Page 176 of The Wicked

“Then why didn’t he come with us earlier on the pla—”

“I’m not in the mood to talk, Zahra,” he snapped.

I parted my lips to say something but closed them again, shifting on my feet as I looked ahead, grateful that the elevator stopped and slid apart, revealing a large living room.

Elio walked out quickly, and I followed behind him, but my steps faltered for a second when I spotted Upper and Angelo talking with some soldiers; two nurses were checking a file at the far end of the living room. Soldiers were all around the space; there was also a table filled with weapons as if they werepreparing to head out once information about the shooters came forward.

“Where is he?” Elio asked as we approached Upper and Angelo.

Real fear gripped me when my eyes scanned Upper from head to toe, and even when I confirmed that he was okay and the blood on him wasn’t his, the fear remained.

He could have died tonight.

“In there,” Angelo said. “It’s not looking good.”

Elio didn’t wait to hear anything else, he just disappeared behind the door Angelo had pointed to, and when Angelo followed him—not before shooting me a distrusting frown—I pulled Upper by his wrists, away from the other soldiers, who kept their eyes on us.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” I asked in a panicked whisper.

He frowned. “Glad to see that’s the first thing you care about.”

“What? You—where’s everyone else?”

“Back in Milan, at the compound. I just informed them about what hap—”

“Why are you here?” I bit at him.

Upper looked tired. There were fading bloodstains on his hands and some smudges here and there on his face; his hair looked a mess. “We were together when we got attacked by some real crazy gun-ninja a-holes. Casmiro took three bullets, and we barely escaped that building alive.”

I eyed him. “Why were youwith him?”

Upper eyed me cautiously. “He invited me to come along? When he got back from the airport, we went for a drive, and I was still in the car when he told me he had a company here that dealt with racing and car shit. He asked if I’d like to tag along, and I did, we drove here a—”

“And you didn’t think to tell me you weretaggingalong?” I gritted out.

“It slipped my mind, okay? I figured I would surprise you,and you wouldn’t have to be alone on the journey back—but fuck, that isn’t important. These people stormed the company un-bloody-announced, and he got shot, and there was so much blood, and I freaked out because they were gunning for him, Zahra. They wanted to kill him. Not me. Or anyone else in that building.”

I wasfurious.

“I don’t give a shit about Casmiro, Upper. You made a fucking mistake tonight, not telling me you would be here; you could have fucking died just by being with him. You don’ttagalong with people like that.”

Upper’s eyes widened in disbelief, looking at me like my face belonged to a stranger. “What in bloody hell’s name is wrong with you, Zahra? Do you not get it? He might die, and you’re here worrying about the measly fact that I didn’t shoot you a quick text?”

“Upper—”

“He took a bloody bullet for me, and he’s in there fighting for his life because of it; you should be worried abouthim,not me. I’m fine; he’s not. And he’s not a fucking bad person, okay? Just because he’s in a crime family doesn’t mean we automatically wish him dead.”

“I get what you’re saying, and I’m glad he took that bullet for you—”

“What?”

“You would have died otherwise; spare me if I care about you and not someone I know absolutely nothing about.”

“Jesus Christ, Zahra, at least show some sympathy.”

I scoffed, relaxing my shoulders as I looked towards the window. “I have no sympathy to give. Not even a tiny drop of care. He probably pissed off some people, made threats here and there, and talked more than he should. That’s what these guys do; they run their mouths because they think they have a title that makes them untouchable. But karma is a bitch, not our problem.”

Upper shook his head. “Are you high right now?”