Violent Beginnings (The Moretti Crime Family 2)

I could be wrong, though. Time seems different when you’re waiting for someone to wake up and heal.

Curiously, I look at the cracked door. If it’s not the food, then who else could it be? The doctor already came by to check on Julie this morning, and he’s only been coming once a day, so I don’t think it’s him.

A few more moments pass, and I hear the ding of the elevator door echo through the apartment. Two male voices fill the space. They are hushed like they don’t want me to hear, which confirms that this is not the food delivery.

My heart hammers in my chest. Markus didn’t tell me anyone was coming, and the last time he invited a friend over, things did not end well. I glance at Julie, and her eyes are still open. She is staring at a spot on the ceiling, almost like she is in her own little world, oblivious to what’s happening around her.

I take her hand again, and this time she lets me. The door creaks open, and I hold my breath. For the last three days, I’ve held Julie’s hand for her comfort, but right now, I feel like our roles are reversed.

Suddenly, I’m clinging to her, so I know I’m not alone.

Markus enters the room first, a stern look on his face, which does nothing to ease the tension festering in my gut. Then another man steps in, he’s big, and with the two of them inside, the room seems to shrink. The nameless man peers around the room until his gaze stops on me.

He pins me with a glare, and I recognize a familiarity almost immediately—dark eyes, dark hair, tall, and bulky build. The man looks like an older version of Markus.

“Fallon, this is Felix, my brother,” Markus introduces the man beside him.

Brother… that makes sense. “Um, hi,” I say awkwardly.

He answers with a grunt. Great, he is just as big of an asshole as his brother.

Walking into the room, he stops a foot away from the bed. Now that he is closer, I can see he already has some gray streaks in his hair and his forehead has wrinkles that set his face into a permanent frown. He’s still very much attractive, but more so in a silver fox kind of way.

“What do you think?” Markus asks, and I’m not sure what exactly he is asking, or even who. Me? Felix? I don’t understand.

“I’ll take her,” Felix growls, looking down at Julie, who is still looking at something on the ceiling.

What the fuck? Every alarm goes off in my head.

“What do you mean by take her? Take her where?” I clutch on to Julie’s hand a little tighter.

“Felix is going to take Julie off our hands for a while,” Markus explains, like he is talking about a pet that has become too much to handle.

“She is not a dog, you can’t just give her away, or sell her, or whatever it is you just did. She is not a form of currency. She is a goddamn human.” I enunciate each word clearly, my voice filled with determination and passion. I won’t let her be hurt anymore.

Felix’s eyes slide back toward me, his face a blank mask. I can’t read him at all.

I have no idea if he is good, bad, or something in between. All I know is that I’m not just going to let him take her.

“Julie should stay here until she is better. She’ll be scared with you, and she knows me. We’re friends. I won’t just let you take her, so you can do whatever you want with her.”

Without saying a word, Felix takes another step toward the bed, then sits down on the edge. Julie doesn’t move, does not react like I thought she would.

“Hand me the bowl of oatmeal,” he orders in the same demanding tone his brother uses on me. I almost roll my eyes but manage to hand him the bowl without doing so.

“She won’t eat,” I point out, but that doesn’t seem to stop Felix from trying.

Just as I did, he shovels a tiny morsel of food onto the spoon, then holds it to her lips. She doesn’t move an inch. Doesn’t even blink.

“Look at me,” he demands, his voice deep and commanding. To my utter shock, Julie does. Her eyes go from the ceiling to where Felix is sitting. “Good girl, now, open your mouth. You need to eat, doll.”

My jaw drops to the floor when her lips part slowly, her eyes never leaving Felix as he gently slides the spoon into her mouth.

“See, Felix is going to take good care of her,” Markus says. “She’ll be safe with him.”

“No, this means nothing. It’s just a bite, she was probably scared. You can’t just give her to him,” I argue, but my pleas don’t reach anyone.