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I rub my hand over my face as if I can scrub away the dirtiness of this life. But of course I cannot. I need to focus. I need to figure out how to manage this fucking debacle. I need to find out if my brother is still alive. My aunt. My cousin.
Fuck.
Rossi will pay for this.
The sound of shots rings out behind me, and I whirl, instinctively raising my gun. But I don’t need to use it. The five men who worked for Rossi are no more. One of Danelli’s men has finished the job I should have done.
The job I couldn’t do when I saw the censure in Bianca’s expression.
I look over his shoulder toward Danelli who meets my gaze squarely, but there are questions in his shadowed face. Questions I cannot answer at this time.
Why did I not shoot them dead already? Why am I standing here, seemingly at a loss, instead of taking control as I normally do, in any situation, no matter how dire? Why am I hesitating when I should be the most decisive I have ever been in my life?
Why is my mind on Bianca, when it should be firmly fixed on the business at hand?
Even if Danelli voices none of his concerns in front of everyone else, I sense his doubt. I feel it within myself.
My family was attacked, on more than one front. Some of them may even now be dead or dying.
And it will be up to me to avenge them.
Rossi will discover that this war between us, that he no doubt thought would be finished today, has only just begun.
And it is now kill or be killed, because if not, Bianca and my child could be caught in the cross fire.
27
“If you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
Friedrich Nietzsche
Bianca
By the timeI arrive at the marina with Matteo, and we go through the rigmarole of checking for danger before he hustles me on board, my brain is working again. Sort of.
Though my nerves are shot and my hands won’t stop shaking.
Rio called this his boat, but it’s more like a fancy super-yacht than a boat. At least, to my non-boating mind.
I follow Matteo downstairs, below deck I guess it’s called, and he shows me to a private cabin area that contains both a bedroom and a living area.
“Wait here in the saloon for Rio. Make yourself at home, Mrs. Agosti. There are drinks at the bar if you need it.” He indicates a button on the wall near the door. “Press that if you need anything at all. The only people aboard are Rio’s most trusted staff.”
“All right.” I wrap my arms around my middle. “Thank you, Matteo.”
He turns to leave, but I call him back. “Can you please let me know if you hear anything about those at the estate? Especially, well…Francine?”
He studies me silently for a moment, then nods. “If I’m allowed, then yes. I will let you know.”
If he’s allowed? I guess working for Rio means no one does anything without the Boss’s permission.
“That’s fair enough. Thank you. And please, call me Bianca in the future.”
He inclines his head, and this time I let him leave, and then I sink onto one of the lounge chairs and lean over my knees, fighting the urge to throw up.
Every time I close my eyes, I see death. Bits of brain matter flying everywhere. Bone fragments. Blood. So much blood.
So instead, I keep my eyes open, blinking as little as possible, and stare at the carpet beneath my feet. Luxurious pile. Looks soft. I slide my heels off and test it out, wriggling my toes. It is as soft as it looks.
