Needing to get away from everyone, I say, “Augusto’s right. It’s been a rough day.” I have to force myself to glance up at Christiano, and seeing the suspicious expression on his face, my panic grows.
Knowing how persistent he can be, I quickly close the distance between us, and standing on my tiptoes, I press my mouth to his.
His arm instantly locks around me as I give him a quick kiss. I duck my head and hug him while whispering, “Get some rest, okay? I’ll check on you later.”
Christiano’s arm tightens around me for a moment, and he kisses my temple before he lets go.
This time, he doesn’t stop me, but as I dart out of the hospital room, I hear him say, “Stay, Augusto.”
I rush down the hallway and out of the hospital, and the moment I step out into the cool night air, a strangled sob bursts over my lips.
“Sienna!” Mom darts in front of me, and taking one look at my face, she engulfs me in a hug. “Oh, sweetheart.”
Clinging to my mother, my voice sounds unnatural as I groan, “I’m losing my mind, Mom.”
“You’re not. Today is just an awful day,” she says as she caresses my hair.
I shake my head. “I can’t do this anymore.”
Once again, everything begins to shut down inside me until the tears eventually stop and I stare at nothing. An unnatural calm eases the trembling from my body, and even though it stills my mind, I feel…dead.
“Sienna?” Mom pulls back, and her cool hands frame my feverish face.
“I need help,” I admit, my tone monotonous, then suddenly all the crippling emotions return full force, and they rip a wail from me. My voice pitches and a tremor rocks through my body. “It feels like I’m going insane.”
Mom’s expression turns serious as she locks eyes with me. “Just focus on taking deep breaths. Try not to think about what happened today.” I feel her hands brush lovingly over the sides of my head. “Mamma’s here, my baby. Everything will be okay.”
“Don’t let anyone see me like this,” I beg with a strained voice.
She nods while pulling me back into a hug.
There’s no place for weak people in the Cosa Nostra. I don’t belong in this world.
Chapter 2
Christiano
Sitting at the head of the table where we have most of our meetings, my eyes move from one man to the next. The discussion about what our next move should be is filled with anger and tension.
“They fucking shot up the place with our women there,” Adriano growls. “We should’ve retaliated already and soaked the ground with Irish blood.”
“I don’t agree with acting in the heat of the moment,” Uncle Dario says, his tone too calm after what happened three days ago. “That’s when mistakes are made.”
I want the Irish to suffer. A quick attack and killing them in one fell swoop would be too merciful.
The fuckers killed eleven of our men.
I get random flashes of Sienna’s beautiful face. Her green eyes were filled with terror when I tackled her to the ground. At the hospital, she looked so fucking out of it, and only after she left did Augusto tell me the nurse had to give my woman something to help her calm down.
It was supposed to be one of the happiest days of our lives, and instead, the woman I’ve loved since I turned nineteen was almost killed.
If I weren’t there to take the bullet, it would’ve hit her in the chest.
No. There won’t be a quick attack.
My eyes lock with Dad’s where he’s sitting on the otherside of the long table, anger simmering in his dark gaze.
Every father and son of the Cosa Nostra is present for this meeting, but it’s up to me to decide how we’ll retaliate.
