“I wouldn’t have thought I’d be hungry after what just happened, but I’m famished.”
He placed a tray with a sandwich and a pile of grapes next to the tub and sat beside me. “That’s your body recovering from the adrenaline and shock. You’ll have a little more energy once you eat, but I’m afraid these injuries are going to take some time to heal, and we don’t have that luxury. The next twenty-four hours aren’t going to be easy for you.”
“I’ll be fine. It’s only pain, right?” I tried to smile and lighten the mood, but the pull at my lip made me wince.
Primo’s brows were drawn, lips pursed in a thin line of concern and residual anger. I may have been the one in physical pain, but he was shouldering an enormous emotional burden. I hated to see him hurting.
“I’m sorry about Naz. He was a horrible human being, but I know he was kind of a father figure to you. It can’t be easy to lose him, no matter how crazy he was.”
He dropped his hand down to the water and swirled his fingers beneath the surface. “I just can’t believe he tried to hurt you. That his mind had become so warped he thought killing you would help further his fucked-up plan.”
“He heard us talking,” I said softly. “In the living room. He has microphones somewhere and knew everything we’d said.”
Primo’s head slowly shook side to side. “As much as I hate to admit it, Naz’s death was inevitable. I just hope I don’t lose Santino as well.”
“Have you heard from the doctor?”
“Yes. He got Santino to the emergency room, and they took him immediately back to surgery. I wish I could be there, but we have to leave as soon as possible. Once we get you dried off, I have a plane waiting for us.”
I nodded. “I’m ready. Help me out, and we can go.”
Primo helped lift me to my feet and out of the tub, then retrieved a towel and patted my body dry with tender care. Before he could step away to find me clean clothes, I grabbed his hand to get his attention. Warmth spread throughout my chest when his stormy gray eyes met mine.
“I know we haven’t known each other long, and I don’t want to scare you away, but I almost died today, and it made me realize that I want you to know that I … I love you.”
His hands raised to either side of my face, and his forehead came to rest on mine. “Don’t say that,” he whispered. “You see what a life with me is like.”
“I see loyalty and devotion. I see tenderness and strength. I see a man worth standing beside, even if it means we have to walk through hell together.”
Primo’s lips found mine in an achingly sweet kiss, featherlight but more ardent than a thousand other kisses combined. “You’ve been through a lot today. We’ll get you home, and then we can discuss what comes next.”
“I’m not going to change my mind, you know.”
His lips curved into a resigned, mournful smile. “Let’s get you dressed.”
He helped me into a dress and panties—there was no way I was putting a bra on my aching ribs—then brushed my hair and packed a bag for each of us. I managed to ease myself down the stairs while Primo carried our bags.
Haley joined us on the way down. She had composed herself, but her eyes were still bloodshot and puffy from crying.
“Where are we gonna go?” she asked, her gaze fixedly avoiding the place where Naz still lay.
“We’re going to New York,” Primo said. “From there, you can go wherever you like.”
I wasn’t sure how much Primo knew about Haley’s background, but I had gathered that she didn’t have family she could turn to for help. “I’d be more than happy for you to stay with me until you sort things out,” I offered quickly. I owed her my life, so the least I could do was give her someplace to stay.
“Actually, I have a cousin in Missouri. Maybe I can give her a call once we’re on the plane?”
I smiled warmly, relieved there was someone in her past who cared for her. “Of course.”
Primo led us out front where Santino’s Land Rover was still parked. He helped me inside, then went to put our luggage in the back when a black sedan started up the driveway.
“Stay in the car,” he barked at us, pulling his gun out and sliding it into the back of his pants.
The car stopped around twenty feet away. To my amazement, Maria and Matteo exited the vehicle. They both held guns and stood behind their open car doors as if preparing for a shoot-out. Primo lifted his hands in the air and said something I couldn’t make out, but Maria and Matteo didn’t ease their threatening posture.
