Snowflakes slap against my face as Gemma and I walk out the front door.
I shrug my jacket off and wrap it around her shoulders. She’s trembling, her skin white with shock except for the blooming pink mark on one side of her face.
He hit her there. He raised his hand and struck her.
My vision bleeds red. It takes everything for me to keep moving my feet forward instead of turning back around to finish what I started.
No matter how much I want to decimate Garzolo, my priority is Gemma.
I open the car door and help her inside, careful not to touch the side she’s clutching. She’s taking short, shallow breaths. The vein in her neck pounds fast and hard.
I lean over and clip in her seat belt. “You’re okay. I’ll make sure the doctor sees you right away.”
She nods, her hands finding mine.
“Show me where you’re hurt,” I ask, pulling a handkerchief from my pocket and pressing it against her bleeding bottom lip. When I pull it away, she seems surprised to see the fabric is stained red.
Garzolo split her lip.
I clench my jaw and swear to the heavens that Garzolo will pay.
“I don’t know,” she says brokenly. “My ribs, I think.”
“Okay, we’re going to figure it out.” I cup her cheek with my hand. “Gem, you’re safe now. I promise.”
Fear slips into her gaze. “Ras, you have to flee. Call Damiano. Papà—”
“Don’t worry about me.” She’s the one who’s hurt, and she’s thinking about me. The back of my throat prickles. Fuck. I can’t stand this.
I press a soft kiss to her forehead. “Give me your phone. We’re going to turn it off so that your father can’t track us while we get you taken care of.”
She slides it into my hand. “Where are we going?”
“To the closest hospital.”
“And afterwards?”
“I don’t know. I’ll figure it out. But you’re never going to be alone with your father again. Ever.”
She gives me a wary look, like she thinks that’s impossible, but she doesn’t argue.
I give her shoulder a squeeze, shut the door, and climb into the driver’s seat.
Yes, the next time I see Garzolo, I’m going to kill him. Rage burns beneath my flesh as I imagine all the ways I’d like to disfigure that motherfucker before he takes his last breath.
Watching him kick Gemma while she was curled up on the ground woke something primal inside of me. I heard the commotion from where I was waiting in the living room, and I immediately ran to the office, but I was seconds too late.
And in those seconds, he managed to knock her to the ground and land a few hits.
My hands strangle the wheel.
I should have never let her go into his office without me.
“Peaches, how are you doing?” I ask, trying to keep my voice calm for her sake.
“My side hurts badly when I breathe in.” She prods her ribs, wincing as she does it. “I don’t think anything’s broken though.”
My teeth grind against each other. “How often has he done this to you?”
A long while passes before she answers. “Until recently, it was only every few months. Whenever he was in a bad mood and had no one else to take it out on. But after Vale ran, he started doing it more.”
“Fucking unbelievable,” I growl. How dare he? It’s bad enough that he’s been hitting her, but the fact that he’s been doing that while planning to use her to save his own hide makes it even more perverse. Does he even view her as a human being? Or is she just a fucking object? “And your sisters didn’t know?”
“I’ve always hidden it. In the past, he rarely hit me hard enough to leave a bruise, so it was easy.”
“But in Ibiza, he didn’t hold back. How did Cleo not see anything?”
Her fingertips lift to her cheek. “I wore an eye mask in bed to make sure she wouldn’t notice. She’s not big on details anyway.”
Yeah, she sure isn’t. When Vale asked her about it, she was clueless.
Gemma’s been protecting her and Vale all this time by keeping this secret to herself. She’s been carrying the burden of her father’s anger and violence. There was nothing her sisters could have done when they were younger, but why not say something to Vale in Ibiza? Why not ask for help?
I stop at a red light and glance at her. “Why didn’t you say anything to me? Or Vale?”
“If I’d told Vale, she would have done everything she could to get me out of here, and Papà wouldn’t give me up easily. That’s a fact. I didn’t want to be responsible for more violence. Especially with my family on both sides of the fight. Plus, he stopped when you arrived. I thought maybe it was over, but then I fucked up. I told him what I thought of him for the first time. I didn’t hold anything back.” Her voice wavers. “It was stupid. I provoked him.”
The fact that she thinks this is somehow her fault lights a fire inside of me. “Gemma, you did nothing to deserve this.” I take her hand, pulling her attention to me. “Do you hear me?”
Her eyes are filled with tears. It takes all my willpower not to drag her over the center console and press her against my chest.
“Yes,” she whispers.
We drive for another ten minutes before we get to the emergency clinic.
Inside, it smells like antiseptic and something medicinal. My arm is wrapped securely around Gemma’s waist, and she’s holding my handkerchief to her lip as we approach the counter.
“We need to see a doctor right away,” I bark at the male receptionist sitting behind the counter.
He slides a clipboard over to us without looking up. “Please fill this out.”
I’m about to tell him to fuck off with the damn form when Gemma nudges me. “I need to list my medications and previous health issues, just in case.”
I grab a nearby pen and lead her to a chair. It’s not too busy. There are just a few other people waiting around. A security guard wanders in, says something to a nurse, and then walks out the front door. I see him light up a smoke.
