Vince appears around the side of the wall, knife in hand. The blade of the knife flashes across my line of sight so quickly, I almost miss the slash that nearly decapitates the thug who has…or had…his gun pointed to the back of Diego’s head. Diego rolls away from the guy before he collapses on top of him, all four-hundred pounds of him. He grabs the dead guy’s gun and flips around so he’s behind the wall. Vince crouches down, firing shots at Juan’s other guys, and another guy appears behind him.
Villani.
I guess he wasn’t working against us after all. Nice to know someone understands the meaning of loyalty.
More gunshots ring out, tearing through the walls as my brothers scramble for their weapons. I don’t even know where the bullets are coming from, but they’re flying everywhere. Plates, glasses, vases — everything explodes under the relentless fire. I tackle Juan to the ground, smashing his face against the floor, the shards of glass glittering around us.
“Tommy, watch out! Behind you!”
I don’t think. I barely breathe. I grab the knife from my belt and twist around jam it into the throat of another one of Juan’s guys before pulling it out and kicking him away from me.
That was my big mistake. I took my eyes off of Juan.
Another gunshot fires and time screeches to a stop as my body flies back against a wall, my head cracking against the leg of an end table. A blood-curdling scream pierces the air around us, muting the sound of gunfire. My vision blurs, my eyes squeezing shut as flames tear through my arm. I feel myself hit the floor, my head slamming into the thick marble tile.
It feels so cool against my skin as my face falls against it.
“Tommy!”
I hear my name, but it’s distant, like I’m hearing it through a thick fog. I try to lift my head, but it’s heavy as a cement block. More gunshots ring out, the sharp sounds muted and muffled.
I open my eyes a crack and see a bright white light.
It glows so bright.
The glow fades, and I see Gemma kneeling down next to me, tears running down her face.
I try to say her name, to take a single breath, but it hurts.
Then everything goes cold.
Numb.
And finally, dark.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Gemma
“Tommy!” I shriek, dragging his limp body around the corner into the kitchen. Cristian comes running after me as more bodies hit the floor. I don’t stop to look, all I can think about is Tommy.
I press my ear against his chest and a sob erupts from my throat. “Oh, thank God!” I cry. “He’s alive!”
“Watch out,” Cristian mutters, turning him slightly over and letting out a deep sigh. “Thank fuck,” he mutters. “Both bullets went through. Clean exits.”
“He needs to get to a hospital,” I say, my teeth chattering.
“On it,” Cristian says, dialing a number.
I stroke the side of Tommy’s face as Cristian barks orders into his phone. Suddenly, the gunfire stops and all I can hear is Cristian’s agitated voice. I’m afraid to breathe, afraid to move, afraid to hope.
“Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay.” I keep whispering the words over and over again, willing him to open his eyes, to say something, to do something…anything.
A minute passes, then another.
I squeeze him tighter, the tears dripping onto his blood-stained shirt. I smooth back his hair, leaning down to place a kiss on his forehead. “I love you so much. Please be okay. Please open your eyes. Please stay with me!”
I look up, blinking fast at the sea of faces swimming in front of me. Faces and clothes are streaked with blood, mouths are panting, and eyes are heavy. Ant drops to the floor next to me, placing a hand on Tommy’s chest.
Cristian hangs up the phone.
“Did you make the call?” Vince asks.
He nods, sinking down next to me.
I stare at Tommy for what feels like years until his eyelids flutter. I gasp. “Oh my God! His eyes! They just moved!”
And then my heart floats higher in my chest when they crack open.
“Tommy,” I whisper, stroking the side of his face.
“What happened?” he asks, letting out a groan. “My arm feels like it’s on fire. And my head is pounding.”
“You were shot,” I whisper. “And you cracked your head against a table and passed out.”
“Who shot me?” he asks in a groggy voice, turning his head slightly toward Ant. “No fucking way, man. Was it you? Did you get me again?”
