by Cora Reilly
Our pilot brought down the helicopter on the lawn behind the mansion. The second we jumped out of it, bullets soared through the air toward us. We ducked behind one of the Italian marble statues decorating the garden and began firing.
Soon, we’d shot our way closer to the house. I motioned for Matteo and my other men to have my back. Then I stormed the house. I shot the first Russian in the head, the second in the throat.
“We have your wife, Vitiello. If you want to see her in one piece, you’d better stop fighting and drop your weapons,” Vitali shouted.
“Nobody acts until I give an order. Got it?” I snarled, fixing my gaze on Matteo. He gave a nod, but I wasn’t sure how much it was worth—after all, Gianna was in there as well.
Trying to keep my face calm was a losing battle. I could feel fury simmering under my skin, and worse: fear. I focused on the former. Showing fear for Aria’s life in front of my enemies would have been the ultimate mistake.
Slowly, I walked into the living area of the mansion, guns clutched in my hands. My eyes registered Cesare lying in his own blood on the ground, eyes wide as his chest heaved with every rattling breath. I lifted my gaze. He was lost. Matteo was close behind me, but my eyes focused on Vitali and Aria. He held her against his body, his knife pressed against her throat. I’d dismember him in the cruelest way possible.
“So this is your wife, Vitiello?” Vitali asked with a dirty grin. He pressed his blade against Aria’s skin and blood trickled down. My heart sped up, fear spiking hard and fast. One slice of his knife could kill her, could ruin everything.
“Let her go, Vitali,” I growled, furious and terrified. I didn’t remember the last time I’d been scared during a confrontation. I didn’t fear death, but losing Aria…the thought tore a gaping hole in my chest.
Vitali grabbed Aria’s throat. Her terrified eyes met mine. “I don’t think so,” he said. “You took something that belongs to us, Vitiello, and now I have something that belongs to you.” Vitali ran his hand along Aria’s cheek, and I almost lost it. If his goddamn head hadn’t been so close to Aria’s, I would have put a hole in his fucking forehead. “I want to know where it is.”
I rocked forward, wanting to rip him to shreds, but Vitali raised his knife again. “Put your guns down or I’ll cut her throat.”
Aria closed her eyes for a moment, resigning herself to her fate. Did she think I’d refuse Vitali’s order because I didn’t want to lose face? That I’d give her up to appear strong in front of the Russian asshole?
I released my guns. I’d put my life down for Aria. I’d do anything for her. Matteo looked at me as if I’d lost my mind, but I narrowed my eyes until he, too, dropped his weapons.
Vitali leered as he licked Aria’s face again. “Your wife tastes delicious. I wonder if she tastes this delicious everywhere.” He forced Aria’s face around to him. She looked like she was going to cry when he brought his face closer, and all I could think about was how I could protect her, how I could kill the bastard to keep my wife safe.
Aria tried to move back, her expression desperate, and I glanced down at my guns.
Vitali licked Aria’s chin and I began shaking with so much rage, I was sure it would consume me any second. And then everything happened very quickly. Aria pulled a knife from her back pocket and shoved it into his thigh. He screamed in pain, releasing her. I pulled my own knife from my back holster, barreled toward them, pulled Aria to my side, and slid Vitali’s throat open. Blood shot out of his gaping wound and onto my clothes.
Shots and screams rang out. I pressed Aria against my body, grabbed guns from the ground and began firing. Aria bent down and picked up a gun for herself. I aimed at another Russian fucker and split his skull. Dragging Aria toward the asshole, I reached for his gun because one of mine was out of bullets. “Luca!” Aria screamed. My gaze shot up as another attacker aimed his gun at me. Fuck. Aria jumped in front of me and fired at the same time as the Russian pulled the trigger. The shot rang in my ears and Aria jerked.
Her eyes grew wide, lips parting in an agonized cry, and my entire world seemed to stand still. I wrenched Aria against me once more but her legs gave away, and that’s when I saw the blood soaking her shirt. My heart rate tripled as cold fear speared my insides. I lowered her to the ground, holding her in my arms, but she lay completely unmoving. For a second I was sure she was dead, that I’d lost the one person I loved more than my own life. I’d never known love meant being scared all the time, scared of losing someone you couldn’t live without.