Once Gemma finishes filling out the form, I bring it back to the receptionist.
“Please wait over there.” He tips his head in the direction of the waiting area.
“We’re not waiting.”
The receptionist looks up. When he registers the murderous look on my face, he swallows. “All of the doctors are busy.”
“I just saw a patient walk out of room six.”
“That doctor is about to go on his lunch break.”
I lean over the counter and snatch him by the neck of his shirt. His pupils widen with fear as he appears to finally realize I’m not someone he wants to argue with.
“Listen to me carefully,” I bite out. “Take that fucking chart, get your ass out of that chair, and tell the doctor to get the examination room ready. My girl needs help. She’s going to get it. Right fucking now. If the doctor as much as utters a protest, ask him what he prefers—to take his lunch a little late or eat it with a few missing teeth.” I twist the shirt for good measure and then let go, dropping him back into his seat.
He grabs the form Gemma filled out and jumps out of the chair, putting a few meters between us. “Okay,” he squeezes out, rubbing his neck. “I’m going.”
“We’ll be there in one minute.”
Gemma’s eyes are closed when I get back to her. The mark on her cheek is brighter now, looking painful and slightly swollen.
I should have trusted my gut when it told me Garzolo was hitting Gemma, then maybe I could have prevented all of this. I failed her.
I reach for her hand, and she blinks her eyes open, focusing her gaze on me. “Ras, you can’t go back home with me. Papà will kill you.”
“Don’t worry about that now. We need to make sure you’re okay first.”
She adjusts her position and winces a bit. “My ribs are sore, but I think they’d hurt a lot more if he broke one. You should leave. Papà might come here any minute with his men.”
“He won’t. Not unless he wants his relationship with Dem to go up in flames. Garzolo will have to get approval from him before he does anything to me.”
“You’re assuming he’s thinking rationally at the moment.”
“Your father’s been in the game for a long time. He’s not going to risk everything just to get payback.”
Gemma looks skeptical, but our discussion ends when the doctor appears. “Gemma Garzolo?”
“Right here.”
I help her up and lead her toward the man. He gives us an uneasy look, noting the split lip. I know what this looks like, especially after I just threatened the receptionist.
“Would you like to come in alone?” the doctor asks.
Gemma glances at me. “Um.”
“Go ahead,” I tell her, nudging her forward. The last thing we need is the doctor calling the cops because he thinks I was the one who hurt Gemma. “I need to make some calls anyway.” I move my attention to the doctor. “Doc, check everything there is to check. Then check it again.”
He nods and walks Gemma into the examination room.
I run my fingers through my hair. Fuck, I have to call Damiano and bring him up to speed.
When my phone buzzes, my first thought is that it’s him. Maybe Garzolo already called Dem and gave his version of what happened.
But it’s Orrin’s name on the screen.
I pick up.
“What?”
“You won’t believe what just happened,” he says, sounding out of breath.
“Don’t make me guess.”
“I just got a call from my contact at the local police department.”
I take a seat. “And?”
“They’re moving in on Garzolo right now. He’s fucked. They had an informant deep inside his org who gave them everything they needed.”
My blood slows inside my veins. It’s happening.
“I tried to see if your name came up, but I couldn’t find out.”
I don’t care about that. The chances of the Feds building a case on Dem and I are low. We operate outside of their jurisdiction.
“How much time does he have until they have him?” I ask.
“I don’t know. They’re already on their way. Why?”
“Trying to figure out if there’s enough time for me to go back to his house and take care of him first.”
“What happened?”
“He’s…” I drag my palm over my mouth. What do I tell him? I might need his help once I figure out what my plan is. “Fuck, never mind. We better talk in person. I might need to swing by the shop in the next hour or so. Will you be around?”
“Are you in trouble?”
“I’m not sure.”
“You should probably be on the next flight out.”
“It’s more complicated than that.”
“All right. I’ll be at the shop.”
“See you then.”
The door to the clinic opens, and a few more people come in. I can’t talk to Damiano in here.
I send a text to Gemma to let her know I’m just going to be outside in the car and leave the waiting area.
Damiano picks up on the second ring. “Ras? What’s going on?”
I check the clock on the dashboard. It’s three am in Italy. Judging by his tired voice, I woke him up, so Garzolo hasn’t gotten in touch yet. I guess Garzolo’s too busy preparing to get handcuffed. “Something happened. We need to talk.”
“All right, give me one second.” There’s a rustling sound. I wonder if he’s getting out of bed so that he won’t disturb Vale.
Fuck. Vale’s going to be devastated when she hears about what happened.
“Tell me,” Dem says.
I realize I don’t even know where to fucking start.
Nunzio’s words ring in my mind. Maybe he was right. Maybe I haven’t changed.
Last night, when I saw how upset Gemma was, I wasn’t thinking of Dem. I was only thinking of what I wanted to do, which was to steal her away from here.
And now, that thought is right there again, in the center of my head.
“Garzolo is about to be arrested,” I say before I recap everything that happened in his office. By the time I’m done, my fists are clenched so hard my nails are digging though my skin.
