Chapter Four
Mancuso
I wake up in a decent amount of pain and thoughts of a sarcastic angel with dark skin and fiery red hair. It takes me a moment to get my bearings and realize I am indeed back home. She did what I asked. I hope my brothers have treated her well, I mean, she could have left me to bleed out in the street.
Taking my time, I force myself upright and stare down at the bandage. What I originally thought was a wound just below my shoulder is much lower, closer to my top rib. I’m not a doctor but I do know that is more serious than being clipped in the wing.
Breathing deeply through my nose, I swing my feet off the bed and force myself to stand. I’m hungry as fuck and would like to know what happened to my savior. Grabbing a robe, I slowly slip into it and leave my room.
I’m barely ten steps out of my room when I find Severu glaring at me, his arms folded across his chest.
“He lives,” my brother sneers. “You have more lives than a fucking cat, Brother.”
“It’s good to see you too,” I grumble, moving past him.
It hurts to breathe, and I need all my strength to make it to the kitchen, not argue with this asshole.
“Looks like we finally found the one thing you won’t laugh off,” he says, banding his arm around my middle and helping me down the stairs.
“Bite me,” I say on a deep, painful exhale.
Fuck, this hurts. Breathing hurts like a motherfucker. Hell, even thinking hurts. I don’t want to argue with Severu right now, but I know the moment I am sitting he is going to tear me a new one, so I enjoy the silence as we slowly make our way to the kitchen.
Severu deposits me in the booth seat of the breakfast nook with a glare.
“I assume you’re hungry,” he sneers. “I should let you starve.”
He turns to the fridge and starts pulling out Tupperware containers.
“How long have I been out?”
“Four days.”
“And the woman?”
“She’s still here,” he answers. “Alceu wanted to wait until you woke up before making any decisions.”
“From the sound of your voice, I assume you aren’t happy to have her here.” I roll my eyes at his obvious overprotective streak.
He drops a chicken mayo sandwich in front of me with a glass of milk before sliding into the other end of the booth. For long moments neither of us speak as I eat. Eventually, he breaks the silence.
“I thought you were dead when I saw you in her car. I can’t remember ever being that scared in my entire fucking life.” His voice is low and scratchy, his gaze locked on the table between us. I know my brother struggles to share his emotions with anyone, even his woman. “I wasn’t even that scared when Stefano was shot.”
“I’m sorry.”
“That’s a cop-out and you fucking know it!” he roars, slamming his fist on the table.
Rage swims in his gaze while unshed tears still cling to his lashes.
“What do you want me to say, Sev? I made a mistake. Shit happens.”
“You’re a fucking child!” he says angrily. “Reckless and stupid. I should lock you in your goddamned room.”
Laughter bursts from me. “You can’t keep us safe every minute of every day, Severu. This is the life we were born into. There will always be danger.”
I pop the last piece of my sandwich into my mouth as Severu continues to fume.
“Where were you? What were you doing? Tell me who shot you at least so I can take care of the damn threat.”
“I was doing a gun deal, something small I thought I would be able to handle on my own. And I don’t know who shot me but I sure as shit intend to find out.”
We glare at one another, neither willing to let the other see weakness.
“So where is she?” I ask. It’s the only question I have been holding back, allowing him time to vent.
“In the garage. She spends every minute in there tinkering.”
I glance up at the clock. “It’s almost three in the morning,” I say with a frown.
“She barely sleeps. Alceu had a car brought in for her to work on.”
“Maybe it’s the pain meds the doctor no doubt has me on. Because none of what you’re saying is making a lick of sense.”
“Let me show you.” It’s his turn to roll his eyes. “Somehow, she has weaseled herself into our family and our home in less than a damn week. The women love her, Stefano is all chummy, and she even has Alceu wrapped around her little finger.”
Severu wraps his arm around my middle once more, helping me to the inner door of the garage. My mind is whirling with possibilities. Who is she? Why is she still here? And then, the thought that usually comes from Severu … is she a threat?
Taking the two steps into the cavernous space, I spot two cars that stand out like sore thumbs. One is a red muscle car, and it has clearly seen better days. The other is an emerald-green lowrider with its hood up.
Severu clears his throat and waits. A moment later my red-haired angel leans around the hood and glares at my brother with disdain.
“We agreed. You stay out of my space, and I’ll stay out of yours,” she bites out.
“This is my fucking house,” Severu replies angrily.
Her brows rise as a devilish smile plays across her lips. “Correction, asshole. It’s your brother’s house. You simply live here, rent free may I add.”
“I should…”
“What?” she cuts him off. “I’m not afraid of you, Severu Cammareri, and I’m not afraid of death. So what exactly do you think you are going to do?”
“Deal with this shit,” Severu says to me before releasing me and stomping away. He leaves me alone with this strange and fearless woman.
I’m fighting to remain upright while also holding back my laughter. The two of them clearly don’t feel any lost love for each other and seeing her hand my brother his ass is funny as fuck.
“You look like hammered shit,” she says taking me in.
“I feel it.”
“Come sit. I can’t believe he just left you here,” she says, making her way between the cars and looping her arm around my middle. She leads me around the cars to a couch that wasn’t here before. What the hell is happening in this house?
“Such an asshole,” she mumbles.