Kee was Mari’s lifelong friend. Her husband had ties to the Irish. He ruled the streets he lived on.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Bykov’s men killthembefore they can even leave the private airport.” Mari shook her head. “I can’t just sit here.” The look in her eyes made goosebumps pucker my skin. It was like she was looking into the past, and ghosts were shadowing the brightness of her eyes with dark memories. “My baby. My husband.”
I took her hand. “Irefuseto sit here.”
My panic had turned hot, and anger sizzled in my veins.
Evelina snatched my arm. “You can’t,” she said.
“Why the fuck not?”
“That’s exactly what they want. You’ll be walking into a trap.”
“They made me fucking prey, and I’m going to cage them in before they know what hit them.”
Evelina shook her head. “I don’t know, Mia. I don’t know! Saverio—”
“If he made you promise anything, forget it. Or pretend like you have no idea what I’m going to do. I’m not bound by anything but love.”
And that love was making me fearless. I wouldn’t hesitate. I knew whose blood pumped through my veins.
“Mia,” she whispered as I left the room.
The doctors were working on papà andzioRocco when I walked into the room. Mamma was resting her head on papà’s chest. The doctor slipped a needle in his arm, and he didn’t move.
All the blood drained from my face.
It came back when he groaned and said something about water. He wanted water so he could piss out the drugs. The doctor explained it would take more than that. It would have to run its course. They would have to monitor him for side effects. Like blood clots, just like they had done to me. Our doctors had confirmed that they hadn’t seen a drug this dangerous in years.
“My brother might have been bitten…”ZioRocco groaned, but it was so deep it sounded like a growl. He shook his head and said, sounding drunk, “…twice with it.”
Mamma looked up at me with red-rimmed eyes, though she wasn’t crying. “I don’t like this,” she said. “I can’t—”
“Papà is going to be okay,” I said, with more conviction that I felt. “He’s strong. So iszioRocco.”
“My heart,” mamma said, kissing his chest, “is not strong enough without him. I’m not strong enough without any of you.”
For the first time in my life, I gave in to those words.
Not strong enough without him.
I never wanted to believe them. I pushed them away, time and time again, because of moments like this one.
In that moment, I felt the truth of it in a place that went deeper than bone.
That breathless feeling whenever Saverio left me. I couldn’t breathe without him. I couldn’t live without him. To be tied to someone in such a way, so knotted that we could never be untangled—my knees felt weak.
Matteo put a hand under my arm, keeping me up.
“I should have gone,” he said. “I should have—”
“Stop,” I said, looking up at him with pleading eyes. The emotions in the room were too strong, including mine, and I couldn’t deal with hearing the words.
“Mia,” he said, my name coming out slowly, “whatever you’re thinking, stop. Stop fucking thinking it. This is personal between Cerise and mamma. Cerise wants you. Wants your blood on her hands. She wants to be able to feel like she took something away from mamma that she can never get back. Her child was taken from her. An eye for an eye. You’re just a bonus to Bykov. A certification in our world he can’t obtain any other way.”
“Matteo!”
All eyes turned to Evelina.
