Page 56 of Brutal Vows

Mio papàshuts his door.

I give her a peck on the forehead before closing her door and walking around the trunk to the driver’s side. Neither of my passengers says a word as I drive out of the parking garage, but the tension in the vehicle shifts as time goes on.

Loretta steals a few furtive glances at my father in the rearview mirror, but she stops when he seems to be peacefully watching the city through the window. I catch his amused, wistful smile after she looks away. He shifts his gaze to mine and sends me a loaded glare and nod through the mirror. I return his nod, confirming my stance and vowing to make her fully mine as soon as possible.

He accepts and dismisses me by turning to his window.

When several minutes—and hospitals—pass, Loretta sends me a glance. In less than a second, she conveys all the emotions bottled up inside me. It’s torture to keep important information from the people you love, especially when it concerns a terminal illness of someone you all cherish.

Fuck,mia gattinaunderstands me too well.

How did I ever survive without her? I lower my hand to the center console and challenge her to accept with the tilt of a brow.She sighs and slips her hand into mine before turning back to her window without checking my father’s reaction.

He never shifts his gaze from the window, but a smirk plays over his profile, so he must see our joined hands through a reflection on the pane.

I park in front of the main entrance of the private hospital and scan the area, intending to wait for the nurse to bring a wheelchair, but my father opens his door.

Loretta makes it out of the car faster than he does and offers him her arm. To my delight, he takes it and leads her into the hospital. She preserves his pride by shortening her stride and dragging her feet, making it appear she’s the one slowing them down. With her sweats draped around her soft curves and my father’s masculine frame in a suit, the pair couldn’t be more different, but their closeness as they walk arm in arm gives them an air of authenticity. If I hadn’t seen them meet for the first time today with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe it.

Loretta looks over her shoulder at me as they pass through the double glass sliding doors. She tilts her chin toward the parking lot as she links her arm more tightly within my father’s, indicating she’ll watch over him while I park the car.

Which is both sad and endearing. My father has always been the strongest man I knew, so to see his body failing him while his mind remains sharp leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

He hides it well, but he’s already winded from walking a few steps. Loretta shortens her stride further and talks as though a one-person conversation is normal between them, and I wish I could hear what she was saying.

My curiosity spurs me into parking the car and stalking through the front door as quickly as possible without causing trouble.

We’re far from Russo territory, and although Giorgio Vivaldi—the don of this area and the new owner of this hospital—knowswe’re here, the last thing I want to do is ruffle feathers. My father doesn’t want the Russo family to know of his illness, and starting shit with Giorgio, who is also Nico’s pregnant wife’s brother, would be the quickest way to oust him.

When I enter the lobby and don’t see my duo, I send Loretta a text and stop in front of the directory. After finding the practice my father has an appointment with, I head to the stairs instead of the elevator, but a commotion near the restrooms draws my attention.

I glimpse Loretta’s shoes as someone drags her into a smaller hallway. Without hesitation, I lunge into a full sprint, pouring all my power into my legs, and knock over two people as I beeline straight for my woman. When I turn the corner, she clings to the doorframe of a room halfway down the hall, fighting with everything she has to prevent them from closing her in alone.

My steps falter when two familiar figures step out of the service elevator and stalk toward the room Loretta is fighting for her life in.

Giorgio Vivaldi and Fiero Capito stop in their tracks when they notice me. I skid to a halt. Their glowers intensify.

Fuck, they saw Loretta on their security cameras and think she’s her stepsister. I was an idiot for not including her information when we spoke.

“That’s not Julieta,” I snarl.

Fiero scoffs and steps toward the room, but Giorgio grabs his shoulder.

“You brought this woman with you?” Serenity’s brother scowls.

When the sounds of scuffle change and Loretta’s feminine voice echoes into the hall on a grunt, I push past Fiero and dart into the room.

Pain blasts through my stomach and all the air whooshes from my lungs as a small fist punches me right in the gut.I stumble and catch myself on the nearest chair, but my diaphragm seizes and I can’t breathe.

Loretta’s worried voice breaks through my pain, and I push away the instinctual panic and suck down a stilted breath when my muscles finally relax. When her tone hardens and she says a few threatening words as she presses her back to mine, delight and frustration spear through me. She’s squaring off with Giorgio and Fiero. On my behalf.

Mia gattinais too fierce, too perfect.

I cough and suck down a full breath before turning and capturing her in a bear hug. With her arms trapped to her sides, she lifts her leg and jams her heel into my shin.

I grunt only because I know it’ll be black and blue later, but with my legs permanently numb from the knee down, it doesn’t hurt.

“Calm down, Loretta. These are not men you want to face off with. You won’t win in or out of the ring against them,” I growl.

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