Page 48 of Dangerous Games of Trust

“She’s going to cut her fucking thumb off,” the masked man mutters in disgust.

Carlo smirks with a sick sense of satisfaction, thinking he’s about to get everything he wants handed to him.

Both men are fixed on me, watching my every subtle move, just waiting for what they want. As I go to slice into my thumb,I take one more step slightly to the side, knowing the boys both have a clear shot at the two guys now. As if Alessandro can read my mind perfectly, a bullet flies right past my head. The guy in the mask’s face explodes, and his body plumets to the dirty street below. He must have had another gun on him.

At the same time, Geovani does some sort of ninja move and appears right beside me, collecting his gun, aiming it toward his pa, shielding me from him with his body.

Carlo scans the two of us, his slimy face contorting in disgust. “What did you do? How does she know what I need from her?” his pa seethes, lunging toward us, not caring about the gun aimed at him. He’s now desperate, and he realizes he’s fucked.

“She’s no good to you anymore. I made sure of it. Everything in that safety deposit box is in my possession now. You want to negotiate, you do it with me and leave Harley out of it.”

Alessandro shoots again, the sound of gunfire echoing through the air. This time the bullet hits Carlo’s arm, forcing him back into the brick wall as he clutches it in agony. His eyes, dark and piercing, hold a dangerous intensity, like a coiled snake prepared to strike at anyone who dares to provoke him once more.

Geovani aims his gun in the same direction, and the street is sprayed with bullets, Carlo’s body flying backwards in a bloodied mess.

My eyes go wide. Oh my fucking God. Alessandro and Geovani just killed Carlo. To save me. I stare at his body in absolute shock.

“Guys, we need to leave now,” comes Ricky’s shaky voice from behind us. I glance over my shoulder to see him supporting Maddox’s limp body, his hands pressed to Maddox’s side, blood seeping through his shirt and pooling over Ricky’s hands. I lock eyes with him, and I can tell he’s deeply afraid. Maddox is losing too much blood.

I reach out for Geovani who seems to be momentarily in shock. “We have to go,” is all I get out, and he understands. We need to all leave together tonight. Too much has happened, and I need to know my boys are all okay. With a hint of disappointment, he steals a final glance over his shoulder, then takes my hand, and we sprint frantically, our feet pounding against the pavement as we race back to the car.

Alessandro and Ricky assist Maddox as he climbs into Ricky’s car, while Geovani eagerly takes the driver’s seat. Maddox winces as Ricky applies pressure to his throbbing wound. His head settles in my lap, and I stroke his bleach-blond hair off his sweaty face. He’s a big man, but right now he looks so fragile. And I’m filled with anxiety. I can’t bear the thought of him leaving me behind.

“You’re going to be okay,” I tell him, kissing his forehead, but I don’t believe my own words. I can see the fear in Ricky’s eyes. I’ve seen that look on his face before, right before I passed out after I was shot down in the caves, and I know his condition is dire.

Chapter 24

As we arrive atthe boys’ mansion, the boys hurriedly guide Maddox into Ricky’s surgery room—the very same one where he once saved me. Determined not to leave his side, I quickly wash up, ready to assist Ricky in any way I can. The memories of that terrifying night when they rescued me flood my mind, fueling my determination to return the favor. The weight of guilt sits heavy on my shoulders, knowing that it was my actions that caused his injury. I will never forgive myself if he dies because of me.

A silent sob snags in my chest as I hold Maddox’s hand while Ricky works his magic, meticulously stitching him up to stop the bleeding from the two stab wounds he endured to the chest and stomach.

Alessandro appears in the doorway. “Here, type O-neg like you asked for.” He rushes through the open door and hands Ricky a bag of blood. Maddox bled so heavily while we were trying to deal with Carlo, Ricky knew a transfusion would be the only way to save him. I don’t want to think about where they got it from,some shifty connections they have, but right now, I’m grateful because it could save his life.

With steady hands, Ricky hooks up the IV bag to the stand and prepares the drip. He wipes Maddox’s arm with alcohol, finds a vein, and carefully inserts the needle. The blood begins to flow slowly into his limp body, and I silently pray to whatever god that will listen that it’s going to be enough. I don’t want to think of a world without him in it.

Alessandro leans forward on the counter, his eyes fixed on Ricky. His poker face reveals nothing, but I can sense the undercurrent of worry.

Ricky finishes up covering Maddox’s stab wounds with a bandage then pulls the cotton blanket over his body. “He’s on some pretty heavy sedatives. He won’t be waking up any time soon, baby doll, you can head upstairs to bed if you like.”

I lean down and kiss Maddox’s hand. “I can’t leave him.”

He nods, understanding, and takes a fresh cotton blanket from the cupboard and hands it to me. I wrap it around my shoulders. Sleep is the last of my concerns, even though by now it must be early morning, and the adrenaline has well and truly worn off. My body is exhausted from all the running and fighting, but until I know he’s going to be okay, I don’t care. I have to stay with him.

Ricky moves toward Alessandro. “I’ll call and let you know when he wakes up. Go deal with the clean-up from tonight.”

Alessandro glances my way, rolls his lips as if he wants to say something but is stopping himself, then leaves the room in a huff. I know he blames me, he’s right too. This is all my fault.

Ricky settles down on the opposite end of the bed, sinking into the soft mattress. He’s quiet, too quiet for Ricky. His sad eyes meet mine, and I don’t know whether to hug him or drop down to his feet and beg for forgiveness. I know how much he loves Maddox. He’s not only his brother but his closest friend. The two of them have been through so much together over the years, andit must have nearly killed him to have to operate on him tonight. He doesn’t hide his pain like the others do, and I see how torn up he is. He drops his head, running his hands through his hair, scrubbing them over his handsome face.

I know now how selfish it was running from them. “I’m so sorry, Ricky. I know this is my fault.”

His head rises, his eyes meeting mine. “It’s not your fault you had Carlo after you, but you have to stop running from us. We can only help you if we know where you are.”

“I’m so scared, Ricky,” my voice trembles out. I’m so close to completely breaking down. I have no other explanation for why I took off. All I know is I couldn’t get in that car and go off to some fucking after party, celebrate the madness that went down at the fight tonight. “It was like all the air was being sucked from my lungs, I felt trapped, and I needed to run.” I try to explain my actions, being more honest than I expected. But I need him to know. I need him to forgive me because I can’t forgive myself.

He moves around to my side of the bed and takes my free hand, lacing our fingers together. “I know,” he says, bringing my hand to his lips and placing a soft kiss to the back of it. He doesn’t try and assure me everything is going to be okay. I think we’re past that now. We all know it’s not going to be.

“How do we survive this?”

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