CHAPTER NINE
Luca Carmine
The Mob Boss Arrives
I stood in the hospital parking lot, my hands clenched into fists, trying to control the rage that was threatening to consume me.
My sister. My baby sister. Lying in a hospital bed, broken and unconscious, because some piece of shit had run her off the road.
And her husband—that worthless fuck—had been too busy screwing his mistress to protect her.
"Boss," Deangelo said quietly. "We need to move on this. Fast."
I nodded, pulling out my phone. "Get Marco and Dario. I want them here within the hour. And call Sal—tell him to pull every traffic camera, every security feed from Route 9 and the surrounding area. I want to know who was driving that SUV."
"On it." Deangelo stepped away, making calls.
I looked back at the hospital, at the window where I knew Ginny was lying unconscious.
Ginny. My little sister. The one person in this world I'd do anything to protect.
And I'd failed her.
Could that Unknown number earlier been her. Did she call me, hoping I could save her? And I failed her again. Please let her make it through this. Please let her wake up so I can make this right.
She'd run away two years ago, desperate to escape the life I'd built. She'd been so young, so naive, eighteen years old, thinking she could just walk away from the Carmine family and live a normal life.
I'd let her go because I loved her. Because I wanted her to be happy.
But I'd also arranged for her to marry Deangelo—my best friend, my underboss, the one man I trusted to keep her safe and treat her right.
She'd never known about the arrangement. I'd planned to tell her when the time was right.
But she'd run before I could. She'd married that piece of shit Henrik instead.
And now she was paying the price.
Deangelo came back, his face grim. "Marco and Tony are on their way. Sal's pulling the footage now."
"Good." I lit a cigarette, taking a long drag. "What do we know about the husband?"
"Henrik Mikelson, 27, works in finance. No criminal record, no connections to our world. Seems like a regular guy."
"Regular guys don't cheat on their wives and leave them vulnerable to attack," I said coldly.
"Agreed." Deangelo's jaw was tight. "You want me to handle him?"
I considered it. Part of me wanted Henrik Mikelson dead for what he'd done to Ginny. But killing him wouldn't help her right now.
"Not yet," I said. "First, we find out who ran her off the road. Then we deal with the husband."
"He doesn't deserve her," Deangelo said quietly.
I looked at him. Deangelo had been in love with Ginny since we were kids. He'd never said it outright, but I'd known. I'd seen the way he looked at her, the way he'd always been protective of her.
That's why I'd arranged for them to marry. Because I knew Deangelo would treat her like a queen, would protect her with his life.
But she'd run before that could happen.
"No," I agreed. "He doesn't. But she chose him. And we have to respect that."
"Even if it nearly got her killed?"
"Even then." I dropped my cigarette and crushed it under my heel. "But if he fucks up again, he's done. Understood?"
Deangelo nodded. "Understood."
My phone rang. Sal.
"Talk to me," I said.
"I've got the footage, boss. Dark blue SUV, license plates covered. It came up behind her on Route 9, forced her off the road, then kept going. I'm running the make and model now."
"Good. Send me everything you've got. And Sal—I want to know who owns every dark blue SUV in a fifty-mile radius. Cross-reference with anyone who might have a grudge against the Carmine family."
"On it, boss."
I hung up and looked at Deangelo. "We're going to find this bastard. And when we do, I'm going to make them wish they'd never been born."
"What about the cops?" Deangelo asked.
"Let them do their investigation. But we're not waiting for them. We handle this our way."
Deangelo smiled grimly. "I was hoping you'd say that."
We went back inside, and I headed straight for the ICU. The nurse tried to stop me, saying visiting hours were over, but one look from me and she backed off.
I stood in Ginny's room, looking at her small, broken body in that hospital bed.
She looked so young. So fragile.
I remembered when she was born—I'd been four years old, and I'd thought she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I'd promised myself then that I'd always protect her, always keep her safe.
And I'd failed.
"I'm sorry, Ginny," I said softly. "I should have kept you close. I should have made you stay. But I wanted you to be happy, and I thought letting you go was the right thing to do."
I reached out and took her hand gently. "But I'm here now. And I'm going to find whoever did this. I'm going to make them pay for hurting you. I promise."
Deangelo stood in the doorway, his expression unreadable.
"You should tell her," I said without looking at him.
"Tell her what?"
"That you love her. That you've always loved her."
He was quiet for a long moment. "She's married."
"To a man who doesn't deserve her. A man who cheated on her and left her vulnerable." I turned to face him. "When she wakes up—and she will wake up—she's going to need someone who actually gives a shit about her. Someone who'll protect her. Someone who loves her."
"Luca—"
"That’s why I arranged for you two to marry," I said bluntly. "Two years ago, before she ran. I was going to tell her, but she left before I could. She was supposed to be yours, Deangelo. And maybe, when this is all over, she still can be."
He stared at me.
"I wanted her with someone I trusted. Someone who'd treat her right. And that's you." I looked back at Ginny. "So when she wakes up, you tell her how you feel. And you let her decide."
Deangelo moved to the other side of the bed, looking down at Ginny with an expression of such raw longing it almost hurt to see.
"I've loved her since we were kids," he said quietly. "But she never saw me that way. She always looked at me like I was just her brother's friend."
"Then make her see you differently," I said. "You've got a second chance here. Don't waste it."
He nodded slowly. "I won't."
My phone buzzed. Sal again.
"Boss, I've got something. The SUV was reported stolen three days ago from a parking lot in Millbrook. Owner says he doesn't know who took it."
"Find the owner. Bring him in for questioning. Our kind of questioning."
"Already on it."
I hung up and looked at Deangelo. "We've got a lead. Let's go."
He hesitated, looking at Ginny.
"She'll be here when we get back," I said. "Right now, we need to find the bastard who did this."
He nodded, and we left.
The hunt was on.
And God help whoever we found at the end of it.