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“How do I know you won’t kill Aria?” I ask, trying to give myself time to think of a plan.
“Mancini wanted to take her himself. I heard his younger son, Romeo, is thrilled about breaking her in,” I’m told by Jay.
“Luca!” my sister screams.
“I’ll give you three seconds. Three...” Mancini counts with a leering grin that I can see from this far away.
In that second, I logically grasp the notion that I can’t save my sister. Even if I choose her, there is no guarantee they won’t kill her as soon as I leave this house. The thought is sickening, and I already feel like Nicoli Rossi wasted his time on me. I should be choosing my sister no matter what, yet I know I will pick Aly. I can guarantee her survival over Aria’s.
“Two...”
I already hate myself before I say the words out loud. My father deserves to kill me. I won’t even fight him on it.
“Aly,” I say, defeated, at the same time he ends his countdown.
“One.”
My sister screams before the phone turns black and gunshots spiral into the room where we’re standing. Aly is flung to me, and I push her to the ground. A bullet speeds past her and grazes my ear before another one hits me in the shoulder. Both bullets were for Aly and would have hit her if I didn’t move her. Falling to the ground, I cover her with my body while I respond with gunfire. I have no problem dying for her.
Bullets spray the room, hitting walls, pictures, furniture. I’m hidden by a small portion of a couch. More gunfire sprays the open space of the living room. I can’t place where the extra bullets are coming from, and neither can Scott nor Jay. They begin to fire randomly in the room, giving me time to focus my aim for each shot. The front door flies open, and Vinny steps in, looking terrifying as hell. He walks in, unafraid of the bullets flying throughout the room. He goes straight toward the guns firing back at him. With one bullet each, he ends their lives without any remorse.
“You okay, boss?”
Chapter 33
Luca
Alywigglesfromunderme, reminding me that my whole body is splayed over her, trying to protect her like a human shield. The shocked expression stays in her gray eyes as she stares back into mine.
“Luca,” she rasps, her hand going to my face. “I thought I would never see you again.”
Seeing her brings up a whirl of emotions—hate, love, relief, happiness, and anger. I give her a low grunt in response. I want to kiss her… and hate her.
“We need to get out of here,” Vinny says, cutting through any chance of us having a moment. Picking her up, I toss her over my shoulder. I can maneuver her better this way while I keep watching for anyone else who might pop up. She wiggles in my hold but never once asks to be let down. I puff my chest out, liking this agreeable side of her.
Stepping outside, I see one of my bodyguards is standing on alert between Vinny’s and my cars. I move Aly from my shoulder to cradling her as I place her in the back of the car on my lap.
“Compound, now!” I shout. “They’re going to kill Aria.”
Vinny stomps the gas, and we race toward my home. As each second ticks by, I start to feel helpless. We’re too far away to save her. I try calling my father, but he doesn’t answer. Each and every person I try, there is no getting through. I start to prepare myself for the worst. They could all be dead. From the phone screen earlier, I counted ten bodies.
My leg taps in a steady rhythm. I’m not used to having to wait for anything. I glance over Vinny’s shoulder to make sure he’s driving as fast as he can. I should have taken the wheel, but then Aly would have been by herself back here. Nothing I have done will fix everything that needs to be. I can feel a headache starting to push its way behind my eyes. I hold Aly in my lap, never expecting I would be able to do this again. My head stays straight toward the front window, even when I hear her start to talk.
“Luca, I’m so sor—”
I cut her off, “Not right now.” I refuse to let her in. If I see her face, I’ll cave. I already can’t stop holding her.
She recoils like I’ve slapped her and tries to move, but I keep her in place. I need to hold her to prove to myself that this is real. To give me one last memory of what we could have been.
I don’t want to go back to our wedding reception night feelings, not ready to hear she no longer or never has loved me. With my sister on the edge of being killed, I can’t deal with that too. It would break me. Never in my life have I thought I could be broken. But I never knew love as I do now. I never knew the true meaning of family until it could all be taken away. Coming to the compound, I see red and blue lights fill the area.
I curse under my breath.
“What should we do?” Vinny asks.
“Drive in.” I won’t be scared away from my home.
Lowering our speed to a crawling pace, we pass a bunch of parked cop cars. I watch as Mancini is placed into a cruiser, his arm bandaged, but no serious wounds.
