Kennedy wiped her nose, which was bleeding. “I didn’t. Pedro ordered us to take out the Donatelli, which I did.”
“You were supposed to strike when the Santini were driving off, not while they were left out in the open, and I heard D tell you about the weaponry container being put in the front car. You knew what would happen if you hit it.”
Kennedy licked her split lip, a big grin forming across her face. “You bet I did.”
The Vipers behind Ivy grabbed her before she could lunge at Kennedy, fury blazing through her. Ivy yelled at them to let her go, which they did. She shook herself out, calming herself down, then pointed a finger at Kennedy. “I’m sick of you trying to jeopardize this mission.”
“Then call it off, because you’re the only one who wants it. The rest of us aren’t happy about you trying to marry us off to the Santini.”
“Bullshit. Everyone else is behind me, and we all know why you don’t want this to succeed.”
Kennedy screwed up her face. “My sexual preference has got nothing to do with this. My problem is it’s too risky. We don’t know those men, and from what I’ve heard they’re volatile. D agrees with me and she likes cock, so stick that up your arrogant ass.”
“Only because she’s been listening to you whisper poison into her ear, and if D clapped eyes on one of those brothers, she’d be backing me, not you.”
“No, I wouldn’t,” D said. “I’d still back K.”
“Not if you saw the twins. I know your taste in men, D, and you’ll be falling on your knees, begging to suck their cocks.”
D glared at her. “You’re vulgar.”
“It’s the truth, and if you want one of the rockers, I won’t stand in your way.”
“I thought I wasn’t in the running. You pretty much said that K and I were going to miss out due to numbers.”
“Kennedy’s missing out because she’s gay, whereas you ... you do want a pretty boy rocker, don’t you?” Ivy refrained from grinning, knowing she had D hooked.
Kennedy turned to her friend. “Don’t listen to her, she can’t promise you a brother.”
D frowned. “I want the one called Vinnie.”
“You can’t just order him. He’s not from a fucking male catalogue.”
D crossed her arms over her chest. “I still want him. You saw his picture, he’s fucking hot.”
“I don’t give a shit what he looks like, it still won’t work. He could have a lover. Or what if he doesn’t like you? Did you even think about that?”
D pulled a face. “All men like me.”
Kennedy made an exasperated sound. “Regardless, Vinnie and his brothers have no obligation to do shit for us. Why the hell would they risk their necks to help us kill the Black Russian?”
Ivy cut in, “Because we’ll help them kill their own enemies.”
Kennedy turned to her. “You’re so caught up with these men, you think they’re the answer to everything. Well, they’re not. We don’t need them. We should be recruiting more Vipers, not wasting our time on mafia goons.”
“That’ll take too long,” Ivy said. “Aligning with the Santini will be much quicker, plus they have an arsenal at their disposal.”
“It still won’t work, and you’re being fucking delusional if you think it will.”
“No, I’m realistic, nothing else.”
“Like Farah was realistic when she thought she could kill the Black Russian,” Kennedy spat out, her eyes filled with hate. “And look what happened there. She got my partner killed!”
“Others died that day too.”
“I don’t give a fuck about the others!” Kennedy yelled, her anger causing her to shake. “You lost one sister that day, whereas I lost everything. Cassidy was my life!”
“Cassidy’s death was not Farah’s fault.”
“Her actions led to it.”
“Lay the blame where it should be laid: at the Black Russian’s feet.”
Kennedy stepped closer, pointing a finger at Ivy. “I lay it all at Farah’s feet, and you’re exactly the same as her. You’re going to get us all killed like your fucking useless sister!”
Ivy’s fist whipped out, smashing Kennedy in the face. The American Viper fell backwards, D rushing to help her. The other Vipers grabbed Ivy. She struggled against them, screaming at Kennedy that she was going to kill her.
“IVY!”
Ivy went still at the sound of Menna’s voice. Her sister appeared in front of her, her expression hard.
“It wasn’t Farah’s fault,” Ivy said, her eyes begging Menna to agree.
