“What did he say?” Joey said to his younger brother, who had given me the scar on my cheek.
The Mafia boss removed his cell phone from his pocket and dialed for help. He told the operator we needed assistance and shoved the phone into his pocket.
“Johnny Z,” I repeated.
And then, I lost consciousness.
ChapterTwo
NICO
Istared at Paulie, trying to read the lie on his face. He stood in the living room of my penthouse, his white shirt stained with blood. His cheek had a bloody handprint from him raking his fingers over his skin. Paulie often stroked his cheek when he was thinking.
“Dante is on life support,” Paulie told us. “He may never wake from a coma.”
Ava shook beside me, tears running down her face. “What?” Her hand flew to her mouth, but it didn’t help to silence her sobs. “No… How about the twins?”
I curled my arms around her, needing the hug as much as she did. It was so hard to remain calm, pretend like I didn’t feel like I was dying on the inside.
“They’re in surgery,” Paulie explained, his voice tinted with concern that almost felt forced. “Angelo shielded Salvatore and took a few bullets. So did Stefan.”
“No, no, no….” Ava’s screams pierced my eardrums. “No, they’re not allowed to die on me.”
My eyes burned from the tears I wanted to spill. But I had to be strong for Ava. She needed me to hold her and say everything would be okay. I couldn’t promise that, even though I wanted to believe it.
I cleared my throat. “And my dad?”
Paulie shook his head. “I’m sorry, Nico. Unfortunately, your dad didn’t make it.”
No.
Turning my head to the side, I swiped at my eyes. I wanted to curl up into a ball and cry. But with Ava clinging to my side, her sobs shaking me, I forced the tears back down.
“I need to see them.” Ava tugged on the sleeve of my jacket, pulling my attention back to her. “Take me to the hospital.”
“It’s not safe,” Paulie said before I could respond. “The Vitales picked off your family one by one. If you leave the penthouse, you risk getting whacked.” His eyes locked with mine, and then he tipped his head at Ava. “And there’s no guarantee for her safety either. This attack was an act of war.”
“No,” Ava whispered, her voice strained. “We have to see them. I want to be there when Dante wakes up.”
“If he wakes up.” Paulie’s expression turned grim, then slipped into his usual emotionless mask. “The doctor didn’t sound optimistic.”
“And the twins?”
Paulie rolled his shoulders. “They won’t know until after they get out of surgery.”
What if they don’t make it?
I didn’t want to be the boss of the Luciano crime family. It was Dante’s right to lead the next generation.
Paulie squeezed my shoulder. “You have to step up as the interim head of the family. The men can’t go to war without a leader.”
Is he trying to get me whacked?
There were rules in the Mafia. You had to be of one hundred percent Italian descent to be a made man. My dad already broke the old school rules to admit me as a member.
He waited until my twenty-first birthday to tell me the good news. But some of his men rebelled when I became a made man. Some men left to work with other crimes families. Others tried to fight us, only to end up in a shallow grave.
The men who stayed were only here because of their loyalty to my father. They loved and respected Salvatore Luciano. I doubted they would accept me as the new boss.