I panicked.
They thought Primo was a danger to me. I had to convince them to calm down before they tried to kill him. I was so worried about stopping them that I forgot to consider what they would think when they saw my bruised and bloodied condition.
I flung open the car door and climbed out to stand next to Primo. “Please don’t hurt him,” I cried, my eyes pleading with Maria.
She took in my battered appearance, her face contorting in disgust. “You sick motherfucker,” she spat. Her arm lifted, and I moved on instinct.
It all happened in a handful of seconds.
My lunge. The gunshot. Pain rocketing through my body.
“Giada, no!” screamed Primo, catching me as I flew back into him. “Shit, shit, shit.” His voice dripped with panic as he lowered me to the ground. “What the fuck did you do?” he screamed up at my cousin.
Maria rushed to my side, her arctic blue eyes coming into my field of vision, more panicked than I’d ever seen her before. “Oh, God, Giada. Why?”
“It wasn’t him,” I tried to explain in breathy gasps. “Don’t … hurt him. It … wasn’t him.”
The pain was overwhelming.
I could see the three of them above me, but they grew blurry and distant. The more I drifted, the less my body hurt, so I allowed myself to be carried away. To float along on a river of numbness until the world went dark, and there was nothing.
Chapter 27
Primo
First Santino, then Giada. My world was being ripped apart, shredded and mutilated until it was unrecognizable, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. All the power and wealth I’d accumulated meant nothing if I couldn’t save the people I loved.
My heart pounded like a piston in my chest, but I refused to let panic consume me. I yanked my shirt over my head and pressed the wadded fabric against Giada’s shoulder to stem the bleeding.
“What happened here? Who did this to her?” Maria demanded, still struggling to understand.
“My boss, Nazario Vargas, but that fight is over. He’s dead. We were on our way to the airport for New York. I needed to get her out of here before Nazario’s brother and loyal soldiers find out I killed him. She’s not safe here, even at a hospital. I know it won’t be easy, but I think we should take the flight and get her help once we land.” I looked at Matteo for support, knowing he would be far more logical than his wife in this situation. She was clearly distraught and still struggling to trust me.
Matteo motioned for me to lift the compress off Giada’s shoulder so that he could assess the wound. “It’s not bleeding too badly, and there’s no exit wound. Small caliber at a distance so minimal tissue damage. She’ll need surgery to get the bullet out, but I think she should survive the trip if we hurry.”
“Help me get her in the car. You two can follow me.”
“Fuck, no,” Maria snapped. “I’m staying with her.”
“We don’t have time for this shit,” I growled back. “I don’t care where the fuck you ride, just help.”
The three of us maneuvered her into the back seat while Haley moved to the front. I was glad Giada wasn’t awake because the pain would have been unbearable. We raced down the driveway, not one of us acknowledging the dead guards beside my open gate. It looked like their throats had been cut in an ambush attack. The men weren’t necessarily bad people, but I wasn’t close enough to care about their deaths. All I cared about was getting Giada to safety.
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We made it to the airport in record time and were in the air shortly thereafter. A terse silence blanketed us throughout the flight. Haley sat alone in the front row, her body wracked in silent sobs the moment we lifted off the ground. Matteo made a brief call to Giada’s family, explaining what had happened and making plans for them to meet us at the New York airstrip.
During the entire flight, I held Giada on a small sofa, keeping her secure and maintaining pressure on her wound. I could hardly fathom that this woman who I had bullied, tricked, and endangered had taken a bullet for me. I was abandoning everything to keep her safe, but her sacrifice made mine look meaningless. She’d surrendered her life to protect me. There was no greater pledge of love and devotion a person could make.
I couldn’t imagine I was worthy, but knowing Giada, my thoughts on the matter would be irrelevant. As constant as the sun rising in the east and equally as captivating, Giada was the most confident, headstrong woman I’d ever met. She bounded through life with charismatic purpose, enriching the lives of everyone around her.
