Sorry for the late update! 🥹 There will be another one later today!

Question of the day:
What's your favourite chocolate?

All I could hear while I took off my dress and my make up was Costa screaming.

I had no idea at who. He could have been on the phone, he could have been shouting at Rocco and the twins. Or, he could have just been losing his mind.

Either way, I stayed the hell out of his war path.

It continued on and off for hours.

I definitely didn't have the guts to sleep in his bed with the way he was acting downstairs. I feel like seeing me in his bed would be the final straw to push him over the edge.

While he was throwing his tantrum, I moved enough stuff back to the guest room that I could use to get ready in the morning.

Since it was Saturday, I decided to do a workout in Costa's gym and then go and meet Zari for breakfast.

That morning, I was avoiding my husband at all costs and thankfully, I was successful. Although, I sent him a text to let him know where I was going only to avoid him blowing up my phone once he found out I left the penthouse.

Having to check in every time I went out was something I was already used to from my life in Greek Mafia.

Yes, it pisses me off that I have to announce where I'm going, with who and when I'll be back. But it's my life and it will never change.

"I missed you. And I missed your hair." I pouted my lips, pulling Zari in for a tight hug.

She'll always be my girl crush.

The curly haired woman laughed, wrapping her arms around me to return the hug.

"I missed you too, Millie. How's married life?" She smirked, pulling out of my arms in the secluded corner of the restaurant.

Zari was there the day Damian and I shut down Prada when I went to buy my birthday dress. She also saw the security at our club at my party.

But she didn't know about the mafia, only that we came from a wealthy entrepreneurial family. The Darmos name was well known to the public so I didn't have to try to hide my security guards which was good. But I couldn't tell her the truth about my marriage.

"Married life is great." I smiled through the complete and utter lie.

She wasn't invited to the wedding in Sicily for obvious reasons. She only knew that I had a whirlwind romance and quickly got married to a rich Sicilian businessman.

The last I saw of her was just before we flew to Sicily for my wedding. I promised I'd see her as soon as I returned to New York, I just never imagined that would be three months later.

"Well, tell me all. What is Sicily like?" She spoke as we took our seats in the luxury brunch restaurant in Manhattan.

"It's really nice. It's not exactly what I'm used to - you know because of the language and everything. But I'm getting used to it."

"Do you miss New York? Or is your husband keeping you too busy?" She wiggled her eyebrows flashing me a grin.

Now imagine if she found out this husband was the man she saw almost pull a weapon on me on my birthday.

"Not that busy." I laughed. "I've spent most of my time working. But I definitely miss New York. I miss my family and I miss the food."

Kill me if you want, but I'm sick of Italian food. Being in New York is a breath of fresh air. My favourite food spots in New York are unmatched.

"And me?" She grinned, her mocha skin glowing in the natural light.

"Yes, and you." I laughed. "Anyway, enough about me. How are you? How's Ryder?" Ryder was her fiancé who crashed my birthday party and turned out to be an old friend of Julius's.

He made up for his poor behaviour when he gave me some bubblegum though.

She quickly launched into a full breakdown of the last three months. She told me about all the ups and downs in her relationship - the ups being mostly sex related and the downs being their frequent arguments.

"Zari..." I frowned when she told me about the most recent fight they had. "That sounds kind of-"

"Toxic? I know." She smirked. When she saw my look of confusion and mild concern, she burst out laughing.

"Relax, Millie. Ryder and I have a complicated relationship. There are sides to him that most people don't know about. It can make things difficult but we don't love each other any less."

Julius told me that Ryder used to be a king pin - a fancier term for a drug dealer. He thought he'd quit when he moved to Chicago but now he's not so sure. He's back in New York and he's rich as hell which suggests he's back in the drug game. He's also weirdly overprotective of Zari.

But Ryder doesn't know the truth about our family either. They were never that close for Julius to tell him. If he is still a criminal then that would easily explain what sides she was talking about.

