Luca Vitiello (Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles 0.5)

Matteo stepped in without knocking. His eyes took in the sight of me holding Aria against me and, for once, I didn’t give a fuck. I trusted my brother, even with this truth.

“How is she?” he asked quietly as he walked closer.

“Still knocked out from the pain meds the Doc gave her. She won’t wake for a few more hours.”

“The Doc will stay in one of the guestrooms in case we need him.”

“Good,” I said, peering down at Aria’s face once more.

“We’re going to start interrogating the Russian bastards. I assume you want to be part of it.”

I wanted to tear into them, but the idea of leaving Aria right now made my pulse speed up. “I’ll join you later.”

Surprise crossed Matteo’s face. “I can’t promise there’ll be much left for you then.”

“Focus on one of the fuckers and leave the others for me,” I pressed out, meeting my brother’s stare. He searched my eyes then nodded slowly before he walked out.

I must have fallen asleep because I jerked awake when an earsplitting scream rang out in the house. Aria was still knocked out beside me. I carefully slid my arm out from under her, grabbed my gun and rushed out of the room. I listened for a possible attack, but it was quiet in the house except for the wail.

It took me a moment to realize it was Liliana who made the sound. Locking Aria’s door, I stormed downstairs then followed the screaming into the basement, finding Gianna and Liliana down there. The sight of the tortured Russian must have made Liliana snap. I didn’t give a fuck. All that mattered was that Aria didn’t wake. She’d be upset.

It took Matteo, Romero and me almost fifteen minutes to silence Liliana and take her up to her room and Gianna back into her bedroom under loud protests.

“Damn it,” I growled when I was alone with Matteo.

He was covered in blood and had an excited gleam in his eyes. “Are you going to help us now?”

My eyes darted to the master bedroom. “I want the Doc to check on Aria again, then I’ll join you.”

“I’ve never seen you like this,” Matteo said.

I didn’t comment. “Send the Doc.”

After the Doc had checked on Aria, I finally allowed Gianna to visit her sister and I joined my brother down in the basement.

The second I entered, my men stepped back from our captives. Romero gave me a tight smile. Matteo motioned at the left fucker. He wasn’t as bad off as the guy on the right. That was the bastard Matteo seemed to have a particular interest in.

I rolled up my sleeves as I approached my target. “So Vitali wanted to get his dirty hands on my wife?”

I stared down at the bastard who gave me a bloody smile. “We would have fucked the slut. Every single hole. That’s what three-hole-sluts are for.”

My smile widened as I brought my face close to his. “Let’s see how many of your holes I get to fuck with my blade before you apologize for calling my wife a slut.”

He spat against my chest. “I won’t apologize to an Italian whore.”

I straightened and held out my hand toward Matteo, who handed me one of his knives. “Before your death, you will call her queen.”I was covered in blood from head to toe as I knelt beside the whimpering Russian bastard and leaned down to his ear. “Tell me again who’s my wife?”

I held the blood-covered blade in front of the eye he still had. He whimpered.

“I can prolong this for at least another hour, maybe more,” I said with a smile.

“She’s..she’s a queen,” he choked out.

“That’s right.” I rammed my blade into his eye, ending his miserable existence.I stepped out of the shower in the guest bedroom when I heard knocking. I quickly wrapped a towel around my waist and hurried toward the door, ripping it open and staring at the redhead.

She frowned. “Trying to wash off the blood?”

“What do you want?” I growled. I was still on edge from the day’s events and had no patience for her snark.

“I thought you’d like to know that Aria is awake.”

I returned into the bedroom and got dressed quickly, then stormed toward the master bedroom barefoot.

The second I saw Aria, my heart thudded wildly in my chest. Dark shadows spread out under her gorgeous blue eyes and she gave me a small smile.

My legs carried me toward her and I kissed her forehead. To my surprise, Gianna left without hesitation.

“Do you need morphine?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

I injected Aria with the morphine then held her hand in mine, needing to touch her.

“Did we lose someone?” she asked.

“A few. Cesare and a couple of soldiers,” I said before I added, “and Umberto.”

Sadness flashed in Aria’s eyes. “I know. I saw him get shot.”

I couldn’t feel sad over the men we’d lost because Aria was here.