Page 23 of Loathe Me (Touch of Death 1)
“You need to come home.”
“Why?”
“One of the Elite that attacked us had a phone. Gio managed to recover some encrypted messages on it. They had orders to take Adelina and kill us. They issued a kill against us, Sasha.”
“It may have been a blanket order. It’s not like we were ever tasked with bringing anyone in alive. The parameters of an abduction would—”
“They sent them to our home with an order. To. Kill. Us.”
“The Elite don’t operate on bias.”
“You don’t think that might have changed when we slaughtered their esteemed leader? Fuck, Sasha. Wake up. They are no longer the militant operation you once loved. They took my sister and my child. We fought back, and now they’re gunning for us.”
“Nicholai took Anna and Dante. But we always knew this was a possibility.”
We took a big chance. Nicholai wanted Dante, who he called the perfectly bred soldier. Una refused to accept that, and no one has ever sacrificed more for their child than she did. She took down an entire organization for Dante, and I helped her. Part of me is surprised it’s taken this long for them to come at us. Another part hoped that with Nicholai gone, the Elite would return to what it once was, a rigid fortress of rules and discipline. Given Nicholai’s behavior and their silence since his death, I assumed they had swept it, and us, under the rug of shame.
“I knew they hadn’t just randomly taken a kidnapping job. They’re killers, and we’re the hit. Adelina was just the scapegoat in case they failed.”
“What are you going to do?” I ask.
“If they think we’re weak, they’ll come for us.”
I sigh. “You want to retaliate.” Of course she does. It’s Una.
“We left them alone before. They broke that peace. You need to come home.” I can tell from the tone of her voice that she’s ready for war.
“I’m on a job.”
“Take her to her sister.”
I glance at Adelina’s bedroom door and hesitate. “I can’t.”
She lets out a small growl. “She is just a job, Sasha.”
“I can’t leave her like a sitting duck. The Bianchi’s will come for her, and the Ricci’s will be forced to hand her over.”
“So? Let them. We have bigger issues.”
“Una…” Her sister was a sex slave for years, held against her will. I expect more sympathy from Una on this particular subject.
“Where do your loyalties lie, Sasha?”
A knot forms in my stomach, and an uncomfortable sensation settles in my chest. “I need my brother right now,” she whispers. A rare trace of fear in lingers in her voice. “The last time we went up against them, we had nothing to lose; now everything is at stake.” She has everything to lose; I have nothing. “You know as well as I do that they’ll come back. We are vulnerable.”
“Nero can call in his men. You need to leave the penthouse.”
“We’re already in the house in the Hamptons.” That house is the seat of the New York boss, the true seat. It’s well protected. “But his men are useless, and you know it. You’re worth five of them.”
“Only five?”
She snorts. “Ten.”
I inhale a deep breath and release it slowly. “Let me work out what to do with Adelina. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Remember, we’re family Sasha.”
I hear what she doesn’t say, Adelina’s not. I hang up, and my stomach starts to knot uncomfortably. For the first time in my life, I feel torn. I don’t owe Adelina anything, but I agreed to protect her, and I’ve never gone back on my word.
Pushing myself to my feet, I wander across the apartment and peer through the crack in her door. The bedside lamp is on, casting low light over the room. Adelina’s expression is relaxed and peaceful, completely unmarred in her sleep. Perfect. The only movement comes from the gentle breeze that tugs at the white gauze curtains through the open window. Stepping inside, I cross the room and pull it shut. The girl has no fear, and when it comes to her own safety, she has little regard. I don’t know how many times I have to tell her that walls can be climbed. Her only response is always the same, “and windows can be broken.”
She stirs, an incoherent murmur slipping past her lips. A tiny crease sinks between her brows, and I have the urge to smooth it away, restoring her perfection. As I study her, I realize how truly young she is, unblemished by the dangers of the world. Despite growing up in the mafia, she’s still pure and innocent. She reminds me of Una before…when she first came to the Elite. Just a girl with a fire that burns inside her. I imagine Adelina’s purity stained and defiled by a man who would take a woman against her will. When I close my eyes, I can picture that sparkle in her eyes fading, withering until it’s snuffed out. I watched it happen to Una. I refuse to let it happen to Adelina. I need to go back to New York, but I can’t leave her without removing the threat.
