Page 30 of Taken by the Mafia King (Kings of Philly #1)

KILLIAN

A nother glass of whiskey hadn’t washed the taste or feel of Sera’s lips from my own. A third glass hadn’t done much to ease the dull ache in my chest whenever my mind drifted from her to Tommaso and our ill-fated night.

Ill-fated in so many ways. Sure, Giuseppe had been sent what I hoped he’d consider a valuable message. Fuck with me and get fucked. But it had cost me, too.

Tommaso had almost paid the ultimate price. We’d already lost one of our men, his body now being prepared for burial. I ran my fingers through my hair as I thought of the funeral that would take place within the next week. He’d been young, as young as Mikey and just as green with a gun.

His mother would be cared for, for the rest of her life, I’d make sure of it. But her heart would be forever broken.

I sucked in a breath and stood, stumbling a bit until I found my footing. I left my office and walked through the dark house, lingering for a moment in front of Tommaso’s room.

Instead of continuing to my own room, I found myself drunkenly climbing upstairs to the winding, crisscrossed hallways on the upper floor. Delaney hadn’t breached my thoughts in a long while. I walked past her door. Silence.

It was three in the morning, quiet throughout the house, as I moved through the darkness and rested my hands on either side of Sera’s door.

It had been an hour since I’d fucked up and kissed her like I’d wanted to.

I’d tangled my fingers in her thick, silky hair and felt her tongue glide over mine.

Had I been a younger, more inexperienced man, I would have taken her fully right then and there.

But I had some control, and I knew where this would lead if I let it go any further.

She was dangerous, and she didn’t know it. My own mother wanted her dead.

And I wanted to keep her very much alive and all to myself.

I pushed off her door and cursed up and down until I reached my room and threw myself into bed.

I didn’t dream.

Sometime around midday, I woke feeling like garbage, but I showered and dressed and steeled my expression in the mirror.

My eyes were dark and empty. Good. I couldn’t let any of my inner turmoil show.

I couldn’t expose my fear of losing Tommaso, and I especially couldn’t show my desire for my prisoner, the Bianchi girl.

Love was a weakness I couldn’t risk. Falling for someone no matter how innocent they were meant they wore a target on their backs for the rest of their lives.

If I gave in to temptation, Sera would die, and not by my hands.

No. She would be hunted and stalked and taken apart piece by piece only because she was linked to me.

And I’d tear the world to shreds to avenge her, even if it meant I lost my life and everything else in the process.

I couldn’t let her weaken me. I couldn’t give in.

I pushed into Tommaso’s room around eleven in the morning. Doctor Enstrom was there, taking his vitals, while my friend slept with an IV port in his arm hooked to a stand next to the bed.

“How is he?”

“He’s going to be sore when he wakes up, but your—well, whoever and whatever she is—did a fine job cleaning him up and stopping the bleeding.

Had she not acted, I don’t think he would have made it through the night.

Right now, he’s stable. There are no signs of infection.

I’d like to keep him on fluids for a while and bed rest, if that’s a possibility.

” Dr. Enstrom gave me a look over the top of his glasses before he glanced down at a chart.

“I heard some rumors about how this happened.”

I growled low in my throat as I rested my weight against the wall and looked out the window.

Dr. Enstrom had freedoms no one else in this kind of life could afford.

He was paid well not just for his skills, that was for sure.

All of the doctors who aligned with crime families were the same way, but their allegiances to certain bosses didn’t mean they kept their mouths shut when in the company of each other.

“Giuseppe got shot twice in the leg,” he said quietly, smirking.

“The leg?” I snorted, rolling my eyes. “None of my men would have missed their mark that badly.”

“Oh, it wasn’t your men.” He laughed, tucking his pen back in his chest pocket. “Sounds like he accidentally shot himself in the leg.”

“Twice?”

“Yep.” He tucked a pen in his ear and smiled. “I thought that might brighten your spirits.”

“It does.” I glanced at Tommaso and nodded at Dr. Enstrom, then took my leave.

Something didn’t sound quite right about that, but it was second-hand information. Alonzo would fill us in on the aftermath when he had a chance.

I walked downstairs and found Francesco talking with a small group of men in the foyer. He looked up at me, his large arms crossed over his chest. “Got the warehouse situation taken care of.”

“Bodies?”

“Gone.”

My men had returned to the warehouse shortly after Tommaso was settled, and they burned the building to the ground after disposing of the bodies.

I didn’t like to leave messes like that behind.

If someone fucked with me, my family, and my property, they’d pay the price.

Showing the other bosses I was willing to burn down my own property, even if half of it was to cover the mess Giuseppe had made and collect the insurance? I’d do that and worse.

Now the ball was in my court.

“I want to see Alonzo before we move on to the next step,” I told the men in the area. They all left, save for Francesco. I arched an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“The Bianchi princess tried to escape last night,” he said. “At least I think that’s what she was trying to do.”

“What do you mean, escape?”

“She walked right outside. I was out there minding my own business and she threw a little tantrum before I took her back inside and up to her room.”

I stepped toward him, hackles raised. “You touched her?—”

“I didn’t touch her. She just walked down the driveway, stomped around, blew smoke out of her ears, then came back inside. It was entertaining to say the least, and I thought you should know. I would never touch her, Boss.” He gave me a serious look. “Never.”

The front door swung open, almost hitting Francesco in the back.

Mikey ran inside.

“You’re supposed to be guarding the gate,” I said.

“I tried to call. You were right. He came.” He doubled over to rest his hands on his knees, panting for breath. When he finally lifted his gaze to mine, his lips curled in a smile. “The girl’s dad is here.”