"So, if you're happy to go ahead with this crazy relationship of yours-" I gave her a pointed look and she shrugged. "-when are you getting married?"

"We haven't set a date yet. It's soon, I hope. We're just...we're working through some issues right now."

"Issues?"

"If I tell you then you're going to judge me." She frowned, leaning back in her seat. At that same moment our food was delivered to our table, so we waited to continue our conversation.

"I won't judge you, Zari. Don't ever think that." I flashed her a smile, reaching out to squeeze her hand.

"Sure?" She rose an eyebrow at me and I nodded.

"Okay, fine. But it's kind of weird." She shifted uncomfortably, a shy smile tugging at her lips.

"Just spit out." I took a bite of my food, waiting for her to get to the point.

"Okay, so...Ryder and I are trying out some things in the...bedroom. One of the things is swinging."

"Swinging?" I frowned. "Like sleeping with other-"

"Other couples." She nodded to confirm. "We wanted to try it out before we eventually settle down after we're married."

"Oh." I didn't expect that. "Is it fun?"

I can't say I'd ever considered it but then I'm also a miserable virgin so I haven't considered much at all. I feel like I need to have sex first before I can think about spicing up my sex life.

But I'm married to Costa now so I doubt I'd ever get past stage one.

"Well, that's the problem." She frowned, taking a bite of her eggs. "I like it but Ryder isn't as into it as me."

"Why? He doesn't like sleeping with other women?"

"No, he's a guy, Millie. He loves that part. He just doesn't like me sleeping with other men." I can't say I'm surprised. Men are extremely territorial when it comes to sex - so I've heard.

Again, my miserable self hasn't experienced it.

"Do you always do it together?"

"No. Sometimes we do it separately." She answered.

My mouth formed an 'O' shape and I nodded. "So that's why you haven't set a date? Because of this?"

"Mostly, yeah. I want to experiment a bit more and just experience it before we say our vows. I like being with other men and seeing what else is out there. Is that bad?"

"No." I shook my head. "Everyone likes different things, Zari. It's a little unconventional, sure. But it's not bad as long as Ryder has given his consent."

"What do I do? Shall I just stop and set a date with Ryder?"

"Wait until you're ready to set a date. Don't rush into it because once you're married, if you ever have these same...urges, you'll just fill yourself with guilt."

"I know." She nodded, a soft frown on her face. But it only lasted a second before she pasted a smile back on. "Enough about that. Let me tell you about this stupid bitch I got into a fight with at a club the other day."

And she very quickly launched into a brand new story, momentarily helping me to forget all about my own life.

<<<<<<<< >>>>>>> <<<<<<<

After our brunch we decided to take a walk down Fifth Avenue. Zari said she needed a new coat and I was never one to pass up an opportunity to shop.

It had been three months since I last went shopping - sickening. The last things I bought were my wedding heels from Jimmy Choo and a new perfume the day before we flew to Sicily.

Of course, I had to let my security team know. After last night I wasn't taking any chances with my safety. I knew what kind of man Aco Petrovic was. And let's not forget I also had Viktor fucking Kozlov on my ass too.

All I ever wanted was a peaceful life as a boss bitch book publisher.

Now I'm married to the heir of the Sicilian Mafia and I've got the Serbian Mafia and the Russian Bratva after me.

But I still managed to go shopping. I just had Costa's band of army men following me around.

They weren't even subtle about it. Every single store we went into, I had two guards behind me and two at the doors.

In the end, I only brought a few bags home with me. It was a shame because I definitely had the urge to splurge, but I didn't have access to the same kind of funds I used to before I was married.

"Signora Accardi, I will-"

"It's okay, I'll take them." I smiled at my head of security, clutching my designer shopping bags.

"But, Signore Accardi won't-" I didn't give him the chance to finish. I made my way over to the elevator, heading back up to the penthouse.

My plan to avoid Costa was still very much in motion.