“Aria,” I rasped, my eyes burning in a way they hadn’t in almost fifteen years. My fingers brushed her throat, feeling her erratic pulse. Alive. Pure relief burst through me. I pressed down on her wound to stop the bleeding, causing Aria to let out a low moan.
She had thrown herself in front of me, had caught a bullet for me. I swallowed, stroked her hair from her forehead. “Aria, love, wake up,” I murmured, bending low over her pale face.
Everything was quiet around us.
“Luca?”
I peered at my brother, who held on to Gianna. The look in his eyes was one of blatant worry, as if he waited for me to lose my shit.
Aria whimpered and I quickly looked down to her. Due to the pressure I applied to her wound, she’d stopped bleeding, but she was ashen. And then her eyes fluttered open and those blue eyes that had held power over me from the very first moment met mine.
I loved this woman. The words lingered on my tongue, but everyone was watching and I couldn’t say them, not now.
“You okay?” Aria asked in a whisper.
She asked me if I was okay? I was the one who’d failed protecting her. I’d have never forgiven myself if Aria had died today. “Yes,” I pressed out through my tight throat. “But you aren’t.”
Aria’s expression twisted with pain, but I couldn’t loosen my hold on her wound.
“What about Gianna, Lily and Fabi?”
“Fine,” Gianna shouted, still pressed up to my brother. Aria’s eyes went unfocused once more. She needed treatment. Now.
I let go of Aria’s wound and carefully lifted her into my arms. Her pained cry made me tense, but worse were the tears trailing down her pale cheeks. I carried her into the entrance hall, which was by now crowded with my soldiers. Most of the attackers were dead, and those who weren’t would soon wish for death.
“I’ll take you to the hospital,” I said.
Matteo appeared in front of me. “Luca, let the Doc handle it. He’s been taking care of our business for years.”
I scowled at my brother. If I wasn’t carrying Aria, I would have shoved him out of the way. “No,” I growled. “Aria needs proper care. She’s lost too much blood.”
“I can do a blood transfusion,” said Doc as he entered the mansion.
I narrowed my eyes at him. Aria touched my arm. “It’s okay, Luca. Let him take care of me. I don’t want you to take me to a hospital. It’s too dangerous.”
I searched Aria’s face. She was begging me to agree. Aria was too selfless, too good. I nodded slowly, realizing why she did it. She wanted me to appear strong. Aria wasn’t a weakness. I tore my eyes away and jerked my head toward the Doc. “Follow me!”
Aria went slack in my hold again.
“I have to get everything I need from the car,” Doc said.
“Hurry,” I growled as I carried Aria up the stairs and into a bedroom. I put her down on the mattress gently then stroked her cheek. “I love you, Aria,” I said quietly. Admitting it aloud, even when no one could hear me, felt like a huge step. I bent down and kissed her forehead but straightened when I heard steps.
Doc limped inside with his female assistant. He sometimes worked with a guy as well, but he probably knew I wouldn’t have let a young man anywhere near my wife.
“I need to take a look at her injury,” Doc said carefully.
I took a step back so he could pass but stayed close. I wouldn’t leave Aria alone with anyone in her state. Doc eyed me briefly before
he bent over her. He felt her pulse then lifted one eyelid to check her eyes before he continued with more examinations.
“Will she be okay?” I asked tightly.
Doc glanced up, his brows crinkling. “Of course. But she needs a blood transfusion. B-positive.”
“I’m O-positive,” I said immediately. “Take my blood. Don’t waste time.”
Doc didn’t argue with me. I held out my arm as he prepared everything for the direct transfusion.
I glanced back down at my wife, lying helplessly in front of me. “Can you remove her shirt?” Doc asked me respectfully.
I hesitated, but then I took my knife and cut open Aria’s t-shirt. Her white bra was covered in blood, but I left it on.