Dem lets out a long breath. “Fuck. All right. Here’s what you’re going to do. As soon as we get off the phone, you’re going to take Gemma to Rafaele. Their wedding is in three weeks. He can take care of her for the time being. I’ll get you a flight out in the next two hours. You need to be on it, all right? This is a fucking mess we don’t want to get involved in.”
It’s what I expected him to say, but it sends a wave of dread through me anyway. “Dem, I can’t just leave Gemma with Rafaele. She’s scared and hurt. She just got beat up by her fucking father.”
“She has Cleo and her mother. Rafaele is duty bound to take care of them with Stefano locked up. His succession will be announced before Garzolo’s fingerprints are taken, and this will become his problem to solve. As soon as you get Gemma to him, your work there is done.”
Panic rises through my lungs. He wants me to leave her. That’s fucking impossible. I have to make him understand that Gemma needs me by her side.
“Rafaele is not going to give her the comfort she needs right now,” I argue. “And you know how her mother is. She needs someone around her who can support her.”
“As soon as it’s safe, Vale will go over there. I know she’ll want to.”
“But when will that be? What happens in the meantime?”
“Damn it, Ras. How many times are you going to make me repeat myself? You have to get out of there. There’s nothing you can do.”
“That’s not true. I can stay here with her.”
“And risk getting arrested? Garzolo might give you up to the Feds just to get payback for what you did to him. You’ve got no support there.”
“The Feds don’t have anything on me here.”
“They’ll detain you anyway. We’d get you out, but why risk it?”
“Then let me take Gemma with me back to Italy.”
Dem makes a frustrated sound. “What part of she’s engaged have you forgotten? To a man who’s just become the don of her damn family nonetheless. You cannot take her anywhere but to Rafaele.”
“What if she doesn’t want to be engaged anymore?”
“Has she said that?”
“No, but I know she doesn’t want this! Why would she marry that asshole to save her Papà when her Papà’s been fucking beating her? This is bullshit.”
“I get it, but it’s a fucking inferno over there right now. Everything is blowing up. This isn’t the time to throw gasoline on the flames. Come back, and we’ll talk it out. We need to let the situation settle before we do anything that could make it worse.”
“Damiano, you don’t understand—”
“For fuck’s sake, Ras. I do understand,” he says, his tone turning empathic.
Something lodges inside my throat.
“I do fucking understand, but there’s nothing you can do. I told you to be careful around her, didn’t I? You knew she was off limits.”
“I know.” My voice is hoarse. “But I couldn’t stay away.”
There’s a drawn-out pause. Damiano is giving me time to process. To come to the conclusion he’s been driving at this entire call.
I have to leave. I have to go home.
The door to the clinic opens, and Gemma steps out. A bruise is blooming on her cheek. She looks so strong and fragile at the same time.
The silence stretches until Dem says, “Ras, this isn’t a discussion. This is a fucking order.”
I press the edge of the phone to my forehead. My head feels like it might split in two.
On one side is logic. Duty.
And on the other is a feeling buried so deep inside my gut that if I ignore it, it might rip through my organs and kill me outright.
My heart pounds inside my throat.
As an underboss, disobeying your don’s direct command is as good as handing in your resignation. There won’t be any coming back from this. Dem’s my brother. I’d die for him. I’d kill for him. I have killed for him.
But I can’t do this.
I can’t leave her.
I just fucking can’t.
I press the phone back to my ear.
“The answer is still no. I’m not leaving her here.”
“Ras—”
“I’m sorry, Dem. I am.”
I hang up. There’s a whoosh of blood in my ears as I try to pull myself together. There’s no time to ruminate on what I’ve just done. I have to figure out my plan.
I get out of the car and rush to help Gemma.
“You can stop fussing over me,” she says. “The doctor said my ribs aren’t broken, just bruised. They will heal on their own. And my lip didn’t even need a stitch.”
Relief floods me, but my hold on her stays firm as I help her into the car. “Good, but you’re still in pain. Did he give you anything for that?”
“He prescribed me oxycodone. I don’t know if I need it though.”
“Give me the script.”
She hands me the piece of paper and clasps my hand, making me meet her gaze. Her eyes are tired, but there’s so much damn resilience in those gray depths.
I have no fucking clue what we’re going to do, but the fact that I’m still here feels like a damn good start. There is no version of this universe where I’d get on a plane while she’s hurting.
“Where are we going?” she asks.
“We’ll stop by the pharmacy.”
“And after that?” Her voice is flinty. “I… I don’t want to go back home. Not yet.”
I bite on my tongue. She’s not going back to that house, that’s for fucking sure, but where do I take her? Do I tell her about the impending arrest? Garzolo may have been taken in already. Her sister or her mom might be trying to contact her right now, but her phone is off inside my pocket.
If Gemma gets in contact with them, she might ask me to take her to them.
And I’d have to say no. Because as soon as she leaves my hands, Garzolo’s or Messero’s men will force me out. I didn’t go against Dem’s commands only to lose her in the next few hours.
Fuck, this is a mess. Going to Orrin’s will buy us a bit of time while I try to figure out what’s next.
When I put my hands on the wheel, I realize they’re shaking.
“I have an idea,” I say gruffly. “We’re going to go see a friend.”
