Chapter 25

Twenty-Five

Romeo – One Week Later

"P-please, R-Romeo, I'd-I'd never betray you," my drug runner, Lewis, stutters before me, running a hand through his bleach-blonde hair.

I smirk, tilting my head at him as I grab my knife and lean casually against the metal wall, keeping my eyes on him.

I never thought the fucker was this dumb. I've brought him to the warehouse where people never fucking leave.

"So, it wasn't you in the crack house on 5th Street yesterday snorting my cocaine?" I ask coolly as I lift my knife, putting the tip on my finger and gently twisting it with my other hand.

Lewis' throat bobs as he swallows. "N-no, I-I would n-never do that," he lies through his teeth. "You gave me a chance, g-got me off the street…."

I hum. "Hmm, so the video proof of you snorting it off some crack whore's bare tits is a fake, then?"

A tremor shoots through him, which I can see from here, and he fidgets. I smirk.

"O-of course, Romeo…" he lies again.

I nod. "And my little brother finding you fucking said crack whore in the ass with cocaine all over your nose and shirt was a figment of his imagination?"

Lewis stills, his fidgeting stops, and I smile.

Now he's backed into a corner. He tells me Leonardo's lying, then he's disrespecting my consigliere and my underboss, Antonio, who went through the feeds after we realized we were over four grand short this month.

Yet, if he tells me the truth, he knows I'll kill him, but this is where he's stupid, because he's dead either way.

I watch his eyes move around the nearly empty space before he tries to make a run for it.

I chuckle and stand, lifting my knife. I throw it, and he grunts, dropping to the floor as it digs into his calf—hours upon hours of being forced to throw them at a dartboard years ago paying off.

He looks my way. "R-Rome, please, I-I, I have a problem!"

I ignore his pathetic words he's hoping will soften me, and storm over to him. I grab his hair tightly and drag him back to the middle of the room, making him cry and beg for mercy as he thrashes, trying to get out of my strong grip.

Unfortunately for him, I have no sympathy to give, my veil is slowly slipping, the monster I’ve managed to tame coming to the surface.

It's been a week since I found my wife unconscious; a week since I found out her own sister tried to kill her and our baby again, causing her to kill Liliya in self-defense.

It's been a week since I’ve heard her voice, looked into her eyes, felt her heartbeat against my chest.

I lift my black dress shoes and slam my foot down, kicking Lewis in the face, causing his head to snap back.

He rolls and tries to crawl away from me, but I kick him in the ribs, making him flip over, grunting and gasping in pain.

I grin. It looks like I cracked his rib and maybe even punctured his lung.

Good.

"Please, R-Romeo, I-I'm family," he mutters.

I snort, pulling the knife out of his calf, making him scream as I state, "You were family when I encouraged my father to initiate you from the streets at only twelve years old." I bend, and grip his hair tightly, putting the knife to his throat as I rasp, "You were family when I saved you from the man you owed money to, and ensured you and your mother were set. And you were family when I helped you rise from the bottom, but you fucked up, because no one steals from me and gets away with it."

With that, I slice his throat, and then throw him on the floor.

He chokes, his eyes wide as his hands go to his neck in a panic, trying to stop the bleeding, which is pitiful considering he knows how fast one dies this way.

I watch as his eyes cloud over, the life draining from them, but the anger inside me is still high. I can feel the monster wanting to come out and destroy everything.

He needs his heaven….

" Fratello …" Antonio rasps behind me, but I ignore him, staring at Lewis.

I took the fucker in, and how does he repay me? By trying to fuck me over, stealing from me.

This is why I trust no one except those closest to me….

Throwing the knife to the floor, I turn and walk to the sink, passing a concerned Antonio. I scrub my hands, watching the water turn red.

"That's the thirtieth guy you've killed this week," he reminds me, and I shrug.

"You saying none of them deserved it?" I question as I dry my hands.

He clears his throat. " Fratello , you killed a man because he scratched your car…."

I nod. "He was also a rapist. He wouldn't have been on my radar if he had paid attention to where he was riding his bike."

Antonio sighs, but I ignore it and walk out of the warehouse. The sky is a different color of orange and red, and dusk is settling in, reminding me of all the times I sat on the Hampton beach behind our holiday home with my wife leaning against my chest, watching the sunset.

I hear the door slam behind me, and I sigh.

"What can I do for you, Antonio?" I ask in frustration, feeling the need to kill grow stronger.

He huffs. "You can get your ass to that hospital and go see your wife."

I fist my hands. "Why? She's not awake…."

