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“’Bastian?” she whispered, fear seizing her, nearly stealing her breath.
“He’s in recovery,” he growled, his gaze on Gia as she continued to lie on the floor. “He’s going to make it.”
Bending, bracing her hands on her knees, Alyssa drew in a hard breath, fighting the weakness threatening to overcome her.
“What’s going on, Gia?” Falcone asked her, his tone like chipped ice, sharp, incredibly cold.
Gia turned her face to the side, staring away from them.
“I trusted you.” Falcone’s voice was low, and as cold as it was, the betrayal in his gaze was just as hot. “You could have come to me, Gia.”
Gia shook her head.
“Why didn’t you come to me?” his voice rose, cracking like a whip in the stillness in the room.
“Why would I?” she sneered, her gaze moving to Summer, hatred spilling from it, spitting back at the other woman. “You keep your nose so far up that little cunt’s ass you don’t know if you’re coming or going.”
Alyssa watched Summer, saw the backward step she made, the shock on her face as she stared at the woman she had believed was her friend.
“Summer?” Falcone snapped. “What does she have to do with this?”
“Everything and nothing.” Gia laughed even as tears ran from the corners of her eyes. “She’s one of those little bitches you love yet you hate. Like a two-year-old without the ability to grow up? So everyone fawns over her. How pretty she is. How sweet she is. And that stupid accent of hers. She sounds like she has a mouth full of fucking chewing tobacco all the time!” she screamed the last words.
“This has nothing to do with Summer!” Falcone yelled back at her.
“She’s why I couldn’t come to you.” Gia came to her feet in a surge of fury and honed instincts.
And in her hand she carried a smaller, though just as deadly, weapon she’d pulled from her ankle.
Falcone simply stared at it as Gia pointed it at his chest.
“Kevin Barkley is your brother, and you again helped him attempt to kill Alyssa,” Falcone stated softly. “I received the proof of your relationship not twenty minutes ago. You’ve had plenty of time to come to me rather than turning this on Alyssa or Summer. You want to blame others for your own mistakes,” he stated icily. “All you had to do was come to me.”
“And betray my brother,” she sneered. “The funny part is, I would have,” she whispered. “I was going to. When I heard you tell her to shadow me. To watch me, Falcone? You didn’t trust me, but you trusted her?”
“I was worried,” he breathed out, incredulous disbelief filling the sound. “I was worried about you. She was to watch after you, not watch you,” he explained, disgust filling his expression. “Such guilt, Gia. You carry such guilt you must suspect everything and everyone. I should have known months ago what you were doing. I should have known when Summer nearly died in Russia.”
Gia slid a slow, mocking look to where Summer stood still and silent. “Yes, you should have,” she said softly. “I would have let her die.” She gave Alyssa a look filled with malicious cruelty. “Like I let Kevin poison that fucking brat of yours. I knew what he was doing and I didn’t stop him. I didn’t even try because I knew if you had that kid there would have been no keeping Sebastian and Shane away from you. And Harvey would have gone ballistic. Kevin wouldn’t have survived that.”
Alyssa lost the strength in her legs, agony piercing her with such force she nearly cried out.
Her gaze moved back to Falcone. “Good-bye, Falcone. It’s been fun.”
There was no stopping her. The gun came up so quickly, her finger tightening on the trigger. The shot that exploded through the Chapel threw Gia back, shock widening her eyes as her gaze locked to Summer.
Summer was crying. She still held her weapon in her hand, but tears ran down her cheeks as she slowly lowered her arm and dropped the gun to the floor.
“Like I didn’t know how you hated me anyway,” she said softly, but the sound of her voice was that of betrayal. “But that’s for killing that sweet little baby. For breaking all our hearts, Gia.”
“Get them out of here, Shane, now,” Falcone ordered him. “I’ll handle this.”
“Falcone—”
“Go!” he snapped. “Get them out of here. Security will be here in seconds.”
Grabbing Alyssa’s arm and striding to Summer, Shane gripped hers as Falcone scooped her weapon from the floor. Shane was rushing them through a side door as security rushed into the Chapel entrance.
It was over, but the pain and betrayal left behind wouldn’t be easily forgotten, Alyssa knew. It would be impossible to forget. Especially for Summer and Falcone.