To lose something so precious after I’d only just found her was unconscionably cruel. Surely, if there was a God, he would not be so vindictive. So unjust and merciless.
It had been years since I had cast my voice to God in prayer. After my mother’s death, I lost my faith in many things. I still wasn’t sure how I felt on the matter, but in a moment of crushing desperation, I was not above begging for help. With my eyes closed and my heart flayed open, I pleaded with God to save Giada. I swore if she lived, I would endeavor every day thereafter to be worthy of her love. To cherish and protect her with my life.
“It would appear your time together has been rather transformative.”
I opened my eyes to find Matteo’s calculating gaze assessing me. He’d likely been watching me the entire time, but I’d been too distracted to notice.
“They’ve been eventful, that’s for sure,” I murmured in response.
“She told her cousin she was safe and wanted to be there with you, but under the circumstances, we felt confident she’d just been manipulated. Duped into going quietly. But she was telling the truth, wasn’t she?”
I gazed at Giada’s pale skin, normally so radiant and healthy, and felt my heart contract. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I was supposed to get her cousin, Alessia, but when she approached me at the casino, she derailed everything. I was completely taken with her.”
“I hope you’re aware that her father isn’t going to give a rat’s ass how much you care for one another.”
I looked back at the man who had saved my life years before—a man who was honorable and highly influential—and I laid all my cards before him. “Our slate was wiped clean, you and I. You have no duty to help me, but I’d happily be in your debt again if you could bring yourself to speak on my behalf. Talk to Edoardo and Enzo and give them pause to at least consider the possibility that I am worthy of her.”
He offered no reaction. Not even the slightest clue to his thoughts on the matter. “I can’t make you a promise when I have no idea how this will play out when we arrive.”
The grinding sound of the landing gear lowering resonated throughout the cabin.
“I suppose if they kill me as soon as I touch the ground, there’s little need to plead my case.”
“We’re about to find out. Just hang onto her and keep your cool.” His wary tone gave me a glimmer of hope that he just might have my back.
I secured Giada against my body to prepare for landing and schooled myself for what was to come. We’d made the normally five-hour flight in half the time, which was exceptionally quick but still felt like a lifetime knowing each second could be Giada’s last. If our circumstances hadn’t been so precarious, I would have had the pilot take us to Texas or somewhere closer, but we’d be vulnerable anywhere but New York where her family could protect her. Their influence at the airstrip would prevent a customs nightmare and keep her safe once she was transported to a hospital.
Despite my anxiety over dealing with her family, there was a large part of me that sighed with relief when we touched down on the runway because we were that much closer to getting Giada help. I resigned myself to whatever the outcome, so long as she survived.
The pilot taxied the plane to an air hanger instead of the main building, under instruction from her family to keep the authorities out of the picture. Inside, an ambulance was waiting along with several black SUVs with dark tinted windows.
Matteo helped me maneuver Giada out of the narrow doorway and down the stairs. The paramedics met us with a gurney, and she was quickly secured and wheeled away. I abhorred not going with her, but her family would never allow it. Instead, Maria leapt into the back of the ambulance, leaving me surrounded by half a dozen angry mafia men.
I pulled Haley out from behind me, resting my arm around her back. “This is Haley. She was another victim of Nazario and a friend of Giada’s. Before we address my crimes, I’d ask that you allow her into the safety of a car. She doesn’t need to experience any more trauma today.”
Enzo nodded at one of the soldiers behind him, who approached us and coaxed Haley to leave my side. Once she was in the car, somewhat protected, I addressed the group on my behalf.
“I know you have a lot of questions and probably want me dead, but before you jump to any conclusions, understand that I love Giada, and killing me will only hurt her further.” I stared at Enzo Genovese, the family boss and ultimate decision maker.
His eyes flicked over to Matteo.
“He’s not a threat at the moment,” Matteo conceded. “Let’s get to the hospital, and we can sort him out later.”
