Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 128209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
I looked up from my brother to Gianna. Just seeing her face made me want to kill her. To think that I had to convince her to save Matteo’s life… “Get her away. Take my car and drive her to our apartment.”
“Where are you taking Matteo?” she dared to ask.
“To the hospital. This is too serious for our Doc,” I said, trying to keep it together in front of Aria, but I gave Gianna my coldest smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll honor my promise. When I return to the apartment, we’ll make the necessary arrangements to ensure your freedom.”
“Maybe Gianna wants to go to the hospital with Matteo,” Aria suggested softly as Sandro and I lifted Matteo off the ground.
“She doesn’t. Help her gather her things from Matteo’s apartment, so we can get her settled in her new life before my brother returns home.” I didn’t want her anywhere near my brother ever again.
ARIA
I grabbed a few clothes out of Matteo’s wardrobe even if it felt strange to rummage in his underwear, and stuffed them into the small bag with a couple pairs of sweatpants and shirts as well as socks.
After that, I went into his bathroom and grabbed his toothbrush. My eyes lingered on Gianna’s hairbrush that she hadn’t taken with her. Sandro had driven her to a hotel. She had taken Luca up on his deal. I couldn’t believe her decision was final. I’d seen how she’d looked at Matteo when she thought no one was paying attention. Sighing, I turned and headed back to the elevator.
Even if she changed her mind, I didn’t think Luca would ever forgive her. He was convinced she would have let Matteo die if he hadn’t made his offer. I’d rarely seen as much hate in his eyes as when he’d looked at Gianna yesterday.
The elevator took me back up to our penthouse. Luca perched on a barstool, a coffee on the counter in front of him and his eyes trained on his phone. He looked up when I entered but the tension didn’t leave his face. I walked over to him, dropped the bag beside the bar and stepped between his legs. He put the cell down and cupped my face. “Where is he?”
“In the big guest bedroom,” he said, looking exhausted, shadows under his eyes.
“Soon he’ll be back to annoying you,” I assured him.
Luca smiled wryly. “He was already a pain in the ass when I picked him up from the hospital today.”
I searched his eyes. “I’ve never seen you as worried as you were yesterday.”
His fingers trailed down my throat then pushed my collar off my shoulder, revealing the small scar there. “You didn’t see my face when you got shot.”
“You didn’t lose me back then, and you didn’t lose Matteo.”
Luca stroked my scar then his gray eyes met mine, full of emotion. “You took a bullet to save my life, while your sister would have let my brother die for her own fucking freedom.”
I didn’t try to defend Gianna, even though I knew deep down that he was wrong. Luca leaned forward and kissed my scar, then my throat until his mouth claimed my lips. His phone rang and he pulled back with a sigh, glancing down at the screen. It was Sandro. He picked up and listened for a moment, then nodded. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” He hung up, sighing. “I need to go to a meeting with my Captains. We’re going to plan our retribution.”
Surprise washed over me. He usually held back with information like that, and it showed me how rattled he still was because of Matteo.
“I will keep an eye on him,” I said with a reassuring smile.
Luca frowned. “Romero and Sandro are both out. I will tell Romero to come back as soon as possible, but it might be an hour. I don’t like the idea of leaving you alone.”
“I won’t be alone. Matteo is here.”
“Matteo is injured and probably passed out again.”
“Luca,” I said firmly, touching his chest. “Nobody can get inside the penthouse without a code, and Matteo is still deadly when he’s injured. I’ll be fine until Romero returns.”
Luca stood and pulled one of his guns from his holster, then handed it to me. “Just in case.”
I didn’t point out that I didn’t have much practice shooting a gun. He kissed me, before he walked toward the elevator, already lifting his mobile to his ear.
The moment he was gone, I stuffed the gun into the back of my pants, then picked up the bag with Matteo’s clothes and headed toward the guest bedroom. I hesitated. Matteo and I hadn’t been alone since he’d attacked me seven months ago. Pushing back the memories, I turned the handle and slipped in quietly. My eyes landed on the bed where Matteo was stretched out, his back to me. He was covered by the blankets, only his disheveled and still matted hair peeking out.