Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36109 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36109 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
“They took her into surgery because they were afraid that she had internal bleeding. We haven’t heard anything yet.”
“Where the fuck was Aston?” I growled.
“He was in the vault. When he came out, he heard the commotion and ran up to the front. He saved Gia’s life. When the men knew she couldn’t tell them anything, they were about to kill her, but Aston took out three of them.”
“Three?” Alec asked.
Leo nodded. “Aston didn’t bother with the two who ran out because he wanted to get Gia to the hospital. But he gave us descriptions, and Marco is on it.”
Gabriella turned her tear-filled gaze on Rafa. “What now?”
“Now you run,” he stated, his hard voice every inch the boss who was not to be questioned.
“Okay,” she whispered.
“Okay?” he echoed.
Like me, he’d been expecting a fight.
“I don’t want anyone else getting hurt because of me.”
“Bene,” Rafa said, gently taking hold of her face and wiped at the few tears on her cheeks with his thumbs. “You know that none of this is your fault, right?”
“Yes,” Gabriella replied softly. “But it doesn’t stop me from feeling guilty that Gia was almost killed by people looking for me.”
It was killing me to stand back and let Rafa comfort Gabriella, but giving anyone emotional support was difficult for someone who rarely let themselves experience it. And if I attempted it with Gabriella, it would be like holding up a blinking sign that announced how I felt about her.
“She doesn’t blame you,” Leo chimed in. “Aston mentioned that Gia told him that in the ambulance ride to the hospital.”
Rafa pulled her in for another hug. ”Domenico will keep you safe, but don’t forget everything I taught you, sorellina.”
“I won’t,” she promised, gaining her composure and giving him a firm nod. “I promise to keep Domenico safe, too.”
Rafa cracked a smile while the other guys coughed or pressed their lips together to hide their chuckles.
“I have no doubt.” Rafa’s eyes came to me, and he tossed over a set of keys. “The cabin is clean. Completely untraceable. Dante brought a car for you to take out of town. Ditch it no more than an hour from here and—”
“I know what to do,” I grunted. “Go pack a bag, Gabriella.”
Rafa’s brow dipped when I used her full name.
Shit.
Thankfully, Gabriella stole his attention by throwing her arms around him. “Ti amo, fratello maggiore,” she told him, squeezing him tight.
Rafa kissed the top of her head, then urged her toward the bedroom. When she was out of sight, his dark eyes swung back to me. “If anything happens to her, you better be dead already.”
“You’re questioning me?” I asked, without inflection.
“I know you would die for her, Domenico,” he sighed. “I just…it needed to be said.”
“Understood.” I stalked to the guest room to throw together my own bag, then rejoined everyone in the front room.
“We’ll follow you to Atlanta to make sure you don’t have a tail,” Alec informed me. “After you ditch the first car, don’t make any stops. We don’t want you to end up on any security cameras.”
Dante handed me two slim black cell phones, and I traded him for mine. Gabriella walked over and handed hers to him as well.
“They're clean, but I want the SIM card changed every few hours, then trash them completely before you head up the mountain. You’ll find another set at the cabin.”
“Don’t use them unless it’s an emergency,” Rafa added, looking at Gabriella.
“I’m not an idiot, Rafa,” she snarked.
Her show of fire had me smiling inside. My girl had a tender heart, but she was a fucking badass.
“Let’s hit the road,” Dante called out.
“I just need a minute with my brother,” Leo stated, watching Rafa for a sign of permission.
Rafa nodded and guided Gabriella out the door, with Alec and Dante close behind.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” he muttered once we were alone.
I cocked my head to the side and frowned. “Since when don’t you have faith in my abilities, fratello?”
He shook his head and met my eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. “That’s not what I mean. You’ll be alone with her up there. Don’t cross that line, Domenico.”
I blinked, not sure if I was understanding him correctly.
“You think I don’t know my brother well enough to see what the fuck is happening? The only time I see anything besides an unbreakable wall in your eyes is when you look at her.”
Well, shit. It probably shouldn’t have surprised me. The only person who knew me better than Rafa was Leo.
“I don’t know if he’d ever forgive you, Domenico,” Leo stressed. “So you better be damn fucking sure if you’re gonna risk it all for her.”
I wanted to assure him that I wouldn’t break my vow, but for the first time, something held me back. When I thought about what could have happened if Gabriella had been at the gallery…it had left a gaping hole in the walls I’d built inside me, and I wasn’t sure they could ever be repaired.