Page 83

“You want anything from here, baby? Blueberry soda?”

She gave me a small nod. When I got her settled with her favorite drink and I had taken a much-needed swig of beer to lubricate my parched throat, I asked, “Anything else bothering you?”

“I went after Griselda,” she said. “Did I cause a problem between you and Tommy?”

“Nope.”

She cocked a brow before narrowing her eyes in the first signs that her sass had returned.“Really?”

“Really,” I replied.

“She had it coming.” She took a long sip of her soda. “Griselda has had it coming for a long time.” A smile twitched the corners of her mouth. “I didn’t register it much then, but I remembered you telling Sticks not to interfere.”

“I did.”

“Thanks for that because I’m not regretting showing Griselda the door.”

“You shouldn’t.”

“There’s a difference between being a doormat and picking your battles. Showing empathy or being a sucker.”

“As I said before, baby, I have your back.”

She raked her teeth over her bottom lip.

“Out with it. You have more to say.”

Her eyes lost focus for a moment, much like how Sticks had grown distant earlier. “Seeing all that blood…it’s like a horror movie.” She paused, as if choosing what to say, how to say it. “But I’m fine. More than fine. You were right. I went through the shock. And I tried to reconcile my gut and logic that you’ve done the right thing.

“Then I remembered the time a rival family kidnapped Liz. We were all on lockdown at the De Lucci mansion. When the guys returned, Matteo and Nico tracked blood all over the floors. There was this manic look in their eyes…much like yours were yesterday.”

I understood that look. Bloodlust.

Bianca took a couple of chugs from her drink. “I’d never seen my brothers that way. I was unnerved. It was as if they’d become strangers. Dad had come in with them and he saw the expression on my face.”

“Did Cesar go with them too?”

“Of course. Matteo was only twenty-three then. Nico, twenty-two. Dad had more experience. I think that was the first time…”

Bianca didn’t finish, but I got it. It was probably the first time the brothers had shot and killed men. “What did your dad do when he saw your face?”

“Nothing at that moment because Mom and I were rushing out the door on the way to the hospital to be with Renz and Liz while the guys cleaned up. The hospital discharged her the same day, and when we brought her home, that was when Dad pulled me into the kitchen and told me to help him prepare something for everyone to eat. Which I thought was weird because we could have just told someone to bring us food. Mom was with Renz, helping him take care of Liz.

“They made Renz stay in the car. He hadn’t kept up with defensive training, but after that, Dad made sure we both practiced shooting and self-defense skills.”

“I don’t blame him.” Cesar had many enemies. Raffa being one of them.

“But yeah.” Her exhalation was rough and long. “While Dad made frittata, he explained that Matteo and Nico insisted on being part of the rescue and there are things that needed to be done. I mean, Dad already knew I wouldn’t look at my brothers with any less love for killing those assholes who thought it was okay to kidnap a pregnant woman. But I clung to that time with my dad. In our world, there were things we needed to take into our own hands because our enemies would never play fair.”

“And I was the fucker who kept interrupting you sorting shit out in your head.”

Bianca gave a tiny laugh. It lit up her face.

Thank fucking Christ.

“It also reminded me of a question I wanted to ask you.”

“I’m an open book.” I was thrilled to have my Sunlight back. I failed to detect the wary hesitation on her face and her next words dropped an anchor in my gut.