Bound by Hatred (Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles 3)

My eyes flew open, I whirled around and begun walking back, then started running, getting faster and faster, until I was racing. I dropped to my knees beside Matteo, fumbling in my pockets for my phone but coming up empty. It was in my bag. My gaze went to the burning car where I’d left my stuff. Stupid Gianna.

I reached into Matteo’s pocket and exhaled a shuddering breath when I grabbed his phone. Not wasting time scrolling through his contact I hit speed dial.

“I’m not in the mood to talk to you, Matteo. You acted like a major asshole tonight,” Luca’s sharp voice rang in my ear.

I let out a sob.

“Gianna?” I could hear Aria in the background but couldn’t hear what she was saying.

“He’s dying,” I said after a moment, sound flat and voiceless.

“What are you talking about? Give me Matteo.”

“I can’t. Russians attacked us. There’s so much blood, Luca, so much blood.”

“Is Matteo alive?” For the first time since Aria almost died, Luca sounded worried.

My eyes darted to the body beside me. To my husband.

Was it my imagination or had Matteo’s chest stopped moving? I pressed my palm against his blood-soaked shirt. There was nothing. “He’s not breathing. He was a moment ago, but he’s not anymore.” Hysteria found its way into my voice.

“Gianna, you have to do CPR. I’ll be there soon. I have your GPS coordinates. But you’ll have to get him breathing or it’ll be too late.”

I didn’t say anything, only stared at the man I loved. I’d wanted to hate him, had given it my all, and in the beginning there had been hate, so much of it, but not all of it had been directed at Matteo, and now hardly any seemed left, and it felt ridiculous to hold onto what little I still harbored.

“Gianna?” Luca’s voice sliced right through me. I could hear commotion in the background, the sound of a car springing to life. I put Luca on loudspeaker and cupped Matteo’s face, then pressed my lips against his and blew air into his lungs. I tried to remember how often to press as I rested my hands against his ribcage. I didn’t know the first thing about CPR except for what I’d seen on TV. Why had I never paid better attention? What if Matteo died because I was doing something wrong?

Luca’s next words tore through my thoughts. I’d forgotten he was on the phone. “I know you feel like Matteo trapped you, that he ruined your life, but no matter what you think, he didn’t do it to make you miserable. For some unexplainable reason Matteo loves you. You don’t have to believe me. You can keep hating him but don’t leave him alone, not now. If you help me save his life, I’ll grant you freedom. I swear it on my honor and my life. Aria is here. She’s witness. You will get money, a new identity and even protection from the Outfit if you want. It’s all yours if you save his life.

“Okay,” I said as I pressed down on Matteo’s chest again. I wasn’t even sure why I said it.

“You have to do chest compressions. Hard and fast. Don’t worry about breaking his ribs. 30 pushes, two breathes. Fast.”

I sped up my compressions, then bent over Matteo to breathe into his mouth twice. “He’s not reacting!” I gasped as I started everything from the beginning.

“Keep doing it.”

And I did, even as my fingers cramped. They were red and sticky with blood. I couldn’t even see through my eyes anymore. They were blurry with tears. Why couldn’t I stop crying? I cried over a man like Matteo but had hardly shed a tear over Sid.

“We’ll be there in ten minutes,” Luca said. “How’s Matteo?”

I didn’t reply. I pushed harder against Matteo’s chest and then he drew in a shallow breath. I froze, almost scared I’d imagined it. I quickly leaned over his face and felt the gentle breeze of his breath against my cheek. I brushed shaky fingers over his throat, finding his pulse. It wasn’t as fast and strong as usual, but it was there. I closed my eyes for a moment, squeezed a few annoying tears away and then I opened them. I sank down on my butt and stretched out my legs. I wanted to cradle Matteo’s head in my lap but worried about hurting his neck, so I merely rested my palm against his chest to reassure myself of his steady heartbeat. His blood was starting to soak my pants but I was beyond caring.

“Gianna? Are you still there?”

“Yes. Matteo is breathing again.”

There was a pause. “Good,” Luca said quietly. “Stay where you are.”

“Don’t worry.” I tilted my head back and stared up at the sky littered with stars and hazy with smoke. The gentle rise and fall of Matteo’s chest was almost like a lullaby and my eyes started to droop. My headache had gotten even worse. I probably had a concussion.

The roar of an engine made me turn my head. Two cars were racing in our direction. The one in the front was Luca’s Aston Martin and the one in the back belonged to his crony Romero. I quickly pulled my hand away from Matteo’s chest and rose to my feet, even as my vision swam.

The Aston stopped with fuming tires and Luca jumped out. He stormed toward Matteo, barely sparing me a glance as he knelt beside his brother and felt his throat. He did a quick scan of Matteo’s injuries and then Romero and Sandro were already beside him.

Someone touched my shoulder and then Aria appeared in my field of vision. She wrapped her arms around me and I sagged against her, feeling drained. “Are you hurt?”

“Maybe. Probably. I don’t know.”

“Get her away,” Luca said. “Take my car and drive her to our apartment.”

I pulled back to look down at him. “Where are you taking Matteo?”

“To the hospital. This is too serious for our doc,” he said, then smiled coldly. “Don’t worry. I’ll honor my promise. When I return to the apartment, we’ll make the necessary arrangements to ensure your freedom.” His eyes were hard. I had a feeling he wouldn’t have minded much if I’d died in the crash.