The penthouse is huge. All I have to do is get to my room and shut the door.

If only it was that simple.

As soon as I set foot into the penthouse, I was met with the sound of loud laughter coming from down the hallway. I did try to make a run for it, but I couldn't get very far in my heels.

I was halfway to the stairs, by the kitchen, when Costa and Rocco entered the main open plan area. Both of them were dressed in workout clothes, but Costa was the one who decided to parade himself around with no shirt.

It's as if he knew tattoos were my weakness or something.

Are virgins even allowed to have a weakness?

His olive toned skin glistened from the light sheen of sweat. His sweatpants hung low on his hips giving me the perfect view of his v line and his abs.

"Wait until tomorrow, fratello. I'll beat your ass." Rocco muttered, shoving Costa who was busy drinking his water. (Brother)

His Adam's apple bobbed with every swallow, his eyes lit up with humour.

"Yeah? I'd like to see you try. You could barely keep up today." He laughed, screwing the cap back on his bottle.

"You know what I...-" Rocco's sentence trailed off when they both laid eyes on me. His eyes lost all traces of humour within a split second.

"Ci vediamo dopo, Rocco." (I'll see you later, Rocco) Costa spoke, his tone also becoming more serious.

Rocco nodded, heading past me and up the stairs while Costa came to a stop next to me.

"You went shopping?" He questioned, eyeing the five designer bags in my hands.

Yes, five bags is considered light shopping for me.

"Yeah. I texted you this morning to-"

"Did you put it on my card?" He cut me off, tossing his empty bottle on the nearby kitchen counter.

"Your card?" I frowned. I've suddenly forgotten what a card is.

"Yeah." Costa nodded, taking my bags from me.

"Why would I put it on your card? I don't even have your card. Why are you taking my bags? Costa, I-"

"Are you going to just stand there whining?" He laughed, heading up the stairs still shirtless.

"I'm not whining." I scoffed, heading up the stairs behind him - although I was a lot slower thanks to my heels. "Why are you being so weird?"

Costa chose not to reply as he headed into his bedroom, carrying my bags with him.

"Why are you bringing them in here?" I followed behind him like a lost puppy.

"You ask a lot of questions. Are you not planning on sleeping in here anymore?" He put them down by the dressing room door, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Well, I...I guess I..." I stumbled for an answer while he headed over to his bedside table to get his...wallet?

"Here." He came over to where I stood watching him like he was a psycho who'd broken into the penthouse. "Take it."

"But I-"

"Just take the card, Millie." For some reason my body had a mind of its own. I took the card from him, still staring at him like he was crazy.

"What happened?"

"What do you mean?" He frowned, going to put his wallet away.

"Last night you were so angry and now-"

"Last night was...a misunderstanding." He muttered, heading into the dressing room to grab some clothes.

"A misunderstanding? Seriously? Costa, that night has absolutely made it on my 'Top Ten Worst Nights Ever' list."

"You have a list?" He stopped to turn and give me an amused smile.

"Yes, I have a list." Who doesn't have a list?

"What else is on this list?" He mused, picking out his clothes.

"Our wedding night is number one." My flat tone had him releasing a breathy laugh.

"I should have expected that." He nodded. "About last night, everything is under control. It's not a problem anymore. If you were scared, you have nothing to worry abou-"

"Scared?" I scoffed, grabbing his bare arm to turn him to face me. I kept a hold of it to make sure he didn't move away.

He definitely didn't appreciate it but I'd have enough of his happy go lucky attitude. He can't just pretend it didn't happen.

"You dragged me to a fucking poker game with the Serbian Mafia! You knew what could have happened and yet-"

"Nothing happened. I protected you, didn't I?"

"No! You told me to keep my mouth shut! Every single time they insulted me you just sat back and let it happen! When I stood up for myself you stopped me. You even started talking about screwing their sister like I wasn't sitting right fucking there."

