Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 43928 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 220(@200wpm)___ 176(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43928 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 220(@200wpm)___ 176(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
"It's what I vowed to do, Rafe. Protect your family."
"Our family, Mattia. This is our family." He tilts his head to the side, his expression serious. "You still don't understand, do you?"
"Understand what?"
"I could have chosen anyone to be my consiglieri," he says. "Doesn't matter what my father wanted. I didn't have to choose you, Mattia. I chose you because I wasn't willing to lose another brother after Nico walked away. I was keeping my fucking family together, no matter what."
"Jesus," I whisper, swallowing hard.
"You've always been part of this fucking family." He narrows his eyes on me, the unspoken threat hanging heavy in the air. "But if you make her cry, you answer to me, motherfucker. Not as your Capo, not as your brother, but as her brother."
I smile, a feral, dangerous smile, pleased that she doesn't just have me looking out for her now. She has her brothers, too. She deserves nothing less than their loyalty. And I expect nothing less than to catch hell if I don't treat her like the queen she is.
My gaze drifts back to her, and I can't help but ask the question that's been gnawing at me. "What about her mother? Is she…?"
Rafe shakes his head sadly.
My heart clenches as I look up at the sterile hospital ceiling. "Fuck. That sorry motherfucker."
"Brio didn't kill her," Rafe says quietly. "He actually had a doctor looking after her, trying to keep her alive, but she was seriously ill. We talked to the doctor who was treating her. By the time they found the cancer, it had spread too far. There was nothing they could do."
I glance at Aurelia, my heart aching for her. She tried so fucking hard to save her mother. So hard.
I'm sorry, little mouse.
"How's she handling it?" I ask, fucking worried about her. Fucking hating that she's been grieving alone.
"Surprisingly well. She understands that Brio didn't kill her—the cancer did. She's grieving, but she's going to be okay." His eyes flicker with determination. "We'll make sure of that."
"Yeah, we will," I murmur, my eyes locked on her. I'll spend the rest of my life making sure that she's okay. Even if it takes the rest of my life to ensure it, she will be okay.
"Tell me what happened after I was stabbed," I demand, needing to know the details of the chaos I've missed.
Rafe rubs the back of his neck, weary from the weight of it all. "We rushed you out of there, straight to the hospital. The cops had a lot of questions, but Diego has it handled."
I shoot him a look, knowing damn well it hasn't been as easy as he's making it sound. It never fucking is when the cops get involved.
Rafe smirks. "We lied our asses off. As far as they know, Brio kidnapped you to get us there. When we showed up, it was an ambush, and they tried to kill us all. They're mad as hell that they can't charge us, but the fact that he had the house full of his people and enough weapons to start a fucking war is working in our favor. So far, it looks like self-defense. The fact that Aurelia gave a statement about him kidnapping her and her mother didn't hurt, either." He pauses. "It's looking like he's also responsible for burning down the warehouse."
"Jesus," I mutter, trying to process the ramifications of the situation. "This will be a shitshow."
Rafe chuckles, his eyes gleaming with a hint of dark amusement. "It's always a shitshow, Mattia. But it's one we'll manage. Just like we always do."
"Mattia!" Aurelia gasps suddenly, jolting awake. She sits upright in a panic, the thin blanket falling from around her.
"Easy, cara mia," I murmur gently, my heart aching at the fear in her voice. "I'm right here."
"Mattia!" Her blue eyes widen, locking with mine. She stares at me for a long moment, almost as if she's staring at a ghost. Her bottom lip quivers, a thousand different emotions running through her eyes.
"Hi, little mouse."
Tears well in her eyes, a soft cry trembling on her lips. "You're awake," she breathes, her voice full of disbelief. "You're really awake."
"Little mouse," I say softly, smiling through the pain. "I told you nothing would keep me from you, didn't I?"
She sobs my name, her emotions spilling over. I hold my arms out for her, desperately needing her in them again. Until she is, nothing else fucking matters.
Without hesitation, she jumps to her feet, scurrying the few steps between her chair and the bed before collapsing against my chest with a broken cry.
I wrap my arms around her, pressing my face into her hair. "Aurelia," I breathe, my heart caught in a vise. My throat burns. So do my eyes. "I've got you."
She clings to me as if she's never going to let me go, sobbing my name over and over. And for the first time since I woke up, I don't feel pain.