Enzo glanced back at me but only spoke to his men. “Take her to a hotel. Make sure she has whatever she needs. The rest of us will head to the hospital.”
Two of the soldiers took my arms and ushered me to a vehicle. Matteo joined us inside, much to my relief. We all caravanned to the hospital and were taken to a small interior waiting room where emergency patient families were allowed to wait. Giada had been taken directly into surgery, and we wouldn’t have any word on her condition until the procedure was complete.
“There’s an unoccupied consultation room open,” Enzo pointed out before we had a chance to sit down. “I suggest we take a few minutes to talk before the ladies arrive.”
I nodded and followed Enzo with Matteo and Edoardo behind me. The tiny room was only about six feet square and contained four chairs and a small Formica table. Making the space feel even more confined, Matteo closed the blinds on the small window, secluding us from view.
They weren’t going to kill me there at the hospital, but that didn’t make the scene any less intimidating. Edoardo looked like he wanted to rip my head from my shoulders and put it on a spike on his front lawn. I couldn’t blame him. Giada wouldn’t be on an operating table if it hadn’t been for me.
“I appreciate you allowing me the opportunity to explain,” I started.
“I don’t see why he should be allowed to say anything. He shouldn’t even be breathing at this point.” Edoardo glared at me. Luckily, his brother wasn’t swayed by the show of emotion.
Enzo lifted his hand in warning. “There’s always time to do things right. Killing him before we know what happened would be imprudent. Let’s hear what you have to say.”
I launched into the tale, describing the evolution of my relationship with Giada from our first encounter in Las Vegas to the showdown with Naz. I bent the truth slightly, taking credit for Naz’s death, but only to protect Haley. The only people who knew the truth were the three of us that had been in that room, and it would stay that way.
“I know it may be hard for you to believe,” I continued, “but I’ve given up everything for Giada. I love her and want to be with her, and she put her life on the line to save me. Don’t make those sacrifices worthless by keeping us apart, please.”
Enzo looked at Matteo. “Do you have anything to add?”
Sleeve
s rolled to his elbows, expensive gold watch at his wrist, Matteo leaned forward with his elbows on the table. “I have a bit of history with Primo. I don’t know him all that well, but from what I’ve witnessed, I’d say he’s honorable. I also know, after watching Giada jump in front of him to take a bullet, that if something happens to him, she’ll never forgive those responsible.”
Edoardo wasn’t thrilled with what he’d heard, but he had set aside his bloodlust long enough to truly listen. “What exactly do you expect to happen? You aren’t family—you’re not Italian, and you have way too much history with the cartel to be any part of our organization.”
I met his hard stare, not letting an ounce of weakness show through. “I don’t have to be a part of your mafia family in order to love your daughter. I could be a valuable asset in many capacities, should you be interested in working with me, but even if that never pans out, what matters is Giada. The only thing that will ever matter to me is Giada.”
Enzo nodded. “It sounds like there’s going to be much to discuss in the coming days. I’ll allow you to remain here unharmed, but it will be on a probationary basis. Should I get word that you have maintained your cartel connections or stepped out of line in any way, you will receive no leniency. Understood?”
“Perfectly. Thank you, Mr. Genovese, for your trust in me. I will prove to you it’s not misplaced.” I held out my hand and was rewarded with his firm grip.
“All right, let’s get back out there,” Enzo said wearily. “The women have probably already arrived, and I can only imagine it’s going to be a long night.”
Chapter 28
Giada
The melodic lilt of a woman’s voice drew me from the hazy grip of sleep. I tried to push away the sound because with it came an insistent throbbing from my neck to my navel as though an elephant had found its way onto my chest. The louder the voice grew, the more pronounced the pain. I desperately tried to flee back into my numbing wonderland to no avail.
Impossible Odds: A Mafia Romance (The Five Families Book 4) Page 19
