"Dad," Angelo choked out, his voice hoarse. "Did he make it?"
"No." Nico released a deep breath. "He died on site."
"Fuck." Angelo covered his face with his hand, and a sob escaped his throat. He glanced over at Stefan, avoiding our gazes. "How about Dante?"
"He's in a coma," I told him.
Angelo leaned his head back on the thin pillow and stared at the ceiling, breathing harder. "I'm gonna fucking kill that traitorous prick."
"Who?" Nico stuffed his hands into his pockets, a stern expression on his handsome face. "Dante?"
He shook his head. "Paulie. He fucking sold us out to Johnny Z."
"Wait, what?" I gasped. "Seriously?"
Angelo bobbed his head. "I heard the whole thing before I passed out. Paulie made a deal with Johnny to work for him. And in exchange, he had to turn on us."
"I told Dad we couldn't trust him." Nico bit down on his fist and grunted. "Fucking asshole. He came to my apartment and lied right to my fucking face. Even sat in the waiting room with us and pretended everything was going to be okay."
"He's here?" Angelo's eyes narrowed at his brother. "Are you fucking kidding me?" He threw his hand out at the door. "Get your ass out there and put a bullet in his skull."
"No," I interjected. "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Isn't that why you guys forced me to work for you? It will be advantageous if Paulie doesn't know we're on to him."
"I don't like this," Nico said with a hint of anger in his tone. "I agree with Angelo. He needs to go."
I pushed out my hand to silence him. "This isn't what Dante would do."
Nico angled his body to look at me, jaw set hard. "And you think you know my brother so well? Like you know anything about running a crime family?"
He was nervous about possibly becoming the next boss. So I ignored his attitude, but I wasn't dropping the subject.
"I know a lot more about Dante than you think. For the past month, I have shadowed him everywhere. I understand how he thinks. He would keep Paulie around until he figured out if anyone in the family helped him. Then he would get rid of them."
"I don't know," Angelo cut in. "If we let Paulie live, he could feed information to Johnny Z."
"That's exactly why you keep him on as the family advisor. Give him bad information and see if Johnny Z uses it."
"Maybe you should be the boss," Angelo said with laughter in his voice. "You're right. This is what Dante would do." He looked up at Nico, who nodded. "So we'll act like we don't know he helped Johnny Z. Dante will wake up, and when he does, he'll handle Paulie."
Nico expelled a breath of air, relief washing over his face. I didn't blame him for being afraid. He'd just lost his father while his brothers’ lives dangled by a thread. The weight of his family's responsibilities sat on his shoulders.
"Dad was right about one thing," Stefan choked out, snapping my attention to him. "Ava is a fucking genius."
"You're awake.” I squealed and ran over to Stefan's bedside. "Oh, my God, Stefan. I was so worried about you." Putting my hand over my heart, I smiled. "Don't do that to me again. I can't lose any of you."
"We're not going anywhere. For better or worse, you're stuck with us." He extended his hand and wiggled his fingers. "Get in here with me,bellezza. I got someone who wants to say hello to your sexy ass mouth."
I giggled. "Do you ever stop thinking about sex?"
He shoved the blanket off his legs and pushed up the hospital gown. "Not when you're in the room."
I licked my lips at the sight of him. "How are you hard?" I shook my head in disbelief, a smile gracing my lips. "You just got out of surgery."
"I got shot. I'm not dead." He grabbed my hand and helped me stroke his shaft. "My dick still works."
I leaned over and licked his length, teasing him.
"Fuck, baby, you do that so well," Angelo said when I sucked his twin into my mouth. "When you're done with Stefan, this king could use the royal treatment."
