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“I never did teach you any real skills,” Jonny says right in my face.
Jonny hits me there with the blunt end of his gun. My cheek swells with hotness and radiates pain, coursing down my body. It shoots up my arm as I’m pulled tighter.
I scream again, tears fresh in my eyes. Jonny raises his arm to hit me once again, and the door bursts open once more. I expect to see Coy wanting his revenge on me, but it’s Luca. He’s holding his side, with blood seeping through his clothes.
His eyes are full of rage I have never seen before. He charges Jonny, and my brother shoots. The shot misses, skimming Luca’s arm. It must sting, but I don’t see any blood—at least not yet.
My leg kicks up behind me, having the element of surprise, and my heel goes up hard. Luca shoots the man holding me point-blank. Blood splatters on me, and my body freezes. I tell myself to run, to do something, but I can’t.
“Aly.” Luca’s voice has my eyes going to him and Jonny. They’re fighting, and Jonny’s gun falls to the floor. Luca hits him twice, square in the nose, and then Jonny pokes his fingers into his side. Luca cries out in pain, giving Jonny the upper hand. Now he has Luca pinned. Scrambling to get the gun, I hold it in my hands. Jonny is choking Luca, his face going from red to purple. Luca is trying to say something, but it comes out garbled with his throat being closed.
Raising the gun, I breathe and focus as Luca taught me. Jonny keeps squeezing, unafraid that I’m holding a loaded gun. Holding my breath, I pull the trigger with all my might.
Chapter 22
Luca
IwatchAlybringthe gun up. She stands tall above the two of us, her hand mirroring the way we both scramble on the floor, hoping to get the upper hand. She never leaves my sight as I fight off Jonny. It gives him the advantage for now. Her arm is unsteady, her eyes unfocused, going back and forth between us. I watch her blow out her breath and do as I taught her. Her trembling slows but doesn’t stop; she closes her eyes, making me say a quick prayer that she is still able to shoot under pressure. Her finger closes in on the trigger, testing the shot, but it takes three times before she pulls with enough force. Her forehead pinches the moment she decides, her eyes opening, and I squeeze mine shut, going limp under Jonny. With her trembling, I can’t tell where the bullet will be flying.
When its sound booms in the room, I’m able to kick Jonny off before I’m able to realize it never hit me. Jonny reaches for his thigh, cursing at her. Taking my knife out, I hold it up to his throat. I hesitate, waiting for Aly to tell me no. The realization that I’m waiting on her makes me feel spineless, like I’ve lost my edge. I would have never given anyone that type of power over me before. When she doesn’t say a word, I save both our lives by slitting his throat. I allow him to fall to the ground with a thud, and I step over him to grab my girl. I hold onto her arm, pulling her with me.
I usher her down the stairs, her tiny frame shaking. I have Vinny waiting for us. The leather seats are cold as I slide the two of us into the car before he rips out. The night is dim with a few streetlights around, the air pinching our skin with its crispness. My hand never leaves Aly, her frame shaking violently. I allow myself to stew, my internal emotions raging from all the errors tonight. We look sloppy, inexperienced, and incapable. My fingers coil into my palm and out, thinking how much Pauly’s error will cost him. There was no reason for her to be lost and allowed to run away. I trusted my cousin with her life, which means more than mine at the moment. Frustrated that we had security outside and we were still blindsided, I run my hand through my hair. Shit like that can’t happen.
If Mancini thinks his daughter is dead, he’ll be storming our compound. Him believing that his two children are dead will cause him to react immediately and not hold anything back. Before tonight, I still felt like Aly would be safe with her family if something happened. But now, it’s clear she is safest with me.
Jonny dead in her apartment is not good. I don’t have time to call in a cleaning crew. Aly will be blamed for killing him, and blood will be spilled to avenge him.
I hold her tight, her body vibrating into mine.
“Where are we headed?” I ask Vinny. We’re going in the opposite direction of the compound.
“The safe house. You need someone to take care of that open wound you have going on there. And I can’t promise the compound is safe yet.”
I use my free hand to push on my stomach. I’m drenched in blood. I hadn’t had time to register that the blood on me was mine. I’m more lightheaded than I would like. Vinny pointing out my wound makes my body realize I’m hurt. The radiating, scorching burn begins to move outward, making its presence known to me. I keep my hand on it, trying to stop the bleeding, all while never dropping my hold on Aly. I’m not worried about myself; all that matters is her.
When we stop, Vinny tries to help, but I shoulder him away. “Help her,” I grunt out. Any movement now hurts like a bitch. It feels like there is a fire in my stomach. I’m slow and need to grab hold of the railing to climb up the two stairs.
The door opens, and out walks the doctor. He reminds me of a skinny Santa Claus, with his white, long hair that matches his full beard. He’s a hermit, and we allow him to stay in our safe house. He helps me inside, placing me in his examination chair. I close my eyes, nervous I might pass out from the blood loss.
The doctor turns on the light; it’s blinding, forcing me to squeeze my eyes tighter. My shirt is being cut off my body. There is pressure on my side, and I want to scream out in pain, but I hold it in. I might have moaned, but I can’t be too sure. With each cleaning swipe and each poke of the needle, the pain intensifies as I get stitched up. Time fades in and out as I focus on each feeling I have.
Aly
I’mplacedinadim room with a cup of warm tea in my hand. I can see where Luca was taken, the bright light seeping into my area. He’s in there for a long time. I start to get worried that he may not make it. I never did check to see how badly he was hurt. It concerns me that he doesn’t make any sounds. I can hear the doctor and Vinny talking, but their voices are too muffled to hear what they are saying.
If Luca didn’t find me, I would be dead right now. I owe him my life. My body still has a slight tremble to it, but for the most part, I’m able to control it a lot better.
My legs are curled up in the chair they sat me in, my eyes never leaving the door as I wait. I could run and leave, but I don’t have the energy. If I’m being honest with myself, I also don’t want to. I need to see if Luca is okay. He deserves that type of respect.
Eventually, I watch Vinny and the older man bring Luca out. He’s half unconscious, his feet barely moving as they carry his weight across the room to the other doorway. I can hear the creak of the bedframe as they lay him down. I’m forgotten in the other room as if I don’t exist. The two men come out, talking to each other in front of me, never sparing me a glance.
“I’m going to head out for the night,” the doctor says. “I’ll be back to check on him later.”
The other man nods, shaking his hand. “I’ll be staying to make sure we get no trouble here.”
The two men walk out the door together, leaving me by myself.
Standing up, my legs are stiff from being tucked in. I walk to Luca. His eyes are closed, his breathing shallow. He’s shirtless, and even relaxed, there is a valley of muscles along his torso. Taking off my now dried bloody clothes, I slip into bed with Luca. I curl up to him, his heat radiating back to me. Carefully, afraid I might hurt him, I place my head on his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart. It lulls me to sleep.