Costa didn't get a chance to defend his actions, or most likely just tell me to shut up. I just continued ranting, finally releasing all my pent up anger.

"You used me! You knew I wasn't feeling well and you took me there anyway. No matter how bad I hate you, I would never do something like that to you, Costa. I would never use you or put you in a position like that."

"I told you not to come in the morning but you said you didn't need me doting on you, remember?" He snapped, pulling his arm out of my grip. His own anger was quickly rising now.

"Seriously? That's your defence?" I scoffed. "You're pathetic."

"It's not a fucking defence. It's a reminder. Let's not forget the contract, Millie. Your presence is required whenever and wherever I choose. You don't get a fucking choice and I sure as hell don't need to explain shit to you before we go."

"So now you're going back to the contract?" His mood swings were giving me fucking whiplash. "One minute you're holding me while I cry and getting me chocolate or giving me your credit card and carrying my bags-"

"It's only business, Millie." He stepped closer to me, his green eyes full of fury. Just a few minutes ago they were a lighter shade of green when he was laughing. Now he was back to the usual Costa I knew.

"You're nothing but a fucking business deal to me. Don't let those few meaningless moments confuse that. You'll never be anything more."

It's rare that I ever feel guilty.

I can't remember the last time I did.

Maybe when I forgot to take flowers to my mother's grave during one of my short, impromptu visits to New York. That guilt hit me so fucking hard I didn't come back here for a month just to avoid going to see her again.

But the moment I said those words to Millie and I saw her face fall, I felt this sick feeling inside me. It got worse when she stepped back like I'd just slapped her.

"Okay." She nodded, clearing her throat. "Here."

She took my hand, placing my credit card in my palm. With that she walked out of the closet, picking up her shopping bags as she left.

That was the last I saw of her for two fucking days.

She stayed in the room she first slept in, avoiding me completely - not that I could blame her.

I was a dick to her but I just...I didn't know how to control it. I didn't like the way my feelings were changing towards her.

I was once able to threaten her without blinking. Now I can't snap at her without the guilt eating me alive.

I held her in my arms while she cried after her nightmare and then again when she came home from work that first day in New York. I sent one of my men to get her chocolate and I let her watch that stupid cartoon movie. Then she had the nerve to talk about the fucking criminal and the princess falling in love and how he saved her or some shit by cutting her long fucking hair because he loves her.

Every single fucking time I thought about her in those two days I'd feel that same sickly feeling and I'd remember the look on her face.

But this is Millie fucking Darmos.

I shouldn't be feeling this way.

It was a business deal. It was never supposed to be anything more. Even before the alliance came around, we hated each other.

We were never meant to be friends.

She's an infuriating, stubborn little spitfire. She says what she thinks regardless of who she's speaking to. She'll pull a knife on anyone with little regard for the consequences.

She has a strange irrational fear of spiders and the weirdest coffee order ever.

She's invaded my personal space and she leaves a mess wherever she goes.

She stole Lula from me.

And yet, I felt guilty for snapping at her. I couldn't sleep without her in my bed. I couldn't sleep knowing she probably couldn't sleep on her own in her room.

After spending two sleepless nights lying awake thinking about that fiery brunette and my fucked up feelings towards her, I wasn't in the best of moods.

"Costa, can we stop to get a burger from-"

"No." I snapped at Giovanni, keeping my eyes closed. Rocco, the twins and I were currently en route to a warehouse on the outskirts of New York City for a meeting.

"He's so fucking touchy." Giovanni muttered. Clearly he woke up that morning not fearing death.

He'd also been in a pissy mood all day. It was just one of those days, I guess.

"It's his wife." Aidan added, now also finding himself on my hit list. "She's ignoring him."

"She's not ignoring me." I snapped, cracking an eye open to glare at the two idiots. "She's just-"

"Ignoring you?" Rocco cut in, flashing me a smirk. "Admit it, fratello. Your wife is upset with you and you're taking it hard." (Brother)

"Rocco, non spingermi." (Don't push me) I ground out the words itching to teach him a lesson with my knife.

