Devil You Know (The Diavolo Crime Family 2)

He shakes his head, running his hands over my back and down the length of my hair. His touch feels so good, and the relief I feel that this is over is a solid weight off my shoulders.

“You don’t have to be strong,” he tells me. “You didn’t have to do any of this. Lucas walked into a trap all on his own. We would have come to save him, but you shouldn’t have been caught in the middle. I’m so sorry.”

I pull back, but keep as much of our bodies touching as possible. “But now you’re hurt. If neither of us had shown up here, you wouldn’t have gotten beaten up.”

“True, but I also wouldn’t have finally gotten revenge and removed a monster from the world.”

I look him straight in the eyes and say, “I love you, Nic. It’s not just because I’ve loved you a little bit for my entire life, but because you’ve shown me in a short time how much love I can have if I just take it when it’s offered.”

He stares at me, dumbfounded, before clearing his throat. “I love you too, stellina. I’ve loved you for a long time.”

His words wrap around me like a warm blanket. He loves me. I don’t understand why he did the things he did, but I know it’s true. He loves me.

“Why didn’t you tell me who you were?”

“I’m not that boy anymore, stellina. I don’t deserve to be a Costa.”

“But you are, you and Lucas both.”

Nic shakes his head slightly, closing his eyes before speaking again. “Do you remember who gave you that name? Stellina?

I Look at him with confusion. “No. When you first called me it, I thought it sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it. No matter how I tried.”

“It was my mother. She loved you too, you know. She used to call you her little star…”

“Oh, my god. I remember now. And I loved her too.”

“I failed her. I failed everyone.”

“Nic, you were just a child. Now you are a man, and you can take your rightful place amongst the five families again.”

“I’ve been telling him this for a while, but the idiot won’t listen,” Lucas comments from beside us.

“Shut up, Lucas, before I knock you out again,” Nic huffs. “With your father gone, I need to call the other members of the five families and make sure they know there is no vacuum of power, and anyone trying to change the status quo right now will be handled the same way Ricci was.”

I nod, understanding what needs to be done.

By the time we pull up to the mansion, I’m almost asleep. The adrenaline from the cabin wearing off has me exhausted and aching all over.

As promised, the doctor and even a nurse are waiting when we walk in. They set up some kind of home hospital in the living room and examine Lucas immediately.

We go to our bedroom, and Nic climbs into the bed. I hold on to his shoulders as he lies back on the pillows carefully. When he’s finally settled, I get the first aid kit from the bathroom and clean his wounds.

He gawks at me like he is in awe while I methodically and gently rub warm water and antiseptic over his cuts and bruises. “Thank you,” he whispers. “You’re incredible.”

I open my mouth to respond, but the door bursts open, and Sarah bustles in with some water and a sandwich. “I wanted to make sure you had something to eat. The entire staff is on edge downstairs. I don’t know if I reassured them, but they are all going about their night routines now.”

“Thank you, Sarah,” I tell her, grabbing the tray from her. “But we really just want to go to sleep.”

“Of course, I’ll make sure no one disturbs you.” She disappears as fast as she burst into the room, leaving Nic and me alone once more.

I finish cleaning up his wounds before going into the bathroom and washing up myself. By the time I get back, Nic is passed out on the bed, sleeping peacefully. Part of me wants to go downstairs and check on Lucas, but my battered body is too exhausted, and I know he is in excellent hands.

Crawling into the bed, I curl up beside Nic, placing my hand in his.

There are still many things we need to figure out, but right now, all I can think about is how happy I am to be here with him.

We’re safe… and I’m home.

Epilogue

Nic

One month later

Keeping my voice low, I give my instructions to Soo. “Make the calls, tell them when and where we are meeting today, and ensure everyone knows where they stand on this. I won’t tolerate anyone trying to defy me.”

“Are you sure you want me to do this?”

I stare at my friend, who suddenly looks older and a little gray. He’d been more worried about me than he let on. “Yes, of course. I want you to handle it. You are the only one I trust with this.”