Menna’s gaze moved to the Vipers who were holding Ivy. They let go and stepped back. Without a word, Menna wrapped her arms around Ivy. Sorrow rushed through Ivy, hitting her hard. She laid her face on Menna’s shoulder and started crying, knowing that Menna didn’t agree with her.
Because it had been Farah’s fault. Even she knew that.
15
A rumble came from outside. Bianca strode to her bedroom window as a convoy of vehicles drove up the main driveway, coming to a stop in front of the house. A tall, muscular man covered in tattoos jumped out of the first one. Bianca smiled, so relieved to see Alessandro. His pants were dirtied and ripped, and he was shirtless, but he didn’t appear to be harmed.
He yelled for help from the soldiers getting out. Two of them rushed forward, assisting him with... Bianca’s hand shot to her mouth. They removed Ricardo’s still form from the car. Panicked, Bianca ran out of her room, flying down the passage and staircase. As she entered the foyer, men burst through the front door.
Alessandro and the two soldiers carried Ricardo in. He had a bandage wrapped around his left arm and a towel pressed against his shoulder, the white material stained with blood. More blood streaked his bare stomach as well as his black pants, which was speckled with holes.
Bianca backed up as Alessandro yelled out, “Ricardo’s been shot!”
Family and servants came rushing out of rooms. Salvatore pushed through them all to get to Ricardo. “How bad?”
“He’s been hit in the shoulder and arm,” Alessandro replied. “The bullet in his arm went straight through, while we removed the shoulder one, which luckily didn’t hit him square on. He’s also got shrapnel wounds in his legs and a head injury, the head injury concerning me the most. I tried to get a hold of Lisa’s father, but he’s not answering his phone.”
“Mamma fired him last week.” Salvatore hollered, “Lisa!”
They resumed walking, taking to the staircase. Bianca followed them up it. As she rounded the corner, a curvy blonde she hadn’t seen before shot out of nowhere, pushing past her. The woman followed the men carrying Ricardo, the other soldiers letting her through. She yelled out, “Someone get an IV and Ricardo’s blood supply,” then disappeared into his room.
Bianca went to enter after her, but got the door slammed in her face. The soldier who’d shut it moved in front of the door, giving her a look that said, ‘Back off’. He was heavy set, with dark eyes and a grisly face.
Bianca opened her mouth to yell at him, but got cut off by Anna. Ricardo’s sister, pushed past Bianca, demanding to be let in.
The soldier shook his head. “Alessandro’s barred everyone, except for Salvatore, your mother, and medical staff.”
“He doesn’t have a right to stop me,” Anna snapped. “I’m senior to him.”
“Not in times of crisis.”
“I still outrank you, so let me through.”
The soldier crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ve been given my orders, and I won’t go against them.”
Anna shoved the man. “Move!”
He steadied himself, but didn’t retaliate, other than to glare at Anna. She shoved him again, the woman looking so much like her mother at that moment. Her husband pushed past Bianca and grabbed his wife, pulling her away from the soldier.
“Let me go, Sergio!” Anna shouted.
“Not until you calm down,” he said.
“How can I be cal
m when my brother could be dying?”
“His wounds aren’t deadly,” the soldier spoke up.
“But, he was soaked in blood.”
“He was hit in the arm and shoulder. The rest are minor shrapnel wounds.”
“Then why is he unconscious?”
“The force of the explosion knocked him to the ground, but it’s not critical.”
“People can die from head wounds.”
“We have the situation under control. So, please, Signora, let the nurse do her job. You can see him once he’s patched up.”
Noise came from down the passage, grabbing everyone’s attention. Ricardo’s mother was heading for the room with more brothers behind her, the twins and Luciano. The soldier stepped forward, rattling off Ricardo’s wounds.
Concetta came to a stop in front of him. “And what about Alessandro?”
“He’s unharmed.”
She breathed out, appearing more relieved over Alessandro’s wellbeing than Ricardo’s. It made Bianca angry that the woman cared so much for one son, and so little for the other.