He's making me sound like a fucking pussy.

"Why is she mad at you?" Giovanni asked.

"She's not." I spoke through gritted teeth, glaring at the idiot across from me.

"She said he's a dick." Aidan nudged his twin, answering his question. Meanwhile, Rocco was laughing to himself next to me. That fucker is enjoying this way too much.

"When did she say that?" I frowned, the question coming out way faster than it should have.

"Last night. And the night before." Aidan paused before speaking again. "And this morning. We went for breakfast."

"You w-went for breakfast?" Rocco spluttered out a laugh which he quickly covered with a cough.

"Yeah." The brainless idiot shrugged. "She said she wanted to try out this new place on 53rd street."

Are they that close that she's actually going for breakfast with my teenage cousin?

"How do you feel about that, Costa?" Rocco grinned, nudging me with his arm.

"Touch me again and I'll break your fucking arm."

"He's not happy." My brother concluded with a victorious smile. "You should take her for breakfast again tomorrow, Aidan."

"I should?"

"No." It slipped out before I could stop it.

"Why not?" Aidan frowned. "We saw a bakery and she did say that she-"

"You have to do something for me tomorrow morning."

I'm such a fucking pussy.

She's turned me into a pussy.

"Oh? What does he have to do?" Rocco feigned confusion although I could hear his fucking smirk. I only took a short second to come up with something - the first thing I could think of.

"Visit our clubs. Make sure everything is going well."

"In the morning?" Aidan grimaced. "Why would I go to the club in the morni-"

"Take your brother. No complaints."

"Hey! I didn't take your wife on a breakfast date. Why am I being punished?" Giovanni glared at me for making him collateral damage.

"But what if I want to go with Millie to the bakery? She said-"

"I don't fucking care what she said or what you want. You answer to me." I snapped at Aidan, cutting him off. He held my stare for a moment before sighing.

"Fine. But your jealousy is really fucking weird. I have a girlfriend." Aidan gave me the side eye while Rocco burst out laughing.

There was so much wrong with that sentence.

One, she's seven years older than him.

Two, she's married to me.

Three, I didn't know he had a fucking girlfriend.

Four, I'm not fucking jealous.

"As fun as this is, I still want my burger." Giovanni reminded us all of his previous request. "I want to stop. Costa, can we stop-"

"I said no already, didn't I?" A short pause fell around us after I shut him down a second time.

"No wonder she hates you." Gio glared at me, his usual lighthearted manner long gone.

Like I said, he'd also been in a pissy mood all day.

"Gio." Rocco spoke hesitantly, clearly sensing the drastic change in the mood.

"What? It's true. You know, sometimes your cold attitude gets old, Costa. We shouldn't have to put up with it because your wife is making you miserable."

"Gio, stop." This time it was Aidan who sat forward in the SUV, trying to warn his brother to stop.

"You think it too, Aidan. He thinks he can just fucking snap at everyone because he's the oldest. You look down on Aidan and I because we're young but you're never there to teach us anything or you just don't want to. You palm us off on Rocco or Tristano so we don't get in your way. It's not nice."

Nice.

Millie said I wasn't capable of being nice.

"Yeah?" I laughed, my own anger rising way too fast for me to control it. "Then get the fuck out of here."

"Costa." Rocco tried again to be the peacemaker just as we entered the gates outside the warehouse.

The cars began to slow down as I continued.

"No, I'm serious. If that's what you think, I'll get the fucking jet ready for you and you can go back to Sicily. I have too much shit going on to be dealing with your tantrums too."

"Or you could just see when you're wrong." Giovanni glared at me, undoing his seatbelt. "You can never admit it. You treat everyone like shit just because you can and then you act like you're the boss."

I narrowed my eyes at him, watching as he stormed out of the car doing exactly as I said - throwing a tantrum.

