Page 58 of Forbidden

Good thing the fucker delivered himself to me before I found him. I’m sure he had heard about Ricci’s death and wanted to make himself available.

I lean back in my chair, staring at him. Forgiveness? After he sold me out to Ricci’s crew? His freaking daughter attacked the woman I loved. Rage bubbles up, then I stand, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him to the basement. He’s begging the whole way, voice cracking. I don’t listen. I chain him to the wall, letting my fists do the talking. Punch after punch, his nose breaks, his lip splits. Blood drips onto the floor, pooling under him. He’s sobbing now, barely conscious. I draw my gun out and aim.

“You come near me again, I’ll gut you like a fucking pig. Get out.”

I cut him loose, watching him crawl away before my guys toss him into the street like trash. I don’t feel better. Just tired. Bone-deep tired.

Later, I drive to the cemetery. The sky’s gray, heavy with rain that won’t fall. I stop at Tommy’s grave, my best friend, the one who always had my back until a bullet took him out. I kneel, brushing dirt off the stone.

“Miss you, brother,” I mutter. This is the price paid for this life, and I’m done with all of it.

My mind drifts to Penelope. I want her so bad it hurts. I promised her we would take things slowly even after the lasttime in her apartment, but every fiber of me screams to hunt her down, drag her back to me. I stand, dusting off my knees, and decide I can’t wait anymore.

I pull up to Penelope’s place, my heart thudding hard. Feels like I’m some dumb kid chasing his first crush, not a man who’s just painted a warehouse red with blood. I step out of the car, my boots crunching on gravel. She’s not here. Gianna is. Her pregnant sister stands on the porch, her arms crossed tight, and eyes narrowing as I walk up.

“What the hell do you want, Adriano?” From her tone, I am sure she has already caught up with our relationship status now.

I stop a few feet away, hands shoved in my pockets to keep them still. “I need to see her.”

She steps forward, closing the gap, her glare digging into me. “She’s not here. And even if she was, I’d tell you to fuck off.”

I swallow hard, keeping my tone level. “I’m not here to cause trouble, Gianna. I just want to talk to her.”

Her lips twitch, not quite a smile, more like a sneer. “Talk? You don’t talk, Adriano. You control. You take. That’s what you do.” She jabs a finger towards me, stopping short of touching me. “She’s my sister. My only family. And I don’t trust you with her.”

I clench my jaw. “I’d never hurt her. You know that.”

“Do I?” She tilts her head, studying me like I’m a puzzle she can’t solve. “You’re old enough to be her damn father. You live in a world full of guns and bodies. What happens when that shit spills over onto her? Because it will. It always does. How can you guys even do this to Sophia?”

Her words hit hard. Sophia. God it still hurts to think of her out loud.

“It wasn’t her fault,” I say, voice gravelly.

“Yes, but it was yours.” Gianna jabs a finger at me, stepping even closer. “You should have known better. I kept my mouthshut all this time because I figured Penelope would come to her senses. But it doesn’t look like that’s happening.”

“I love her. That’s not some line. It’s the truth.”

Gianna’s quiet for a second, her eyes softening just a fraction. Then she shakes her head. “Love’s not enough. Not with you. She’s happy now, you know? Sophia died because of you. I watched you fall apart after. And now you’re pulling my sister into the same damn fire. For the first time in years, she’s not looking over her shoulder or crying herself to sleep.” Her voice cracks, barely, but I catch it. “I used to find her curled up on the bathroom floor, shaking, scared of everything. You didn’t see that. I did.”

I look away, staring at the chipped paint on the porch railing. “I’d die before I let anything touch her.”

“Maybe that’s the problem,” she snaps, stepping closer. “You’d die, sure. But what about her living? What about the day she wakes up and realizes she’s stuck in your war zone? You think she wants that? You think I want that for her?” She continues, unblinking. “You say that now. But you’re a magnet for death, Adriano. Always have been. Penelope’s blind to it, but I’m not. She’s all I’ve got left. You get that? I can’t lose her to your fucking war.”

“I don’t want to lose her either,” I admit, quieter now. “She’s the only thing keeping me from turning into a complete monster.”

“Then why drag her down with you? Sophia loved you too, and look where it got her—in the ground. Penelope’s still breathing. Let her stay that way.”

“I’d give it all up for her,” I mutter, half to myself.

“Would you? Or would you just drag her down with you? I’m not saying you don’t care. I see it in your face, you’re wrecked over her. But caring doesn’t erase what you are.”

I stand there, letting her words sink in. The wind picks up, rattling the trees behind the house. I think about Penelope laughing, her head thrown back, free in a way I’ll never be. Then I think about the blood on my hands, the bodies I left behind today.

“I don’t want to lose her,” I say, quietly, like admitting it might make it real.

Gianna’s shoulders slump, just a little. “I don’t want her to lose herself. That’s the difference between us.” She steps back, leaning against the porch rail. “She’s all I’ve got left. You get that, right? If you fuck this up, if you hurt her, I’ll come for you myself. No gun, no crew. Just me.”

I nod. “Fair enough.”

---