“But I’m getting ahead of myself,” Gabriele continued. He glanced at her too, and ripped the blade from my hand again.
More blood dripped. My hand was numb and burning at the same time, but it wasn’t my priority anymore. Not when Gabriele had started at Lily again.
“We need to deal with you first, little doe.”
A new panic set in, and I thrashed in my seat despite how much it hurt.
Beatrice and Lucia were laughing as they watched their brother.
I frantically rubbed my mouth on my shoulder until the tape fell loose. Saliva and sweat helped. “Leave her the fuck alone! We can talk about this. She doesn’t need to be here.”
Gabriele stood behind her again and lifted her chin to expose her throat. “But Dean, where’s the fun in that? All this death will drive our father mad as he watches his empire slowly collapse.”
“He’s a Capo,” I hissed, glaring from under my brow. “He has a boss that’ll only come at you harder.”
“Let them,” he shrugged nonchalantly and angled the blade at Lily’s throat. My blood dripped from it and stained her skin. “We take the favorite’s lover, and then we take the favorite from our father.”
Through the blood dripping from her nose, Lucia hissed, “Do it.”
My eyes narrowed. “Fuckin’ do it and I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” Beatrice raised an eyebrow. “You’re tied to a chair and will be dead soon anyway.”
“Well,” Gabriele smiled. “Not soon. Slowly, yes, but maybe dead in a few hours? Her death will be quick, so that provides some comfort,si?”
Lily sobbed out of fear when he raised the blade beneath her jaw.
Everything was slipping through my fingers. My entire world was imploding right in front of me and I couldn’t do a fucking thing to stop it.
I fixed my eyes solely on Lily, trying to be some kind of comfort for her.
“Hey, Lily.” I tried for a smile when her eyes were on me, encouraging her to block out the triplets and their laughter. “We’re gonna be okay. It’ll be over soon.”
At least she wouldn’t witness what they had in store for me.
Suddenly, I was seeing every moment we shared. Her smile, her tears, her laughter, her anger. It all flitted through my mind right up until the moment I laid eyes on her the night of my fight, when I spotted her in the crowd.
I was the luckiest man alive to have those moments with her.
And then I remembered the day outside the courthouse.
She said hello to me; she acknowledged me; she gave some no-hope delinquent the time of day to share a smile with.
All those thoughts ran through my head in seconds.
“I love you,” I whispered.
Chapter 55
Dean
Lily trembled but kept her attention on me, preparing for the inevitable as Gabriele pressed the blade to her skin.
He went to cut, and everything stalled, when suddenly a bang ruptured through the room.
The door.
The blade sliced past her throat as Gabriele jumped back.
