Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 88326 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88326 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“Yeah, me too.” Her eyes dropped as she released a sigh. “I only saw the end of that fight…and I was horrified.”
I smirked to make her feel better. “I had it handled.”
She gave a slight shake of her head but didn’t say anything.
Don Russo and the others had defeated the rest of Icarus’s men and taken back headquarters. Elio and Andre had transported Leo to the hospital, and the last text Francesca got from Elio was that Leo had been rushed to surgery.
I knew her thoughts were with her brother right now.
“You think he’ll be okay?” she asked quietly, speaking so low it was like she didn’t actually want to ask the question.
I didn’t want to lie to her, but I also didn’t want to tell her the truth.
Her eyes found mine when I didn’t answer.
“Do you really want to know, or do you want me to make you feel better?”
Her eyes immediately flicked away, and she got off my lap. “That answers my question.” She crossed her arms over her chest and stood a few feet from me, which was unlike her. So much had happened in the last few hours, and we’d barely had a second to talk. She looked out the window into the gardens outside.
“It was a close shot. I’ve never been shot at that range before.”
She continued to look outside.
“It depends on where he was hit.”
She absent-mindedly rubbed one of her arms like she was cold.
“It’s okay to be sad, Francesca.”
She slowly turned to look at me, her eyes carrying a mound of grief. “I’d be dead right now if it weren’t for him.”
I didn’t want to think about that possibility, but I gave a nod to acknowledge what Leo had done.
“He didn’t have to do that.”
He’d really fucked up with his dad, but his family loyalty had been renewed by that loss. I didn’t believe in second chances, but I did believe in redemption. If her dad could have witnessed what had just happened, it would pull at even his heartstrings. “I have to finish up some stuff here, but you should go to the hospital.”
Her arms tightened over her chest.
“That way, you’ll be there when he gets out of surgery.”
“If he gets out of surgery…”
“There’s hope. He’s made it this far.” He’d survived the ride to the hospital, and if he’d died during the operation, Elio would have informed Francesca by now. So there was hope…however slim. He might survive but be in a coma for the rest of his life. That had happened to one of the guys from Cosa Nostra a few years ago—until his family pulled the plug.
“Can you come with me?” she whispered, afraid to ask when I was the last person she should be afraid to ask anything.
I rose to my feet and drew close. “I will after I finish up a couple things around here.”
“Icarus is dead,” she said. “What else is there?”
I hoped this was the end, but I wasn’t convinced. “It’s easy to forget that Icarus was a lieutenant, not the boss.”
Realization came into her gaze before she took a breath. “I thought this was over.”
“It’s never over—at least in this business.”
“You think the Skull King will be a problem?”
“I don’t know. Depends on how stubborn he is. If he’s business-minded, he’ll cut his losses and focus on something more profitable. But if he’s an asshole, he might try to burn this place to the ground out of spite.”
“If Icarus failed, it’s silly for him to believe he would succeed.”
“Perhaps. Depends on his perspective.”
She was quiet for a while as she thought through all of this. “Your obligation was to help Cosa Nostra defeat Icarus. You’ve done that—so your job is complete. We can go back to our lives.”
“Yeah, I suppose.”
“You suppose?” she asked gently.
I inhaled a slow breath. “I don’t know, I guess I feel protective of them.” I should feel nothing after they’d turned their backs on me, but seeing Icarus threaten Don Russo’s family and destroy the place I’d called home hit me hard.
Her eyes flicked back and forth between mine. “I said if you wanted to come back, we could do that.”
“I don’t want to come back,” I said immediately. “I guess I just want to know they’re okay before I move on. You know, like a parent who wants to make sure their kid gets settled at university before they head back home.”
She continued to stare at me. “I think a part of you will always be Cosa Nostra.”
My feelings toward them were layered and complicated, but there was definitely an undertone of affection that burned in my heart. “Yeah, maybe. At least we always have allies if we ever need them in the future.”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that anytime soon. I can’t believe I have to fix the house a third time.”