“I love you,” I blurted out, unable to stop myself.
His lips landed on mine, stealing my confession away. “I love you, too,” he said as he pulled away.
Before I could explore the depths of his love and show him how very happy I was to have him back, I realized that we had an audience. Bones set me down and pulled away, giving me an apologetic smile before turning away.
“Bones,” Angel’s dad said, stepping forward. “I think we need to have a talk.”
Bones nodded. “There’s a man in the passenger’s seat who’s been shot. I don’t know how bad it is.”
“We’ll get him medical attention,” Dominico said, turning to one of his men. “Call the doc. Tell him it’s urgent.”
The guard stepped aside and pulled out his phone.
Angel’s mom, Annetta, emerged from the crowd and draped her arm over my shoulder, tugging me toward Nonna’s house. “Ari, it’s so good to see you again,” she said. “Let’s let the men talk while the women solve the real problems.”
Hesitant to leave Bones again, I glanced over my shoulder. “Will Bones be okay?”
“My husband is a wise, capable man,” she replied. “He’ll get this sorted. Don’t you worry.”
That wasn’t exactly the response I wanted, but I took it. “Thank you.”
She opened Nonna’s door and we walked in, passing Angel as he headed out.
“And Bones has a good friend who believes in him and will make sure he’s heard,” Annetta said, smiling after her son.
***
Bones
Tension filled the room as I sat in Dominico’s office between Angel and Natalia. Joey sat on the other side of Natalia, a few other family members and guards had filed into the room behind us, and there was still no word from Carlo. Dominico leaned against his desk, arms folded, listening as Natalia retold the story of our father’s death. When she finished, Dominico stood and paced the office before thanking Natalia and Joey for their time.
Clearly confused by his dismissal, they stood and waited.
“Totino, Pietro, please take Natalia and Joey to the living room so I can speak with my family.”
Natalia cast me a worried look, but I gave her an encouraging smile. “I’ll be right there.”
“You’re guests in my home,” Dominico said. “You put yourself in danger to deliver information I needed. No harm will come to you here. I swear it. Also, the doc has been working on your friend. He needed a small transfusion, but he’s stable and recovering. The doc will be in to update you on his status.”
“Thank you,” Natalia replied. She seemed to breathe a little easier as she and Joey followed Totino and Pietro out of the office.
Once the outsiders were gone, Dominico collapsed in the chair behind his desk, looking completely spent. He rubbed a hand over his head, leaving his thick, dark hair a disheveled mess. Blowing out a breath, he glanced around the room. There were only a handful of us in attendance, including Angel’s uncle, Michael.
Focusing on Michael, Dominico said, “Never saw that shit coming.”
Michael nodded, his own expression as torn as Dominico’s. “No way Natalia could have known what happened that day. The family buried that shit deep. She has to be telling the truth, Dom.”
Dominico nodded. “Turns out Uncle Carlo is just as fucked up as our old man was. Any word on Carlo?” he asked Angel.
Angel studied his phone. “Renzo has him and is bringing him in.”
“Fuck,” Dominico said, hand once again rifling through his hair. “I can’t believe this shit. Bones, I loved your father like a brother. We spent a summer with him when my old man was establishing our family position here in Vegas. Best summer of my life. Well, best summer before I met Annetta.”
The room was silent as everyone leaned in to listen. Dominico was a private man, who didn’t share much about his personal life.
“The day Mike lost his legs, he was making a drop for me,” Dominico continued. “I didn’t make the drop because some woman… who must have been Natalia’s mom… called Annetta and told her I was having an affair. Annetta was so goddamn upset and Angel, you were just a baby. I knew I had to get my ass home and figure out what was going on. The drop was a setup, orchestrated by Adamo Pelino. He was out to get revenge on me. He wasn’t expecting Mike.”
Michael wheeled his chair forward. “Wasn’t your fault, Dom. If Carlo knew about that setup and didn’t tell us—”
