Page 46 of Chaos & Corruption

The doors to the elevator slide open and I follow Victoria’s dad down the corridor. His steps slow at the sight of his wife, and I hear his breath hitch when she lifts her eyes to meet his.

Say what you want about these people, call them mob royalty or whatever, but they’ve got heart and right now, they’re bleeding. I guess Victoria was right, even the strongest, most powerful people can be brought to their knees.

Not sure what I’m expected to do, I remain still, watching as Mr. Bianci makes his way to his wife. Pulling her to her feet, he wraps his arms around her and brings her against his chest. As soon as he envelopes her into a hug, the woman breaks down, releasing an anguished sob. It’s an intimate moment, one I don’t feel privy too, so I divert my gaze away from the couple, taking in the faces of all that surround them. I recognize Victoria’s two aunts, her uncle and her grandparents. They all look as brokenhearted as the Bianci’s.

There’s one man I don’t recall, though. Dressed all in black, covered in tattoos, wearing a leather vest that matches Riggs’, the man with salt and pepper hair stares back at me. His face is expressionless, his eyes dark as night. The patch on the front corner of his vest readsParrish.

Figuring he’s another uncle of Victoria’s, I glance back at Mr. Bianci just as his wife lifts her head from his chest. He brings his hands to her cheeks, brushing away her tears with his thumbs.

“Luca is on his way,” she reveals. “He got a flight out of Vegas and Blackie is going to pick him up from the airport.”

“Okay,” Mr. Bianci replies, dropping his hands away from his wife’s face. “That’s good, Reese’s. He should be here.” He pauses to clear his throat. “Did the doctor come talk to you again?”

She reaches for her husband’s hand, giving it a squeeze as her brown eyes lock with his blues.

“They said there was no need for a rape kit. I guess when they examined her…” Her voice cracks but she pushes through. “They discovered she wasn’t sexually assaulted.”

I bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from making a sound. I’d be lying if I told you I hadn’t suspected rape. When I noticed her clothes were torn that’s the first thing I thought, and it sickened me. It broke my fucking heart.

Mr. Bianci closes his eyes and I swear a single tear escapes from the corner and slides down his cheek. He sways slightly and I find myself moving toward him. My reflexes are quick, and I rush to steady him by placing a hand on his shoulder.

His eyes spring open and I instinctively pull my hand away feeling as though I’ve overstepped. I can feel the weight of Mrs. Bianci’s stare, and I turn my head slightly. Her eyes lock with mine and I pause.

Victoria is a spitting image of her mother.

“I’m sorry,” I rasp.

I don’t know why I say those two words, I just they’re true.

I’m so fucking sorry I let anyone touch her.

“Let’s go, Alex,” Mr. Bianci orders.

Tearing my eyes away from his wife, I turn back to him.

“Where are we going?”

Blowing out a ragged breath, he raises an eyebrow.

“Don’t you want to see her?”

Honestly, I’m not sure. When I was sitting in that interrogation room it was the only thing I wanted, but that was before I watched her father fall apart. I’m not half the man he is. I don’t have enough life experiences or enough losses under my belt to be strong. I’m afraid of what I’ll feel when I see her.

Afraid of what I’ll do.

When your care more for someone else than you do yourself, you will lay everything on the line. The things that you thought mattered—your dreams, goals, and aspirations—they’re nothing. You realize you can dream a new dream and design even bigger goals so long as you got the person you care at your side.

Mr. Bianci turns and starts for the double doors, slamming his fist against the call button. A buzzer sounds and he pushes the doors open. Pausing, he turns and glances at me from over his shoulder.

“You coming or what?”

That’s when Mrs. Bianci rests a hand on my arm.

“Don’t let him go alone,” she whispers. “He can’t handle it.”

I guess those are the words I needed to hear because within a second, I’m following her husband through the doors. He pauses at the second glass enclosure and my senses become heightened. The sterile scent of the hospital engulfs me and the sounds of the machines just behind the glass fills my ears. I brace myself to the best of my ability. She can’t be in any worse shape than she was in the photo. She’s safe now. She’s in good hands. She’ll recover.

Mr. Bianci turns to me.

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