Page 109 of Thorns of Blood

“But you are full of shit.” Then, as if she needed to emphasize her words, she kicked my chair. Why did I attract the crazies? “You’re my brother and I love you, but right now, you’re being an idiot.”

“Fuck you, Marissa.”

“She loves you, Giovanni,” she continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “I saw it on her resting-bitch face.”

“She has a beautiful face,” I muttered. “So soft and?—”

“Jesus Christ. If you’re going to start swooning like a little bitch, I’m going to fucking puke.”

I loved my sister, but Declan had to be a saint to handle her.

“Go puke,” I told her flatly. “And do us both a favor, don’t come back.”

She turned on her heel, muttering something under her breath, and stormed off the balcony, leaving the door wide open.

The sound of giggles and laughter reached me and I glared in its direction. Normally, I loved children. Brianna’s and Mateo’s kids were my favorite little ones, but today they reminded me of what I didn’t have.

What I would never have.

“Hello, Giovanni,” Brianna’s youngest daughter, Aspen, greeted me while Dante, her older brother, and Emma, her oldest sister, watched me attentively. He was a protective little fucker, as he should be. “Why are you so sad?”

“I’m tired,” I said, keeping my voice soft. Aspen got easily spooked by sudden movements and loud voices. Honestly, I was surprised she was taking Eminem so well, although judging by her mother’s face, she wasn’t happy about all the explicit content. Luckily, that guy sputtered words too fast and furious for either Dante or Aspen to pick anything up.

“Don’t be sad, Uncle Giovanni. You don’t get another chance, life is no Nintendo game.” My brows furrowed. Did Dante just quote an Eminem song? I barked a laugh. Maybe I had already lost my mind. But just as I came to that conclusion, Dante added, “Maybe that’s what happens when a tornado meets a volcano. You and Aunt Liana.”

I choked on more laughter, pulling out my phone from my pocket, and shut down the playlist. Gasps of relief traveled through the air, causing Dante to roll his eyes.

“Don’t listen to Eminem,” I warned him.

“Bite me,” he muttered. “I’ll rap to Eminem if I want to.”

“That’s enough,” I warned him in my sturdiest voice. “Got it?”

The little guy shrugged. “Why? Don’t want my daddy to chop you up?”

Jesus. I had a mini Marissa with the badass attitude of Mateo wrapped up in the small, too-cute body of a ten-year-old.

“Dante, your dad isn’t chopping anyone up. Stop saying shit like that.” I put the bottle down on the table and said, “Now, take your sisters and go check on your parents.”

“So damn bossy,” Dante muttered while Aspen waved her hand at me, smiling like it could make the whole world better.

I got up and walked over to the railing, closing my eyes against the late fall wind.

She was out there without me. She fucking left me. Knocked me out with her gun and fucking left me like dust in the wind.

When I regained consciousness earlier today, my head throbbing like a motherfucker, I picked my heart up off the floor and went about my day. I even held a meeting without killing anyone.

I fought the urge to go after her, but I knew she wouldn’t want to see me, so after I discovered where she was headed, I called Louisa and had her fly to New York. She’d keep Lia safe, and it was about time they patched things up.

Kingston came earlier and got my wife’s stuff. Whatever she hadn’t destroyed. Instead of giving it to him, I almost shot him. I had no idea what possessed me, but I wanted to hold on to all her favorite things so she would have to come back.

It didn’t matter that I knew it wasn’t right. She should want to come back… for me. But she didn’t, and I feared she never would.

I pushed her too hard. I wanted too much.

I’d been so sure that she felt the same as I did about her, that we’d work something out. That I wouldn’t lose her completely. How very fucking wrong I was.

And now, I didn’t know what to do.