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“No!” I cry, and Nico looks at me, his eyes as black as black. “She has to live.”
“Why?”
Jules is lying on the ground, wounded but not in enough pain that she can’t flash me an evil smile that says, I know you won’t let them kill me because somewhere deep down you still care for me.
“Because she has my money.” My eyes lock on hers. “When I get it back, then you can kill her.”
Her grin fades.
I turn to Massimo and help him into a seated position.
“Let me see how bad the wound is.”
He tries to get up, but his feet slide against the gazebo floor, and I have to help him over to the barbecue table.
I open his shirt and frown when I see the bullet wound to his shoulder. Blood spills down, covering the tattoos on his chest.
“It’s just a flesh wound,” he says, downplaying it. Because it’s not a flesh wound at all. The bullet has lodged in his shoulder.
“Nice shot,” I say, inspecting the wound. “Shooting her in the arm so she’d drop the gun.”
“Not really. I was aiming for her head.”
I feel the searing heat of his eyes on my face, but I can’t look at him.
“I meant what I said back at the cabin,” he says. “I’m in love with you.”
“Don’t,” I warn.
“But it’s true, Bianca. I’m so in love with you that nothing else even matters anymore.”
“And I’m not opposed to jamming my finger in that wound to make you shut up.”
I still can’t make eye contact, and instead, I keep studying his wound. Although I’m not even sure what to do with it.
“Do you love me?” His voice is rough.
So rough it makes me finally look at him.
And just like I thought it would, it hurts. “How can you even ask me that right now?”
“Because I think you need to know that now more than ever. If we’re to get past this, then you need to know if you love me or not.”
“Get past this? You didn’t steal my lunch out of the fridge or wreck my car, Massimo. You had someone ruin my life.”
“Yes, I had Harrison take your money. But it was only supposed to be for a couple of weeks. Enough time to for you to reach out to your allies. By the time you arrived at Lair asking me for help, your money should have been returned weeks earlier.”
“But it wasn’t, was it? Because Jules got her hands on Harrison and convinced him to double-cross you.”
“And she will pay for it,” he growls.
“In prison,” I tell him.
I’m vaguely aware of Nico making phone calls behind us.
“Can we at least talk about everything before you make your mind up about me?” he asks.
“You need to get to the hospital.”
“I won’t be going to the hospital as much as she won’t be going to jail.”
“What do you mean?” I ask alarmed. “You need medical attention, and she needs to be locked in a cell for the rest of her sorry life.”
“In a few minutes, Matteo and Dante will be here. Along with some very mean men who will force Jules to hand over your money before they dispose of her.”
“No, I don’t want that. She has to live.”
“Why?”
“Because I want her to pay for what she did. And dying will be too easy. I want her to be locked up in a cell knowing I’m out here living the life she so desperately wanted. And I’m going to make the most of it, Massimo. I’m going to do all the things I’ve wanted to do. I’m going to live free and happy.”
“Is there any room in this free and happy life for me?”
My heart aches as I look at him. I want to kiss him and tell him that of course there is, that I don’t want to take another step without him walking beside me. That waking up without him lying next to me is going to hurt.
But I don’t know if I’ll ever be able forgive him.
Two sets of headlights appear behind him before I have a chance to answer.
I hear the opening and closing of car doors before a man in a suit appears and walks over to us. It’s Matteo. I recognize him from Harrison’s house. He’s joined by Dante, Massimo’s driver.
“Where will you take Massimo?” I ask Matteo.
“We have a doctor with their own discreet surgery.” He looks at the bullet wound. But Massimo’s gaze is fixed firmly on mine.
“Dante will take you home,” Massimo says.
Looking into his tortured eyes, I feel that sharp pain barrel through me again. “Promise me she goes to jail, Massimo. Don’t let them kill her. If you grant me this, we can talk. But I’m going to need some time.”
He nods reluctantly and turns to Dante who has joined us. “Make sure she gets home safe.”
