“Where are the others?” she asked, throwing her arms around her friend.
“Everyone made it except Simone. They came at the van from all sides…I’m sorry.”
Amalia was quiet for several moments. “Is everyone out?”
Holly nodded and once we reached a safe distance, she pulled out a burner phone and detonated the explosives we’d planted in the basement level of the compound. The aftershock of the blast shook our vehicle. And we sat in silence until Amalia turned around from the passenger seat to face Gio.
“Start talking.”
17
Gioslouched in his seat, pulling the front of his hoodie up to partially cover his face.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered from beneath the thick fabric.
“Sorry? You’re fucking sorry? What are you— How did you? Why, Gio? You could have been killed. We barely made out ourselves, and we…” I paused and looked at Kai, whose expression was a mix of concern and sympathy.
“You’re what, Amalia?” He pulled down his hoodie. “A professional? Stop treating me like I’m stupid. That’s all you’ve ever done. You, Mom, Dad…Tony. All of you.” Tears glistened in his eyes as they connected with mine, filling my heart with anguish.
“We were just trying to protect you.”
“Because you think I’m not capable? In case you didn’t notice, I saved your asses back there.”
I sucked in a deep breath and closed my eyes before continuing so that I wouldn’t be compelled to strangle my baby brother. “Fine, Giovanni. You want in on the family business?You want to kill people? Run drugs, make arms deals like Tony did. Is that really what you want?”
“Is it what you want?”
His question was a gut punch. If I said yes, would he see me as a monster? And If I said no, would it be a lie? I wasn’t sure.
“It’s been one hell of a night. Maybe we should just make it home,” Kai interjected, his hand over mine, where I gripped the edge of the seat like a lifeline. “Call in and check with the infirmary.”
His words were like a dagger to the heart, because despite this car carrying some of the most important people in my life, some of my girls had been critically wounded. I threw one last reproachful glance at Gio before turning back around and leaning against the headrest.
Holly reached over and squeezed my hand but said nothing. Her silence spoke volumes, as she was never one to be rendered speechless, and I feared the worst. But I was too overwhelmed to ask questions and have reality flip my world upside down.
When we reached our driveway, Eva was on the steps waiting, jumping to her feet as the car pulled to a stop. Derek must have told her we were on the way, and I could only assume my parents were asleep.
Somehow, we all fell into the same stride as we approached the house, and judging by Evangelina’s horrified expression as she rushed Derek, we must have looked like quite a fucking sight. We were caked in dust, dirt, and blood as if we’d crawled out of a warzone.
Maybe we had.
“I don’t have the emotional strength to deal with you right now,” I said, fisting my brother’s hoodie. “But I will deal with you tomorrow.”
He shook off my hold. “You’re welcome.”
I said nothing more and stormed inside the house, sprinting up the stairs and into my room. The shower was on within the next several minutes, and I let the hot spray soothe my anguish. It wasn’t long before tears spilled over, and my fists connected with the wall until drops of my blood ran down the drain. But tomorrow was another day. And Rocco owed me one hell of an explanation.
The door to Kai’s room was a traitorous whore. It creaked loudly, announcing my arrival like a damn overhead speaker. Kai looked at me for a beat, and I suddenly felt strangely vulnerable.
“Deja vu,” I joked halfheartedly.
He reached over and pulled the blanket down next to him in an unspoken invitation. I hesitated for a moment until I found his eyes across the darkness. Slipping under the covers, he immediately pulled me against his side, and my heart fluttered because he knew exactly why I’d come to him. Maybe it was what he needed, too.
“Are you all right?” he asked, breaking the ten-minute-long silence between us.
“I’m always all right…eventually.”
“Tonight was…chaos. But we—you, me, Derek…Gio, we made it back.”
