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I tie the two shirts together, trying to put as much pressure as possible on my wound. It hasn’t hit anything major or I would have died on the way here. This is either impressive or ridiculously stupid. I still haven’t made up my mind on which one.
I take my place down from where I once sat, not willing to die now that I have made it this far. Hugo sits where my father used to command these meetings.
“The Rossis have upped their security. They’re using the man once known as Theo Fox,” Hugo’s top security informs everyone. “They’re planning on doing a sweep of our homes, looking for Gia Rossi.”
“Whatever happened to her?” I ask, eyeing the room to see if anyone knows the truth.
“I heard it was Alfonso, her fiancé, who killed her and is now trying to frame us,” one of the underbosses states.
Interesting. Coy hasn’t let this bit of information slip out.
“Why didn’t we ambush them at Nicoli’s daughter’s funeral?” someone questions.
“We should offer to help search for her,” I suggest, my words strained. The room goes silent. “Hear me out. We need to get close to them to truly learn their weakness. We have been fighting them for over two decades. It’s time to finish the fight and come out on top.”
“And if we have the girl?” Coy asks me, feigning innocence.
“We suggest it was the Irish or the Russians. Blame them.” I stare him in the eyes, refusing to back down.
Hugo clears his throat. “We find the girl before Nicoli, then make it look like the Russians killed her.” His statement becomes law in a matter of seconds as everyone around the table agrees. My gut twists, knowing I intentionally put Gia’s life at risk. I shouldn’t care, but there’s something about the girl. I wait for Coy to call me out and for everyone to get in their car for a witch hunt, but it never comes.
The meeting ends, and I can feel an unhealthy cold sweat form on my brow. I do my best to stand tall, but it feels like the ground is tilted, and I can’t help but stumble.
“Use this car until you replace your other one.” Coy tosses me the keys to the shitty car we arrived in. He knew the whole time he was going to give me the car. That’s why he let me bleed all over it. Fucker.
I toss myself into the driver seat. My eyes are getting heavy, and I flash between hot and cold.
When the farmhouse comes into view, all I can manage is to lie on the horn. My body is lifted, and I can hear Gia and Max’s voices. Then I can smell and feel her. It’s like her hands are all over me. Her delicate fingers feather over my torso and forehead.
With all my might, I try to open my eyes. My vision is blurred with each attempt. I can see her outline, but the details are all fuzzy. There’s a sting that is hardly felt between my hot and cold flashes before darkness takes over my vision. I’m in and out of consciousness. The only thing that wakes me up is her honey-like voice.