Doc checked her wound while his assistant shoved the needle into my arm then into Aria’s. When my blood finally entered Aria’s veins, I relaxed. I kept a close eye on the Doc as he removed the bullet from Aria’s wound and stitched it up. Guilt cut me deeply at the sight. It would always serve as my reminder to protect her.
My gaze returned to Aria’s pale face. It was difficult to stay put and not to kiss her forehead and hold her as close as possible. Eventually the transfusion was done and the Doc and his assistant left. I was alone with Aria for the first time. I stretched out beside her and carefully cradled her in my arm, burying my nose in her hair. Closing my eyes, I tried to calm my still racing pulse. Aria would be fine. Only a small scar, nothing else, but I doubted I could ever forget the moment I thought I’d lost her. “I won’t ever lose you, principessa,” I murmured against her temple.
Matteo stepped in without knocking. His eyes took in the sight of me holding Aria against me and, for once, I didn’t give a fuck. I trusted my brother, even with this truth.
“How is she?” he asked quietly as he walked closer.
“Still knocked out from the pain meds the Doc gave her. She won’t wake for a few more hours.”
“The Doc will stay in one of the guestrooms in case we need him.”
“Good,” I said, peering down at Aria’s face once more.
“We’re going to start interrogating the Russian bastards. I assume you want to be part of it.”
I wanted to tear into them, but the idea of leaving Aria right now made my pulse speed up. “I’ll join you later.”
Surprise crossed Matteo’s face. “I can’t promise there’ll be much left for you then.”
“Focus on one of the fuckers and leave the others for me,” I pressed out, meeting my brother’s stare. He searched my eyes then nodded slowly before he walked out.
I must have fallen asleep because I jerked awake when an earsplitting scream rang out in the house. Aria was still knocked out beside me. I carefully slid my arm out from under her, grabbed my gun and rushed out of the room. I listened for a possible attack, but it was quiet in the house except for the wail.
It took me a moment to realize it was Liliana who made the sound. Locking Aria’s door, I stormed downstairs then followed the screaming into the basement, finding Gianna and Liliana down there. The sight of the tortured Russian must have made Liliana snap. I didn’t give a fuck. All that mattered was that Aria didn’t wake. She’d be upset.
It took Matteo, Romero and me almost fifteen minutes to silence Liliana and take her up to her room and Gianna back into her bedroom under loud protests.
“Damn it,” I growled when I was alone with Matteo.
He was covered in blood and had an excited gleam in his eyes. “Are you going to help us now?”
My eyes darted to the master bedroom. “I want the Doc to check on Aria again, then I’ll join you.”
“I’ve never seen you like this,” Matteo said.
I didn’t comment. “Send the Doc.”
After the Doc had checked on Aria, I finally allowed Gianna to visit her sister and I joined my brother down in the basement.
The second I entered, my men stepped back from our captives. Romero gave me a tight smile. Matteo motioned at the left fucker. He wasn’t as bad off as the guy on the right. That was the bastard Matteo seemed to have a particular interest in.
I rolled up my sleeves as I approached my target. “So Vitali wanted to get his dirty hands on my wife?”
I stared down at the bastard who gave me a bloody smile. “We would have fucked the slut. Every single hole. That’s what three-hole-sluts are for.”
My smile widened as I brought my face close to his. “Let’s see how many of your holes I get to fuck with my blade before you apologize for calling my wife a slut.”
He spat against my chest. “I won’t apologize to an Italian whore.”
I straightened and held out my hand toward Matteo, who handed me one of his knives. “Before your death, you will call her queen.”
I was covered in blood from head to toe as I knelt beside the whimpering Russian bastard and leaned down to his ear. “Tell me again who’s my wife?”
I held the blood-covered blade in front of the eye he still had. He whimpered.
“I can prolong this for at least another hour, maybe more,” I said with a smile.
“She’s..she’s a queen,” he choked out.
“That’s right.” I rammed my blade into his eye, ending his miserable existence.
I stepped out of the shower in the guest bedroom when I heard knocking. I quickly wrapped a towel around my waist and hurried toward the door, ripping it open and staring at the redhead.
She frowned. “Trying to wash off the blood?”
