Page 79 of Single Mom's Mafia Daddies

A roar of approval swept through the room. Bloodied men pumped their fists into the air and resumed their chant. We’d won this day, but more battles waited us.

I turned to face Lila. “This is our world. Are you ready to rule it with me?”

40

LILA

We’d won this battle, but according to Alessio, the war was just beginning. Did I have the guts to follow through and live in this world with the men I loved?

The man who captured my heart all those years ago took a step back from the railing. His heel caught in the carpet and he leaned into me, his weight pushing me down until Renzo grabbed his shoulder and pulled him upright.

“You’re wounded.” Anger laced his tone, and the constant tick of the muscle in his jaw said he hadn’t calmed down yet.

“It’s nothing.” Alessio tried to wave off Renzo’s concern.

I ducked around in front of him and scoured his body until I spotted blood covering his ribs. His suit jacket had hidden the severity of it. I hissed through my teeth when I pulled the jacket away and the splotch of blood became an enormous patch that stretched from just beneath his armpit to his waist. “What happened?”

“No idea.” He shrugged. “Can’t feel it yet, and I have no memory of pain to tell me when it happened.” A grin flashed and he tapped Renzo’s arm. “Looks like you got shot.”

Renzo flexed and turned his arm for a quick look. “Just a graze.”

Dammit, those wounds were going to hurt like hell when the adrenaline and shock wore off.

“Let’s go.” I led the way toward our suite of rooms down the hall. Leo’s hand tightened in mine. I considered sending him with Bruce to avoid the sight of blood and the cost of the battle we’d fought. I doubted he’d go willingly, and it might be good for him to see the men were going to be okay with his own eyes.

Matteo strode ahead of us and opened the door to Renzo’s rooms. “He has the bigger medical supplies stash,” was his response to my silent question.

“Fair enough.” I helped Alessio into the nearest chair, which ended up being a comfortable looking recliner. “Leo, can you go with Matteo to get bandages?”

Leo nodded without speaking and released me to follow Matteo into the back room. Metal banged, the sound of a locker door opening and crashing into another.

I expected to hear Matteo crack a joke or break into a song and dance routine to help ease the storm of tension enveloping the room.

He did neither. When he walked out with his arms laden with bandages, I recognized the haunted look in his eyes. He handed most of the bandages to me then turned and held out a roll of gauze to Renzo. “You should wash that out before you wrap it.”

Renzo gave him a calculating look. No doubt he knew the proper protocol for tending wounds, but he didn’t snap at Matteo. Instead, he took the gauze and slowly began removing the weapons that bristled from his body like porcupine quills. The bulletproof vest followed, then his black tactical shirt.

When he stood in nothing but his tactical pants and a plain white tank top, he crooked a finger at Leo. “You want to help?”

“Sure.” Leo hopped over and ran his finger around the edges of the wound, his eyes wide with curiosity. “Will you have a scar?”

“Probably.”

I tuned out the conversation and concentrated on Alessio. He’d worked his jacket off and laid it aside. The gold cufflinks clinked when he unbuttoned them and dropped them onto the narrow sofa table that ran the length of the wall. I swatted his hands away and undid the shirt buttons for him, then helped him lean forward to slide the bloodied material off his body.

Matteo held out a hand and took the shirt from me. “I’ll dispose of it.”

He was the only one still wearing his full menagerie of weapons. The rifle slung across his back rattled against the pistol in his belt when he walked, and I spotted another pistol and two knives tucked in various places across his legs. His stride faltered when he reached the bathroom and a shudder rippled across his shoulders. He shoved a hand through his hair and took several slow, deep breaths.

“He’ll be okay,” Alessio whispered.

I turned back to him and dragged one of the cleaning gauzes across the blood on his ribs, careful when he sucked in deeply through his teeth. “How do you know?”

“We’ve all been there.” He jerked his chin toward Matteo. “We’ll help. Matteo’s strong, and he always finds a way to come through this. We all will.” He took the gauze from me and scrubbed it hard on his skin. “We’re going to be okay, Lila.”

I didn’t know how badly I’d needed to hear those words until he said them. My aching heart shattered then knitted itself back together. I climbed into the chair on his good side. “I was so worried.”

“I know. And I’m sorry.” He finished cleaning the wound. “Can you help me with this?” He held out a package of sterilegauze and some ointment. “Rub the ointment on the gauze, then place it over the wound. We’ll cover it with a dry layer, then tape it into place.”