me, offering me the glass of wine.
Anything to calm my nerves after that nightmare.
I nodded as I accepted the glass and took a hefty gulp. My throat protested, but I didn’t care. The painkillers were doing their job, and the wine would help.
“I imagine it would have made you rethink everything with us. I wouldn’t blame you,” he said as he leaned on the railing, gazing out across the darkened gardens. We’d gotten here and everything had been a flurry, with Thomas getting set up in a room to be stabilized and the guys barking orders over the phones.
I’d sat on the couch, processing everything as my body tried to ease itself from being high-strung and terrified.
I’d snuck outside after Kieran had started raising his voice over the phone, demanding the heads of those who still remained loyal to Matteo and Mario.
“No,” I whispered hoarsely, and Enzo turned to me, those dark eyes filled with confusion as he frowned.
“I killed to protect. It didn’t feel wrong,” I said carefully, my words croaky and painful.
Enzo stepped closer, wrapping one arm around me and pulling me close.
He didn’t say a word as he just held me, the cool night air sweeping over us with a promise of more to come. This life wouldn’t be easy, it’d be filled with more turmoil and heartache, but as long as we had one another, I knew we could face anything. We’d proved that today.
