Page 113 of The Wrong Mafia Bride
"That is an order, cousin. Get Erin to Rosalina. I will be right behind you."
"Like hell you will," Luca says, stepping forward to stand beside Gabriel. "You are not doing this alone."
Gabriel looks at him, surprise flickering across his features. Then understanding. "Luca?—"
"Save it," Luca interrupts, checking his weapon with practiced efficiency. "You and Dante take Erin and go protect our girl. "
I want to argue, want to tell Luca that we go together or not at all. But Erin's hand tightens in mine, and I can hear the footsteps getting closer, and I know there is no time.
"Luca, get out of here alive." I promise, looking between them. "Gabe, let’s go.."
"Luca, don’t be ridiculous come on," Gabriel says, already taking position at a narrow chokepoint in the tunnel, rifle raised.
“ Get out of here before they kill all of us and we leave Rosalina alone,” Luca growls, pushing Gabriel towards the exit."Go! I got this."
I grab Erin's hand and pull her forward, Callahan right behind us, and we run.
Behind us, I hear gunfire.
And I pray Luca knows what he's doing.
25
ROSALINA
I waketo the sound of my own screaming.
The dream dissolves but the terror remains—Patrick's face, Dolan's blood, Erin's voice calling for me while I stand frozen, unable to move, unable to save her. My hands clutch at sheets that are soaked with sweat, my heart hammering so hard against my ribs I think it might crack them.
"Breathe, Bella."
Gabriel's voice. Steady and calm and real. His hand settles on my shoulder, grounding me to reality, pulling me back from the nightmare.
I suck in a breath that feels like broken glass, then another, forcing oxygen into lungs that forgot how to work. The room comes into focus slowly—my doorless bedroom, the soft glow of the lamp on the nightstand, Gabriel sitting on the edge of my bed with concern etched into every line of his face.
"What—" My voice comes out raw, wrecked. "What time is it?"
"Almost three in the morning." He hands me a glass of water that was sitting on the nightstand, and I drink it greedily, trying to wash away the taste of terror. "The doctor gave you something to help you sleep. You have been out for about nine hours."
Five hours. Which means Dante and the others have been gone for?—
"Where are they?" I demand, pushing myself upright despite the way the room spins. "Where is Dante? And Luca? Did they?—"
"Dante is securing Erin at a safehouse," Gabriel says, and the relief that crashes through me is so intense it actually hurts. "Luca just got home about ten minutes ago. He is debriefing with Callahan, but he’s going to need a minute. Fucker is covered in guts, and some bruises from throwing some generades to escape. "
"And Patrick?"
Gabriel's expression goes cold. "Being handled."
The words settle over me, and I know what they mean. Patrick Murphy is dying tonight, if he is not dead already. The man who murdered my father and killed Dolan and threatened Erin is being eliminated.
I should feel something about that. Guilt, maybe, or horror at the violence. But all I feel is savage satisfaction and the desperate need to see my sister alive.
"I need to get up," I say, already swinging my legs over the side of the bed. "I need to be there when they arrive. Erin will need?—"
The world tilts violently, and Gabriel catches me before I face-plant into the floor.
"Easy," he says, steadying me with hands on my waist. "You are still recovering from earlier. The doctor said the sedative would make you dizzy."