Ant chuckles. “If you weren’t shot, I’d punch you the fuck out right now!”
A small smile lifts Tommy’s lips. “You’ve got lousy fucking aim.”
“Juan clipped you,” Diego says, nodding over his shoulder. “He got Gio in the leg. Poor bastard’s been through the ringer, but he’s still alive. Barely, but he is.”
“Gio, thank God,” I murmur. “Is he by himself? Can someone go and check on him?”
“The hot chick in black is with him. I think he’s good,” Diego replies with a mischievous smile.
Vince turns away, but I still catch the grimace on his face and the pointed look in their direction. I don’t know what the hell that’s all about, but right now I’d just like the answer to one pressing question. “Jesus Christ, is this nightmare finally going to end?”
“For the time being, yeah. Vince just blew away our friend Salazar and his crew so once the cleaners get here and take care of business, that’ll end our war.” Cristian smirks. “But the nightmare’s just beginning for someone else.”
“Who?” I ask, partly panicked to hear the unfortunate person’s name.
“Tommy’s publicist. She’s gonna be pissed off when she sees how much harder he just made her job,” Cristian says.
Even Tommy manages to chuckle at that one. “Always be unexpected, right?” he rasps.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Tommaso
“How is it that out of everyone I’m the only one who got fucking clipped?” I groan, shifting over on the makeshift gurney in Doc Milo’s rented villa. Every family needs their own discreet health care provider. Thank God I invited him to Palermo for this weekend, otherwise I’d have bled out in my own goddamn kitchen. I think I might need to get him here permanently. “Huh, Doc? How come I’ve got all the fucking luck?”
“And how is it that out of all of your brothers, you’re the one I’ve treated the most?” Doc Milo snickers. “You’re being sarcastic now, but you are actually very lucky that I came into town for your big opening night, Tommaso.” He nods over at Gemma. “And I can’t think of a luckier man than the one who has this beauty standing next to him.”
Gemma’s cheeks flush pink, her smile brighter than I’ve ever seen.
“I can’t argue with that,” I say, squeezing her hand tight.
“How do you feel?” he asks. “You’ve been out for hours. I was afraid I gave you too much of the sedative.”
“Nah, you know those drugs never work on me. I was actually hoping you’d have brought me a pizza or something when you came in here to check on me.” I smile even though my arm is sore as hell.
“Isn’t love supposed to take away your appetite?” Doc snickers as he takes Tommy’s vitals.
“Nothing kills my appetite, Doc. I thought you’d have realized that by now.”
He nods. “My mistake. I’ll get that pizza for you, right after I patch up Gemma’s brother.”
“Extra basil,” I call to him. “And use the fresh mozzarella, not that store-bought shit.”
Doc salutes me as he closes the door, leaving me alone with Gemma.
She bites down on her lower lip as she strokes the side of my face. “You really scared the heck out of me today. Is it always going to be this way for us? Are we constantly going to be battling demons? Forever? Just like my parents?”
“Does that bother you?”
“Um, yeah! I think it’s been a pretty freaking traumatic cou
ple of days, don’t you?”
“I guess.” I shrug with my good arm. “But didn’t I tell you I’d always protect you?”
“You did,” she says with one eyebrow lifted. “And then you got yourself shot.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t Ant who clipped me? I still don’t believe him.”
She giggles. “Yes, I’m sure. It was a bad guy. The worst guy, actually.” Her face sobers. “And there will be more of that kind of guy, won’t there?”
“I’m not gonna lie to you, Gem.” I let out a slow, shaky breath so I don’t rustle my shoulder too much. “That guy is always gonna show up, thirsty for blood. But it only means I need to be smarter and faster to stay ten steps ahead. And that’s a good thing, right?” I wink at her. “I mean, shouldn’t we always be looking to improve ourselves?”
She rolls her eyes. “You sound like Vince with the ten-step thing.”
“Oh yeah? He’s using my bit now?”
“You guys seem to be on the same page at least.”
