Page 70 of Brandishing Betrayals

Giovanni walked over and took my cut from me, while Augustino Jr. “Tino” gave me a tight smile as he started patting me down. “Sorry about this,” Tino said softly.

I grunted in return, holding out my arms so Tino could finish quickly, while watching as Giovanni folded my Cut with care and set it gently on floor against the wall, out of the way. I had been hoping for the leather of the cut to protect me from most of the damage they planned to inflict, but they had thought about that as well. I appreciated my cousin’s care and respect for the cut though, that meant a lot to me.

I waited in the middle of circle as my family and their guys circled around me. Leo made a show of taking off his suit coat and slowly undoing his cuff links before he rolled up his sleeves. I would have laughed and egged him on if it were just the two of us, if we were still as close as we had been as kids. But I couldn’t, we weren’t that close anymore.

I had burned that bridge when I left.

Kinda like Maya had, when she left.

I hadn’t thought about how my situation could be compared to Maya’s. We both walked away from family. We both came back looking for forgiveness. Or rather, asking for it because we neededhelp, though Maya didn’t exactly ask for he—

I was yanked out of my musings by Leo’s fist cracking against my cheek bone. I backed up a step, stunned and my ears ringing. The second fist landed on my jaw, before I even thought to bring my arms up to block my face.

It didn’t matter though, because those two headshots delivered by Leo were the only ones anyone even tried to land. They must have gotten an order not to hit me in the head, because as one, they rained down punches on my torso. Someone got in a kick to my ribs that had me doubling over and that was all it took for them to get me on the ground and begin stomping on me and kicking me with their steel-toe boots.

I curled up into a ball to protect myself as best as I could with my arms up and protecting my head, but it didn’t do much toprotect me from ten guys stomping my ass. I would be lucky if I survived this beat down.

Jason

Marcos and I were led through the back door of the restaurant and down a set of concrete steps to an open basement that was massive. I did a quick sweep of the area, but it was mostly empty aside of Nico curled up in the center and the Seratelli brothers standing around him, smoking cigars.

I gritted my teeth as I took in the slightly ruffled Italians. There had never been any deep-seated friendship between the two crews. Though the Psychos used to run coke for the Mafia, it was only as a way to earn money. It was something the Seratelli’s had come to us about, not the other way around. It had happened after Nico left the family.

It had been a mutually beneficial agreement, until it wasn’t.

Mac Taylor going to the Italians to cut out the Bratva had been a huge upset to not only the amount of money the Psycho’s were earning monthly, but also to the drug scene as a whole. It had started a whole cluster fuck of dominoes falling across the fucking board and he wasn’t even alive to deal with the aftermath.

I was still pissed at the man over it. And fucking Buckley for teaming up with the fucking snakes to take on Taylor. It was all bullshit I didn’t want to deal with.

Now, here we were, trying to pick up the pieces of that aftermath, and prayed to God that Nico was still breathing and this whole fucking beat down had been worth it. If his fucking cousins didn’t accept his apology, then this was pointless.

They needed the Seratelli’s help. Desperately.

“Leonardo,” Marcos nodded at the Don as he shook his hand.

Leonardo Seratelli for the most part looked unruffled, though his suit coat was missing and his shirt sleeves were rolled up, but the overly handsome bastard was stone faced as he puffed on his cigar and watched them walk toward Nico’s prone body.

“Jesus.” I breathed the word. “You dead, man?”

“He’s alive,” Leonardo declared.

I still crouched down beside my buddy and pressed my fingers to his neck to check his pulse, not believing the Italian. Only when I felt it for myself, did I stand back up and meet the gazes of all five Seratelli brothers. “You guys get enough?” I goaded.

Leo had both hands shoved into his pants pockets and the cigar tucked between his teeth. He leaned back on his heels and raised an eyebrow at me.

“Stop.” Marcos immediately held up a hand, motioning at me.

I ground my teeth as I shut my mouth.

A frown pulled at Leonardo’s lips as he slowly pulled the cigar from his mouth. “We went easy on him. Remember that.”

Marco helped me haul Nico up between the two of us. It was a struggle getting him up the stairs, but we managed. It was a good thing Nic was out cold, because this would hurt like a motherfucker.

Maya

FridayafternoonIwasjust finishing up with a patient when I walked out of the exam room. Jayla walked over to me looking concerned. “Hey Maya, there’s a man at the front desk looking to speak to you.”

Frowning, I nodded and followed her up front and through the door separating the clinic from the front desk. On the other side of the counter was a young man, mid-twenties maybe, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. “Can I help you?” I asked.

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