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Elio was the reason Marcello picked her. He must’ve discovered what was going on between them and felt betrayed.
“You can’t kill her.”
I snap my eyes back to the door on the far side of the room. How many fucking people are going to come in here tonight?
“Without me, the real fucking war will start,” Alessia says as Angel and some man I don’t recognize draw closer.
Angel holsters his gun when he sees all the men dead. The other man seems a little more reluctant to stand down.
“She’s the only one,” Angel says to my brother, who glares at the newest intruder. “She didn’t take anything from you. The men that did are gone.”
His tone is fatherly, not something I expected from the onetime meeting with the guy.
My brother pulls the gun from her temple, taking a step back as he releases her.
I don’t take his retreat as a forfeit. My brother was always the one to think ten steps ahead. There’s still a very real chance that more gunfire will happen before the conclusion of all of this.
“Killing her ensures the fall of the entire family,” Elio argues, his finger still on the trigger of his gun despite holding it at his side.
“Without her, every other family will battle to take over the throne,” Angel says, and it makes sense.
The Severino family has led by fear and brutality for decades, generations. Others will be hungry for that power.
“No one will accept her position,” Elio says, needing any reason to end the bloodline tonight.
“They’ll have to,” Alessia says, turning to face my brother. “Changes are coming and they can get in line or they can be put down.”
I don’t know what Elio sees in her eyes, but he seems satisfied in her promise, calling a truce with one simple forward snap of his head.
Chapter 35
Hollis
Balls the size of Alaska, that’s what the woman has.
Alessia, the fucking sister I had no fucking clue about, nods her head, the challenge leaving Donavan’s eyes as she takes a step back, her eyes scanning the mess she made in the room, as if trying to calculate how many cleaning supplies she’s going to need to bring it back to its once pristine condition.
“You have half an hour to get the fuck out of my house,” she says before walking out of the room.
I feel locked in place. This entire night has been one fucking clusterfuck after the other.
“Elio!” Madelene cries, but the man just turns around and leaves the room as well.
I stole his vengeance from him by killing Marcello. His alternative was to kill Alessio, which Alessio’s sister took from him. The man may be happy about the men being dead, but he’s also probably feeling like he was just as helpless as I was to make tonight happen.
If I had to guess, Alessia Severino killed everyone but the guards we took out and the men Donavan took out in order to gain access to the house.
I stand and walk toward Mads when Angel’s phone rings.
His answer is stopped short.
“I didn’t kill her. Babe,” he growls, the pet name full of warning. “I swear to God…”
His voice fades as he too leaves the room.
I give Fox a wide birth, the crazy fucker looking more deranged at not having killed anyone yet.
It may take forever for me to understand the ins and outs of what happened here tonight, but I can’t concern myself with any of that shit right now.
I stop a few feet in front of her, holding my arms out, urging her to stand and come to me, but she seems lost, probably just as confused as I am right now.
“Mads,” I whisper, knowing there’s always a chance she won’t choose me.
“Hollis.” Her chin quivers, and fuck if I’m giving her a goddamned option.
I rush to her, dropping to my knees and wedging myself between her legs as I wrap my arms around her.
I don’t give a shit about the blood on her skin other than my hatred for the man it spewed from.
I find that sense of home, the one I haven’t felt since I was a young child before our worlds were turned upside down, when she lifts her arms and wraps them around me.
She’s crying, her trembles keeping me on edge as the wetness drips onto my skin where she has her face tucked firmly at my throat.
When she pulls her face back, I cup her jaw in both hands. I can’t let her get too far away from me.
I growl at the clap on my back, my adrenaline still running too high for anyone to think it’s okay to fucking touch me.
Angel doesn’t seem offended by the noise coming from my throat as I glare at him. I didn’t even notice the man come back into the room.
“Thank you,” Mads tells him.