“That’s a nice change.” I lean back against the pillow. “He’s not as much of a dick as he seems.”
“I know,” she says softly. “Neither are you.”
“I don’t know about that. There are a lot of people who’d beg to differ.”
She shrugs. “I don’t really care about what other people think.”
“Then you’re definitely in the right family.” I give her hand a little squeeze because the pressure…fuck. It burns, even with the medication flowing through my veins.
I blink my eyes a few times, trying to fight the fatigue that’s slowly overtaking my body.
The door cracks open a bit and Vince pops his head in.
“What? No knock?” I say, my voice groggy.
He steps inside. “What could I possibly have been interrupting? You’re a twisted, kinky fuck, but you’re still strung up with an IV and a bullet hole or two in your arm.”
“Maybe that would make for some interesting foreplay,” I tease.
Vince steps farther into the room and leans against the wall to face Tommy. “Today was a real shit show, Tommy. Things could have gone really badly for us.”
“You know, sometimes I think about the way we handle our business.” I shift on the mattress. “We’re always running into things, guns blazing, knives out. We have no business walking out of some of the hell holes we’ve gotten sucked into. But here we are. Alive. Again. Why? And how the fuck?”
“Maybe for the same reason I found my way to you again?” Gemma asks, stroking the top of my hand. “Maybe there’s someone looking out for you. Maybe a few someones?”
I grin at Vince. “Maybe. Because I sure as shit can’t figure out how we’ve escaped the crap we have.”
“Yeah, well, luck is fleeting,” Vince says, his expression darkening. “The angels can only work so much magic. And you can’t escape forever. Even goddamn cats only have nine lives.”
“See? That’s just setting us up for bad luck.” I shake my head. “I’m deathly allergic to those evil creatures. Don’t bring them up. Don’t fucking jinx us like that!”
“Well,” Gemma says, looking at Vince with a smile playing at her lips. “Since we’re not talking about cats anymore, can we talk about someone who vaguely resembled Cat Woman in that black leather getup at the restaurant instead? Aria, is it?”
Vince’s lips stretch into a thin line and he glowers at her. “There’s nothing to say about her.”
“Really? Because it sure seemed like there were some pretty antagonistic feelings between you two.” Gemma bites her lower lip as Vince’s stare gets definitively angrier. She struck some kinda nerve with the whole Aria thing. She must be the hot chick who was fawning all over Gio at the restaurant. Vince didn’t seem happy about that, and he sure as hell isn’t happy about Gemma’s line of questioning.
“We don’t exactly see eye to eye,” he hisses, averting his gaze.
“With a body like hers, I can see where it might be hard to look her in the eye,” Gemma quips with a grin. “Come on, what gives? You guys have some serious chemistry.”
“What we have is—” Vince’s jaw tightens, and before he can finish his sentence, he holds up his buzzing phone and looks at Gemma. He nods his head toward the door. “Let’s let your guy here rest. There’s someone you need to see.”
She nods, a surprised look on her face. Then she turns to me and drops a kiss on my lips. “We’re so not done grilling him about Aria,” she whispers.
“Not even close,” I murmur back. My eyes are heavy, and it’s time for a power nap. But first…
“Hey,” I whisper, holding her hand tight since my arm is pretty numb right now. “I love you, Gem.”
“I love you, too.”
I force a smile. “But I’m pissed off that we didn’t get to have the makeup sex.”
She chuckles. “Something tells me with us, there will be plenty of other opportunities for it. That, and cookie orgasms.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Gemma
I follow Vince into another room where the doc has just left Gio. He stands aside and pushes open the door for me. Gio is lying on the bed and my mother is holding his hand next to him. My eyes widen and I run for her.
“Mama!” Tears sting my eyes. “Oh, thank God! You’re here!”
Mama wraps her arms around me as I bend over her wheelchair, squeezing me tight. “I just arrived.” She nods toward Vince and smiles at him. “Thank you, Vince.”