We're only supposed to get out once our security give the all clear.

"Wait!" I called after him but he didn't bother to turn around.

"Don't ignore me, Giovanni." I got out of the car, vaguely aware of Aidan and Rocco following suit behind me.

He was staring straight ahead, charging towards the entrance of the warehouse with no care for his surroundings.

I was much faster than him, so I managed to keep up.

"Fuck! Giovanni, stop!" I called him one last time just as a moving red dot caught my eye. The laser first hit Gio on the arm, then it moved to his shoulder and then to the back of his head.

Without another thought, I lunged forward, tackling him to the floor just as the shots rang out around us.

"Ah!" He cried out in pain as we went down, but I kept him covered with my body amid the gunfire.

The bullets caused my ears to ring and for a moment I even lost my bearings.

Still, I never let Gio move.

Somewhere in the haze of it all, Rocco was screaming at us to come back to the car. He was covering us, firing in the direction of the shooter who tried to hit Gio.

"Come on."

"Fuck, no." He groaned on the floor, his face contorted in pain.

"Gio, we need to move." The shots continued as I pulled him up, supporting most of his weight.

Rocco and our security were shooting back which gave us enough time to get back to the SUV and scramble inside. I shoved Gio down across one row of seats, sitting down across from him.

Aidan was already waiting anxiously, probably because Rocco sent him back inside once the shooting started.

Rocco got back in and the door slammed shut. Within seconds we were driving out with only a few bullets managing to hit our car before we were out of range.

"He was hit." Aidan's voice broke as he watched me undo Gio's jacket.

I couldn't imagine the fear he felt in those moments. I've seen my own brothers get shot, but Aidan and Giovanni were like the same person. They were hardly ever apart. They're all each other had.

"Gio, move your arm." He was clutching his arm to his chest, his clothes quickly becoming coated in blood.

"It fucking hurts!" He ground out, his eyes barely able to stay open.

"I need to check where you were hit. Lascia che ti tolga la giacca." (Let me take off your jacket) I softened my voice, trying to stop my own panic from coming through.

He was bleeding too much.

With a deep breath he nodded, moving his arm slowly so that I could peel off his suit jacket. His white shirt was already stained with crimson blood. I ripped open his shirt, scanning his upper body for injuries.

He was clutching his arm, but first I had to be sure he wasn't bleeding from anywhere else.

Thankfully, it was only his upper arm that was hit. But the bullet would have hit him in the back of the head if I didn't push him in time.

"Rocco, chiama il dottore. Deve essere all'attico quando torniamo. E scopri chi c'era dietro tutto questo." (Call the doctor. He needs to be at the penthouse when we get back. And find out who was behind this.)

Those were the only words I could force out as I ripped off some of his dress shirt, tying his wound off. My hands were shaking and my heart raced in my chest at the sight of all the blood he was losing.

Giovanni.

It was just Giovanni.

Rocco was busy in the background doing as I said while Aidan leaned over, trying to keep Gio awake.

"Costa." Giovanni whispered, his bloodshot eyes meeting mine. "I'm sorry."

"Don't, Gio. You have nothing to be sorry for." I responded, keeping my focus on the blood staining my hands. I was trying to keep the pressure on his wound to slow the bleeding as much as possible. But the speed we were moving at was making it hard to keep a steady pressure.

"I shouldn't have said all-"

"No." I shook my head. "It's okay."

"You saved me, even after what I said." The sound of his voice breaking had my heart lurching in my chest. I clenched my jaw, refusing to let the emotions break through.

Don't show weakness. You never show weakness.

"I love you, Gio. It doesn't matter what you say. I'll always save you. I'll always be here." He gave me a weary smile as his eyes began to droop closed. It was meant to be a heartfelt moment that calmed him down. Instead, since he was distracted, I took the chance to increase the pressure on his wound.

"Ow!" His eyes flew open and he flinched at the pain. "Fuck you."

