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.