He shrugs. “This is where you need to be, with your family. We’ll figure something out for you guys. In the meantime, just relax.” He looks at Gio. “And you, stay off your phone and rest. I’m gonna put a tracker on you so you don’t wander away again, got it?”
Gio lets out a tired laugh. “I’m done. I swear.”
Vince lifts an eyebrow. “I don’t believe you, but I guess that’s my problem now.” His eyes flicker over to me. “Family,” he mouths, walking out and pulling the door closed behind him.
I grasp Mama’s hands. “Where’s Tia?”
“She’s fine. She’s decided to stay at her house. She’ll be safe there. One of the guys stayed behind to keep an eye on things for a while, but the threat seems to be gone.” She shakes her head. “I was so nervous when those men showed up. All I could think about was you two. Thank God you’re both okay!” Mama looks at Gio and rubs his bruised arm. “I know things fell apart after Papa died,” she says. “And we suffered a lot. But we did it on our own, not together. We need to be a family, to grieve together, to celebrate together. That’s the only way we can be strong again.”
“I’m sorry. I know I messed up,” Gio grumbles. “I lied, Gem. I was angry. And jealous. And desperate—”
“It’s okay,” I whisper. “We can fix this, I promise. We have another chance. Let’s not waste it.”
Second chances.
You’re lucky if you get them.
Luckier if you can turn them into the reality you’ve always dreamed of.
And I plan to be one of the luckier ones.
Epilogue
PART ONE: TOMMASO, SIX MONTHS LATER
“I’ll be honest with you, Tommy,” Valeria, my publicist, wanders over to the kitchen entrance where I’m staging plates with a dirty martini in hand. “I didn’t think you’d recover from this whole thing.”
“Which part? The drugs? The guns? The bodies all over the front of my restaurant?” I smirk, sprinkling tiny chopped scallions on one of the plates.
“All of it,” she hisses, leaning close to me. “Do you realize how much shit I’ve had to bury for you over the past six…no, twelve months, since you first hired me?”
“Well, I know I’ve been living that shit, so yeah. I’ve got an idea.”
She takes a long gulp of her drink and points to the full dining room. “Somehow, because of my brilliance and your incredible luck, we’ve got your first Michelin star hanging in the balance.”
“If I’m that lucky, it’s not hang
ing in the balance. It’s as good as mine.” I wink at her as she rolls her eyes.
“Cook your ass off tonight, get the goddamn star, and I’ll make sure you take over the culinary world.” She downs the rest of her drink and holds up her empty glass. “I need another. Just being around you makes me twitch because I never know what you’re going to do next. Behave yourself, okay? Or I’m firing you.” She lifts an eyebrow and flashes a half-smile.
She is right. What we did with my place and my reputation over the past six months is nothing short of miraculous. Il Gioiello looks better now than it did the first time, decorated all in black and white for the precious gem of my life. And having her by my side makes this night more special than I could have ever imagined.
I know she was right about the someones looking out for us.
I just didn’t realize it until I got my second chance with her.
And now that everything has finally come together for us, for the family, and for the restaurant, it’s time to seal the deal.
Second chances don’t come around often, and if you miss it, it might be lost forever.
“So wrong,” I murmur, shaking my head as Valeria walks away, chatting with a few patrons seated on the outskirts of the dining room. She turns to give me a thumbs-up as she starts gathering my family into the private lounge area off the bar.
I give her a quick nod and turn back to my plates. “How can I get fired by my own publicist?” I mumble. “I pay her very fucking well to keep her on her toes.”
“I don’t know, I think it’s way more fun when you keep me on my back,” Gemma murmurs, walking up behind me and snaking her arms around my waist. “Or over a couch. Or against the fridge. Or—"
“Easy. You’re gonna distract me if you keep naming places. I might accidentally use pepper instead of garnish and lose my shot at the star.”
Taken: A Dark Italian Mafia Romance (Men of Mayhem Book 3) Page 22