Then, and only then, I’ll decide what to do with her.
Alfio shifts in his seat, watching me carefully. “You with us, fratello?”
I snap out of my thoughts, my expression carefully neutral. I have to keep my brothers in the dark.
They can't know about The Six.
Can’t know about the missing loot.
Can’t know about her.
But how the fuck am I supposed to hide her in a house full of nosy bastards?
Before I can answer, a voice shatters the stillness.
"Jesus fucking Christ!"
It’s Riccardo.
A half-second later, a high-pitched scream follows.
Enzo straightens immediately, cigarette forgotten, his fingers already reaching for the gun at his waist.
The screams continue—panicked, sharp.
Alfio and I exchange a look and we get up.
Our boots pound against the hardwood floor, the echo of our footsteps colliding with another choked-out scream. Then something twists in my gut when I realize where the sound is coming from.
I shove past Alfio, moving faster now, my body coiling with tension.
We reach the door at the same time.
I shove it open, and the sight inside stops me dead.
A half-naked blonde stands near the doorway, silk sheets clutched to her chest, her mouth open in a horrified scream.
Riccardo stands near the bed, his shirt undone, belt unbuckled, his face frozen in absolute shock.
And in the center of the room—
The girl.
Lying still.
Her dress is soaked in blood.
Her curls cling to her damp forehead, her skin pale, unmoving.
Enzo lets out a quiet curse, his gun still raised. Alfio stiffens beside me, his jaw clenched.
I exhale slowly, dragging a hand over my face. Of course the nosy fools found her before I even got the chance to hide her.
"Madonna santa."
Omero’s voice cuts through the tension as he rushes up behind us, breathless. “I heard screams, what happ—”
He stops short.