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“Of course.”
Once he leaves, I make my way to the kitchen and look to see what meals Molly, the cook made for me. I groan when I spot the tray of lasagna on the stove, along with freshly made garlic bread. I pour two glasses of wine before drinking one, trying to take the edge off. I’m pissed she stopped answering her phone when I called, though I know logically she couldn’t answer at work.
I didn’t like not knowing what was happening or what she was doing. I kept finding myself distracted, something my father picked up on, which resulted in another pissing match between us. There is no way I’ll be able to wait another week for the handover.Everyone can sense the tension between us, and it might give some asshole the idea to start shit.
I hear the door open and Miles’s voice as he walks in. He spots me in the kitchen and braces himself. The look on his face instantly has me on edge.
“What happened?”
“She’s okay,” he starts.
I’m heading toward him, my hands going to the collar of his shirt as I snarl in his face. “Where the fuck is my wife?”
“I’m here.”
I shove Miles away at the sound of Nova’s soft voice. When I see her, a red haze coats everything. I grab my keys from the counter and stalk toward the door, but she grabs a hold of me.
“Vice, don’t.”
“Tell me who did this,” I hiss.
“Not until you calm down and promise me you won’t go do anything stupid.”
I spin her around and pin her to the wall. “I’m not going to do anything stupid. No, I’m going to do something very smart, and that’s kill the motherfucker that did this to you and everyone that stood by and let it happen.”
She swallows and winces. “Please stay. I need you.”
I press my forehead against hers and try to swallow down my fury, but it’s impossible. Still, I know it took a lot for her to say that.
“Okay, let’s get you cleaned up, and you can tell me exactly what happened. Miles, get me the first aid kit.”
I take her hand and walk her over to the island and lift her up onto it. I spread her legs wide and step into the cradle of her thighs.
Tipping her head back, I look at her under the lights. “Jesus.Your eye is bloodshot, your cheekbone is starting to bruise, and half your face is swollen. Your lip’s torn to shit. It might even need a stitch or two.”
I tip her head back farther to look at it, which is when I notice the fingerprints around her neck.
“You were choked!” I roar as she wraps her legs around me and holds me tightly to her.
“I’m okay, Vice. I promise.”
“Someone choked you hard enough to pop the blood vessels in your eye. You are not fucking okay,” I yell at her, feeling like an asshole. But I can’t stand seeing her like this, knowing I failed her.
“I let him.”
“You let him, who?”
She grips my wrists. “Aldo. I knew I could take him. I knew I could kill him if I needed to. But then his guards would have taken me out. He couldn’t just kill me, though, not without consequences. His men might be loyal to him, but there are video feeds that would show the attack was unprovoked.”
“You didn’t hit him back?” Miles asks, walking over and putting the first aid kit on the counter.
“I needed to be able to prove I did nothing wrong. I’m just a woman, and he’s the underboss. That gives him all the power. The only thing I have in my favor is that I’m the daughter of theconsigliere.”
“Walk me through what happened, and don’t leave anything out. And Nova, I want it all. No lies.”
She blows out a breath and nods.
I look at Miles. “Get a bag of peas and some ice water for her throat.”
