Twisted Loyalties (The Camorra Chronicles 1)

Remo nodded. “Playing dirty. I like it.”

He stood and gave me a look. I shoved my knife up the sucker’s throat.

“This means war. If the Outfit thinks they can play strong, we’ll show them what we are capable of.”

I wiped my knife on my bloody shorts. “I bet that would be interesting.”

Remo raised his dark eyebrows. “Would be?”

I straightened despite the pain in my ribs. “I’m supposed to die, remember?”

Remo and I stared at each other for a long time. Nino and Savio exchanged looks as well. I wondered what they wanted. Me dead? I couldn’t say, and they weren’t the ones to decide anyway.

Remo put his hand on my shoulder, eyes fierce and full of warning. “This once I will let you live. You proved your loyalty by putting a fucking bullet into the head of my enemy when you could have killed me instead. Don’t go behind my back again, Fabiano. That time there won’t be a death match, I’ll just put a bullet through your skull.”

“As you should,” I told him, then pressed my palm again my side again. “Leona must be safe. She must be mine. I want her at my side, want to spend my life with her.”

“If that’s what you want.”

I nodded. “She’s seen me at my worst, and she’s still here.”

Remo waved a hand at me. He couldn’t comprehend. “She is yours, no worries. Now go to her and get a nice long blowjob as a reward for your troubles.”

I rolled my eyes and dragged myself up the staircase. I doubted I’d get one up today. Every part of my body was aching, but I was willing to give it a try.

The moment I stepped back into the bar, Leona hopped off the bar stool she had been waiting on and rushed toward me, throwing her arms around my waist. I gasped from the stab of pain in my ribs, my shoulder, fuck, my entire body. She loosened her hold, worried eyes peering up at me. Her hair was all over the place, and there was a small cut over her cheekbone. I ran the back of my index finger over it. “You are hurt.”

She choked out a laugh. “I am hurt? You are bleeding and bruised. I thought you would die in that cage, and when you disappeared with Remo down into the storage I feared you wouldn’t come out again,” she whispered.

“I’m fine,” I told her, and she gave me a look. “I’m alive,” I amended. For my fucking body to get anywhere close to being fine again, that would take a while.

“But what about Remo? Won’t he kill you?”

Wasn’t she worried about her own life as well? Perhaps she’d forgotten but my fight would have decided her fate too.

“We came to an understanding. He gave me another chance.” Fuck, to think that I would see that day.

“He did?” Leona voiced the disbelief still anchored in my body.

I nudged her in the direction of the entrance. “Now come, I want to go home.”

She froze. “We’re not going home. You need to go to the hospital. Remo must have broken every bone in your body.”

“I broke just as many of his,” I said immediately.

Leona shook her head, unbelieving. “I don’t care about him. But you need treatment.”

I leaned down, my mouth curling despite the fucking cut in my lower lip. “I know just the right treatment for me.”

She angled her head away. “You can’t be serious.”

I brushed my hand over her side. “I am dead serious. Won’t you honor the wish of a dying man?”

She shoved me, angry and half amused. I winced because my body fucking ached like hell. “Sorry!” she blurted, fingers ghosting over my chest in silent apology.

“I almost lost you, and my fucking life, don’t you think I deserve a reward?”

She shook her head again but her resolve was melting. Her fingers lingered on my abs, the touch a mix of pain and promise. “I really don’t think…”

“I won’t go to the hospital,” I interrupted her, then buried my nose against her throat “I want to feel you. Want to feel something else than this fucking pain.”

She opened the passenger door of my Mercedes for me. I raised my eyebrows. “You can’t drive.”

I handed her the keys without protest, enjoying her surprise. “Then you will.”

I could tell she was terrified of wrecking my car. As if I gave a fucking damn about the thing. “Take us to our hill,” I ordered when she pulled out of the parking lot.

Her brows puckered again but she did as I asked. After she’d parked, I pushed myself out of the car and carried myself toward the hood. I sank down and let my eyes take in my city. Leona stepped up beside me. “And now?” she whispered.

I pulled her between my legs and kissed her softly, then harder but had to pull away when my vision began spinning. I tried to mask my dizziness but Leona’s eyes narrowed.