Antonio moves around me and gets in my face. "But she can still hear you. Dr. Cal confirmed it. You haven't been back to the hospital since the night she was flown in, and if I didn't know better, fratello , I'd say you didn't care about her."

I try not to flinch at his words.

He's wrong. So very fucking wrong, and he knows it.

I do care. I care too fucking much, and watching my wife's lifeless body…. I cried for the first time since I was six years old, when another kid pushed me over at school.

My father told me not to be a fucking pussy and to fight back.

I broke the child's arm the next day and hadn't cried since, not wanting to disappoint my father, a man I've always looked up to.

Was he harsh growing up? Yeah, but only because I was his heir; I was to become Don.

I needed to be hard, and he ensured I was while also ensuring I knew family was everything.

If I go to that hospital, I know I won't leave. I know however my wife leaves is how I will, even if it's by a hearse.

"She'll never forgive you if you're not there for your son, Romeo," he tries, but I ignore him and go to my black Porsche.

Climbing in, I start her up and spin away from the warehouse, knowing he'll deal with the body.

It's not just Antonio on my back. Mamma, Papa, Leonardo, Maya, Mikhail, fuck, even Anatasia and Holly. They all beg for me to go see her, but can't they see how much I'm dying on the inside?

I can't fucking face her knowing I'm the reason Liliya survived for so long, that I'm the reason she was hurting for years, because I kept her at a distance all for Liliya to?—

I shake my head, squeezing the steering wheel, my car accelerating.

For years, I put her sister before her just so I could keep her, and now it's nearly killed her and our son.

It's all my fucking fault, and the only way to stop myself from drowning is to kill.

With heavy breaths, I do a 180 from the route I started, driving toward the office instead, home no longer feeling like home .

It never will without her….

A knock on my office door snaps me out of my head a few hours later. I look at the time and see it's past midnight, and I sigh, knowing who it will be.

"Come in, Mamma," I rasp, leaning back in my chair, my eyes going to the pictures of my wife on my dark oak desk.

After Helena tried to get herself off on the old one, El decided it had to go.

I smile at the memory of El laid out on this one, my face in between her legs.

Mamma walks in wearing sweats, her hair up in a messy bun. My father is right behind her, and I silently groan.

"Two for one tonight, huh," I murmur, and Mamma snorts.

"It's been a week, son," Papa states, crossing his arms over his chest.

I find it comical that he's in a three-piece suit, yet Mamma is in her black sweats.

"I know how long it's been, Papa," I reply on a sigh.

Mamma steps forward. "You haven't been back to that room since you spent twenty-four hours straight with her."

I shake my head, pain hitting me in the chest, and I croak, "Mamma, I-I can't."

She sniffles, and Papa whispers, "You can, il mio ragazzo . You've had the time to get your anger out, fuck, our men now fear you, along with respect you. Everyone knows not to fuck with you, and now it's time you see your wife." I look down, feeling my eyes tear up. "Let us take you to her," my father finishes.

My eyes go to the pictures again. In them, her smile is wide, and her violet eyes are bright with happiness.

I was selfish to bring her into our world when she wanted out, and yet, even now, I can't seem to care. She's the light to my darkness, heaven to my hell.

Slowly, I nod, and I hear Mamma sigh with relief….

When we arrive at the hospital, Mamma and Papa go to the nurse's desk, and I continue my stride. Doctors quickly rush out of my way, and nurses look me up and down, but I ignore them all, my sole focus on the double glass doors to the private room where I had her moved.

I stop outside the door, my eyes going to my wife. She looks the same, her face pale, only her bump is a little bigger; our son is still growing.

Holly is asleep on the chair beside the bed, my wife’s hand in hers.

I know that should be me, but I just fucking can't.

I know if I go in that room, I won't be coming back out.

I feel a presence behind me on either side of me, but I don’t turn.

"We won't leave her, Rome," Ray whispers from my right.

Aldo concurs, "We know how hard this is for you, so while you're not here, we will be. We’ll make sure she knows how fucking much you love her, and how hard you're struggling without her."

I nod with gratitude, and they both grip my shoulders. Not once do I take my eyes off my wife's form, my ring finger tingling from where her name is tatted.

"We never discussed names for boys," I admit a few minutes later, both men going still. "We only discussed a name for a girl. I need her to wake up…."

They don't say anything, only squeezing my shoulders tighter.

I feel like I can't fucking breathe when I look at her, like I'm dying right beside her….

I need her to wake up because I can slowly feel myself fading. The monster is ready to take over, and once he's out, no one is safe….