Concetta swept her gaze over her children. “Leave. I will inform you once Ricardo’s ready for visitors.” She turned back to the guard. “Let me in.”
He opened the door for her. A different soldier followed her inside, carrying a blood bag and IV equipment. The guard closed the door behind them, looking frustrated as Anna started ordering him to let her in again. Her husband said something into her ear, making her stop. He then led his complaining wife away, directing her down the passage. The other brothers followed, except for Vinnie, who sat down on the floor by the wall. He let out a pained groan, catching his twin’s attention.
Dominic turned back. “Are you—”
Vinnie cut him off. “Go away, Dom.”
Dominic stopped, his expression aggrieved. “I was just—”
“—annoying the fuck out of me, so piss off.”
Dominic jerked his head back, probably surprised by his brother’s tone. A second later, his expression hardened. He swore at Vinnie, then spun around and stalked off, flicking his twin the finger.
Bianca sat down next to Vinnie. “What was that about?”
“I can’t breathe without him being in my face, asking if I’m all right.”
“Sounds like he’s being nice and you’re being a stronzo.”
Vinnie snorted out a laugh. “Trust me; Dom being nice would drive anyone insane. Today he almost punched a servant for accidentally knocking into me. He’s like a freaking psycho nurse. And just now, he would’ve told me I shouldn’t be sitting on the floor, that it’s bad for my ribs, blah, blah, blah. For fuck’s sake, Ricardo’s been shot and he’s on my case about sitting on the floor?”
“But he didn’t say anything.”
“I know what he was going to say. I know how his tiny brain works.”
Bianca smiled. “You’re wrong.”
“No, I’m not. I’d bet a million dollars he would’ve said that.”
“I didn’t mean you were wrong about that. Yesterday you called him your evil twin.” She smiled. “Looks like you’re the evil one.”
He snorted out another laugh. “I am when I’ve got two cracked ribs and my face smashed in.”
“Then why aren’t you mad with Ricardo? He hurt you, not Dominic.”
Vinnie grimaced. “’Cause it’s my fault, I shouldn’t have interfered. When Ricardo goes into a blind rage, he doesn’t recognize anyone.”
“But I thought his medication was supposed to stop him from losing it.”
“It doesn’t always work. When he gets too mad, nothing helps.”
“What made him lose it last night?”
Vinnie focused on her face. “You.”
“Me?”
“Sì. He went nuts at your attacker. He was yelling about the guy’s hand, saying that no one’s allowed to touch you.” Vinnie leaned his head against the wall, his expression pained. “He obviously loves you,” he said, the comment sounding like an afterthought.
“No, he doesn’t, otherwise he wouldn’t have slept with that maid this morning.”
“What maid?”
“The gorgeous one with the black eyes.”
Vinnie frowned. “But all the maids are ugly.”
“Not this one.”
“That doesn’t sound right. Firstly, Salvatore only hires ugly chicks, and secondly, Ricardo doesn’t have sex. I may tease him about getting some, but I know he doesn’t.”
“Dominic said Ricardo bedded Ghita.”
“She was the exception, and I only think he fucked her to make the troia happy.”
“Regardless, he still had sex with that maid.”
Vinnie screwed up his nose, looking like he didn’t believe her.
“He did!” she snapped, now angry. “And he did it right after he fucked me, so don’t try to tell me he doesn’t have sex, when he’s a cheating stronzo.”
Vinnie’s eyes widened. “He fucked you?”
“Sì,” she said, embarrassed she’d let it slip.
“But, he barely feels anything, so why would he want to?”
“Maybe his medicine helps, because he jumped me right after I injected it into his arm.”
“Did you give him the antidote?”
“No, his normal medicine.”
“Only Lisa’s allowed to administer that. When did you give it to him?”
“Last night.”
“So, you’re the one who gave him the double dose?” Vinnie said, sounding annoyed with her.
She bristled at his tone. “He asked me to. He was upset over hurting you.”
“You could’ve killed him with that shot.”
Bianca’s back straightened. “What do you mean?”
