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“That’s probably a better question for your guy here. He is your guy, yeah?” Max asks, a smile lifting his lips.
Rocco grunts and groans with each step. “Isn’t it obvious I am? I mean, she fucking shot me today. First time we met, she put me in a chokehold. That’s progress, don’t you think? Natural progression and shit. At this rate, you’ll be at my funeral next.”
I look around at the bodies sprawled on the floor. Men who were supporting the fuckers who took Mom and Lili. Did they even know why they were here? Did they care? Or was it just about collecting the money?
“It’s over, Kat,” Rocco whispers, almost as if he can see the wheels turning in my mind. “It’s finally over.”
I nod. It is. Kind of. But there’s one more loose end I need to tie up before I can really go on with my life. I have to hear it from Papa. Speaking of…
“Where’s Papa?”
“Nico has him in a car up to Hoboken right now to see the Doc. That’s where we’re going. One of the guys from the Sardisco family was in the area and picked them up before the cops showed up.”
“Why didn’t he take his own car?” I furrow my brow.
“He gave his car to Sammy so he could get Lindy outta here. They grabbed her this morning. I’m gonna have a lot of shit to explain to her later.”
I gasp. Lindy. “Oh my God, that poor thing. She must have been out of her mind. Jesus, this could have gone so bad, so fast.”
“But it didn’t,” Rocco murmurs as Max hoists him up again, carrying him out of Red Square.
“Kat, where’s his car?” Max huffs. “This guy is heavy, and I’m gonna collapse if I have to carry him much farther.”
“Always so tough until you need to put the work in,” Rocco jokes.
“I need a fucking hand truck,” Max moans.
“I parked right around this corner.” My throat tightens. “With Alexi. Before Remy showed up and shot Nico right...there.” I shake my head. “I still don’t understand how—”
“Body armor.” Max peeks his head over and winks at me. “He’s the only one who wears it, though. You know, being the boss and all. I prefer to let my skills protect me,” Max snickers as I unlock the doors with the key fob. He opens the back door and we slide Rocco into the backseat. I sit on one end of the seat with his head in my lap.
He looks at me, a pained look on his face. “It’s gonna take me forever to get this blood cleaned up.”
I smooth his hair back. “It’s just a car. If I were you, I’d be happy that you’re still alive to drive it.”
Sirens blare from around the corner and squad cars zoom past us, surrounding Red Square. Max starts the car, waits for a beat, and then guns the engine. He stomps on the gas, blowing past the cars to get to the West Side Highway, and second by second, we get farther and farther away from my perpetual nightmare…the one it took me eight years to wake up from.
We escaped.
This time, and every time before it.
Trust, loyalty, family.
I’ve lamented the loss of it for so long, I never really took the time to notice it staring me in the face.
These guys would die for me. They’d do anything to protect me because they take care of their own, and I’m one of them. They’ve proven it again and again.
And I’d do the same for them.
Always.
It takes about twenty minutes to get to the Doc’s place in Hoboken with the way Max drives. He pulls around the building and drives into the basement where we can use a private elevator without being seen by any nosy neighbors.
There are several drops of blood spotting the pavement, leading us to the elevator doors, and I know Papa is already here. I swallow hard. He’s in great physical shape and can withstand a lot of trauma to the body, but they really went to work on him. God only knows what kind of damage they did.
Rocco hands me his phone when Max opens the back door. “Do me a favor and call my parents. Lindy is flipping the fuck out. She’s texted me about fifty times in the past hour.”
I lean down to graze his lips with mine. “Okay,” I whisper. “I’ll tell them you were a total hero who saved my life.”
