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“You need a hospital.”
“No, hospital. He’ll be waiting there. You know that.” This wasn’t Uncle Jimmy’s first attempt to get rid of me. Alfred and I had perfected the dance over the years—he tried to kill me, I’d escape, lay low, find a doctor, leave the country. “Thanks for the call.”
“I figured it was worth a shot. Luca, you should not have come back.”
“You know I had to.”
Over the years, as much as I knew I had to stay away from Donata, I couldn’t. She was my drug. When my need of her exceeded all logic, I made the trek back to New York City. I was the thief that snuck into her building and her bedroom. Those nights when I got to hold her in my arms was the very thing that had kept me alive all these years.
I had hoped tonight would be one of those nights when we got to share some peace together.
“You need a doctor, Luca.”
“Luckily, we know one, don’t we?”
“Jesus.”
A half hour later, I was at the Salvatore penthouse, deciding whether I should pick the lock and disable the alarm or just fucking knock for once. Before I made my decision, the door swung open.
“Luca, are you insane?” Donata covered her mouth with both hands, on the verge of tears.
“I need a doctor.” I smiled, leaning on the doorframe.
“Come inside.” She pulled me toward her. “I can’t believe you’re alive.” She ushered me upstairs to her bedroom.
I had lost a lot of blood, but I wasn’t too far gone to miss the fact that she had all her medical stuff out and her bed was covered in hospital linens. “Did you know I was coming?”
“Honestly, I was hoping this time you would stay away.” She pushed me down on the bed. “When I heard the news, I thought the worst. I tried to call you, but I guess you already got rid of the last phone number I had for you.”
“Wait. What’s going on? What news?”
“You don’t know.” She placed her hand on her forehead. After she took in several breaths, she reached for a pair of shears and began to cut off my T-shirt. “Don Gallo was killed earlier tonight.”
“What?” I winced when she poked my side with a needle. “How do you know this?”
“Rex stopped by. He was looking for Aunt Vittoria. There’s an extraordinary board meeting with the other dons tonight. He wanted to make sure she’d be there.” She squirted water on my wound, then pressed on it. “This isn’t so bad. But you’re going to need a lot of stitches. Hold still.”
She began the tedious process of stitching me back together. Also, not her first time. She was right to be mad at me. I was so close to being ready to face my uncle one-on-one. Why did I have to risk it, just to come and see her? Right, because six months was a long ass time to be away from her. I wasn’t sorry.
I studied her profile. Her concentration as she worked on my sutures was sexy as all hell. “I missed you.”
“I told you not to come back.”
“I had to. You’re my drug.” I reached for her cheek. When her eyes fluttered closed, I knew that even if she was mad at me for taking the risk, she was also happy to see me. “What else did Rex say? Is Uncle Jimmy really dead?”
“He is. But Luca, it’s more than that. It looks like tonight your entire family was hunted down and killed.” She bit her bottom lip. “Everyone. By the time Rex realized that they were going after all the Gallos, it was too late. He couldn’t warn any of them.”
“Someone warned me. I received a note. It was sent to my brownstone on the Upper West Side.” I glanced up, feeling extremely tired. “Does Rex know who might’ve done it?”
“No. I mean, he’s suspecting the FBI, but he’s not sure. He’s doing what he can.” She shrugged. “You need to leave again, Luca. And this time, you can never come back. Do you understand? If this is the work of the FBI, they won’t stop until they’ve found you. Promise me you won't come back.” She shuffled back to look at me.
I glanced down at the white gauze now covering my stab wound. Whatever she’d given me had taken care of the pain. I couldn’t even feel the skin around the treated area. I poked around it to make sure, while I considered Donata’s words.
“Do you really want me to leave you alone?” I held her gaze, then slowly rose to my feet.
“Yes.” Her gaze shifted down to my chest then up again. “You’re good to go. You can stay until Alfred finds a way to get you out of the city. But then, Luca, you have to stay gone.”
“Don’t ask me that.” I stepped toward her until our bodies were inches apart.