“His nurse has told him enough times he’s not allowed more than one injection a week. It causes hallucinations, and can lead to death.”
Bianca went quiet, upset that she could’ve killed Ricardo.
Breathing out, Vinnie placed a hand on her arm. “Sorry for snapping. It’s not your fault, he shouldn’t have asked you.”
She nodded, although it didn’t make her feel any better. Still, it did make her wonder about the antidote. Maybe Ricardo had been telling the truth about the maid taking advantage of him, because if the normal drug caused hallucinations, then it wasn’t such a huge leap to think that the antidote could’ve had a similar effect.
“What about the antidote?” she asked. “Would Ricardo know what he’s doing after taking it?”
“I don’t know; he hasn’t taken it before.”
“But, it would have to be strong to knock out the effects of the other drug, right?”
“I suppose so.”
“Then maybe he wasn’t lying.”
“About what?”
“He said the maid took advantage of him. She was on top of him.”
“Then, she’ll be fired. I’ll talk to Salvatore about it, he hires the staff.”
Ricardo’s door opened, making the soldier guarding it back up. Concetta stepped out. “He’ll be fine,” she said, looking down at Vinnie. “They’ve patched him up.”
Bianca pushed up, helping Vinnie to his feet, the man groaning in pain. His mother moved in front of him. “Have you taken pain relief?”
“I don’t need it.”
“It doesn’t sound like it.”
“I’m fine.” He went to sidestep her, but she mirrored him. “Mamma, please let me through.”
“Take some pain relief first.”
“But, I don’t want it.”
“You need it.”
“I needed Gemma, but you didn’t let me have her,” he snapped.
Concetta exhaled loudly, her expression frustrated. “For goodness’ sake, that happened ten years ago, get over it. She has. I heard she got married.”
Vinnie clenched his hands. “She’d be married to me, if you didn’t interfere.”
Concetta made a derisive sound. “I did you a favor. That girl was trash. Yo
u were always too good for her.”
Vinnie pointed a finger at his mother. “She was too good for me, not the other way round. I should’ve just married her instead of listening to you. Now you’ll never get a grandchild out of me.”
“Don’t be so melodramatic. You’ve had plenty of good women to choose from. Only the other day the Orsini girl rang for you.”
“I’m not interested in you marrying me off. I told you, if you didn’t let me marry Gemma, I’d only have one-night stands.”
“I thought you’d come to your senses by now, and you’re only harming yourself with your stubborn vendetta.”
He breathed in and out, looking like he was trying to calm himself down. “Just let me see my brother,” he finally said, his voice coming out in a low growl.
His mother stepped aside, her expression frustrated. He slipped past her, disappearing into the room. Bianca went to follow.
Concetta stepped in front of her. “I told you to stay away from Ricardo, as you promised you would.”
“I just want to see that he’s all right.”
“I already said he is, so leave.”
Alessandro emerged from the room, the tall, muscular man pushing past his mother. He was now wearing a shirt, although he’d left it unbuttoned, his tattoos and nipple rings showing. He enveloped Bianca in a bear hug, lifting her off the floor. “I prayed you got to safety,” he said, smiling from ear to ear. “Looks like my prayers were answered.”
She hugged him back, happy to see him too, the man a sweetheart. Although he was covered in piercings and hellish tattoos, he had the loveliest nature.
“Put her down, Alessandro,” his mother said in a stern voice.
He lowered Bianca to her feet. “You look good, Bianca. I hope my famiglia have been treating you well.”
She nodded, although some hadn’t.
He smiled, his violet eyes shining bright. He looked a lot like Ricardo, just ten years younger and even more muscular. He didn’t just have a six-pack, he had a freaking eight-pack. He also had dyed black hair with red tips. He was a gorgeous man with a wild reputation. But all she saw was Ricardo’s baby brother, the sweetheart who’d helped her after she’d returned from the hospital, bruised and broken from her husband’s violent attack. He’d been working for the D’Angelos at the time, training pleasure slaves, the man a known sex addict.
Ricardo Page 15