The furious glare he gave me had Aidan chuckling next to us. A smile tugged at my lips and I shrugged innocently. "Sorry."

Fifteen minutes later we arrived back in the underground parking garage and we were on our way up to the penthouse.

Rocco and I were supporting Giovanni between us as we headed into the penthouse where our doctor should have already been waiting.

What I didn't expect was Sabrina fucking Vitelli to be glaring at my wife in the middle of the open plan area.

The moment the elevator doors opened, however, their attention moved to us. Since they were by the couch, we headed in their direction to lay Giovanni down.

"Get him on the couch." Sabrina ordered. "Where was he hit, Costa?"

"Just his upper left arm." I replied, moving aside so she could kneel down next to him.

Regardless of everything else going on, my full concern was Giovanni at that moment.

I didn't care too much about who was responsible - yet.

I didn't care about the fact Sabrina was here instead of our usual doctor.

I didn't care that Millie was watching the whole scene unfold in complete shock.

I just kept my eyes on my little cousin as he got checked over.

"The bullet didn't hit any major arteries or veins. It's just a flesh wound."

"Are you sure?" Rocco questioned.

"I'm sure. He's lost a lot of blood but if the bullet hit an artery, he wouldn't have made it back - at least not awake. You would need a hospital immediately."

"So what can you do?" Aidan murmured, his hand resting protectively on his twin's shoulder.

"I'll get the bullet out and stitch him up but you will need Dr Ancora to check him over."

Dr Ancora was our usual doctor. Sabrina...she was a complication. A good on-call doctor, but a fucking complication.

I had a bit of a...history with her.

"Pass me my bag." She lifted her gaze towards Millie who had stood silently nearby during the conversation.

"Now." Sabrina snapped and I'm one hundred percent sure her attitude had Millie biting her tongue. She doesn't exactly take well to following orders.

Without a word, Millie took a few steps to her left to pick up the bag of supplies Sabrina had brought with her. Once she handed over the bag, Millie knelt down next to Aidan on the floor.

"Aidan? What happened?"

"Gio and Costa were shot at." He didn't look at my wife when he answered her. He could only watch Giovanni.

"It's okay. He'll be okay." Aidan nodded, resting his head on her shoulder while she turned her attention to Giovanni.

"How you doing, Gio?" She spoke so fucking softly, reaching out to stroke his cheek. The gentle action had his eyelids fluttering open, revealing his red eyes.

"I can't feel my arm, Millie." His voice wobbled, full of panic and anxiety.

He's still a teenager, after all. He's just a fucking kid.

"I know." She murmured, still gently stroking his cheek with her thumb. "But this nice bitch is going to stitch you up and you'll be all better."

Even in his condition, Giovanni spluttered out a laugh and so did Aidan. My own lips twitched at the bitchiness in her tone but I didn't dare say a word.

I needed Sabrina at that moment.

While Sabrina got to work, Millie stayed on the floor with the twins the entire time. She was good at that soft, motherly, emotional shit that none of us had anymore.

Once I was sure he was okay, I left to get a glass of whiskey for myself and Rocco, and a glass of water for each of the twins. Millie was the one who helped Giovanni drink the water since Aidan was still in shock.

Rocco had been busy barking orders down the phone in the kitchen. Now that the initial worry had passed, it was time for him to get answers.

"Well?" A short time later, Rocco approached the couch I was sitting on across from where Gio was being treated.

"You know who it was. It was retaliation."

"Quello stupido figlio di puttana." (That stupid motherfucker) I shook my head, downing the rest of my whiskey.

"Dichiarare guerra alla mafia serba. Fai sapere a tutto il mondo che sto venendo per loro, per lui." (Declare war on the Serbian Mafia. Let the fucking world know I'm coming for them - for him.)

He's a fucking dead man.

This chapter had so much going on 🫣 What did you guys think? Costa's feelings are changing so much 🥹