“What do you want?” I growled. I was still on edge from the day’s events and had no patience for her snark.
“I thought you’d like to know that Aria is awake.”
I returned into the bedroom and got dressed quickly, then stormed toward the master bedroom barefoot.
The second I saw Aria, my heart thudded wildly in my chest. Dark shadows spread out under her gorgeous blue eyes and she gave me a small smile.
My legs carried me toward her and I kissed her forehead. To my surprise, Gianna left without hesitation.
“Do you need morphine?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
I injected Aria with the morphine then held her hand in mine, needing to touch her.
“Did we lose someone?” she asked.
“A few. Cesare and a couple of soldiers,” I said before I added, “and Umberto.”
Sadness flashed in Aria’s eyes. “I know. I saw him get shot.”
I couldn’t feel sad over the men we’d lost because Aria was here.
Aria swallowed. “What did that guy Vitali mean when he said you had something that belonged to him?”
“We intercepted one of their drug deliveries. But that’s not important now.” The only thing that mattered was keeping Aria safe.
“What is important then?” she whispered.
“That I almost lost you. That I saw you get shot,” I got out, remembering that moment. I’d never felt this way, like a part of me was ripped out because of another person. “You’re lucky the bullet only hit your shoulder. The Doc says it’ll heal completely and you’ll be able to use your arm like before.”
Aria blinked slowly and the corners of her mouth twitched up briefly. The meds were dragging her down again.
I moved my face close to hers. “Don’t do that ever again,” I rasped.
She tilted her head as if she didn’t know what I meant. “What?”
“Taking a bullet for me.”
Aria squeezed my hand lightly, her eyelids dropping. “I’ll always take a bullet for you.” She fell asleep before I could say another word.
I kissed her lips lightly. “I won’t allow it. Never again.”
CHAPTER 25
Aria slept through most of the day, only waking a few times to talk to her siblings. I tried to visit her as often as possible, but I had to talk to my Captains and Dante on the phone. I wouldn’t go to New York for a meeting until I could take Aria with me into the city, and she was still too shaky.
Things began to calm d
own a bit when her family left for Chicago, and I’d ordered my Captains to wait with attacks on the Bratva until we had the perfect target. I didn’t want to lose more men with attacks in blind rage. We needed to hit them where it hurt.
After my last call, I made my way back to the master bedroom. Water was running in the bathroom so I sat down on the bed, waiting for Aria. When she finally emerged, she was fumbling with her nightgown, trying to slip the second strap on her shoulder, but with her injury it was impossible.
“Done with business?” she asked with a soft smile as I walked over to her. I led her toward the bed and gently pushed her down. Her eyes were clear and kind, not pain-filled and drug-hazed. My Aria.
“I’m fine,” Aria said firmly.
All the worry and fear I’d been feeling crashed down on me. I knelt before her and pressed my face into her stomach. “I could have lost you two days ago.”
Aria trembled. “But you didn’t.”
I met her soft gaze.
“Why did you do this? Why did you take a bullet for me?” If she’d died because of me, if I’d lost her, I’d have lost my mind. Even just thinking about it, reliving that moment when I thought she was dead, it ripped a huge black hole into my chest.
Aria’s eyes became even softer. “Do you really not know why?”
Her expression told me why. Everything seemed to stand still. I knew what I felt for the woman in front of me, had known it with absolute certainty the second I almost lost her, but even before then I’d known the nature of my feelings but had clung to my doubts. I loved Aria. And how could I not? She was lovable. She was kind and gracious and forgiving. She was pure light. She was someone who deserved to be loved.
I didn’t.
I knew what I was.
“I love you, Luca.”
I cupped her face, bringing our faces close but never close enough. I searched her eyes, trying to understand how she could love me, how she found something in me that deserved to be loved. “You love me,” I repeated. No one had ever said those words to me. No one should. “You shouldn’t love me, Aria. I’m not someone who should be loved. People fear me, they hate me, they respect me, they admire me, but they don’t love me. I’m a killer. I’m good at killing. Better probably than at anything else, and I don’t regret it. Fuck, sometimes I even enjoy it. That’s a man you want to love?”