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“No. That’s not fine.” Before I could try to help him, he peeked over the counter again. This time I tried to look too.
“Jesus! Get down,” he yelled.
Billy had moved close enough that I could see him and terror raced through me.
Tony fired but didn’t hit him. “That’s a warning shot,” he yelled. “Next time I’ll do damage. Vinnie wants his money.”
“Fuck you, Trevisani. I don’t owe him shit.”
Billy stalked closer and fear shot through me. “Please. I…I don’t want him near me.” I hated how terrified I sounded, but I knew I couldn’t defend myself. I had a gun in the messenger bag I’d slung over my shoulder, but I was shit at using it, and Billy would have me dead or worse long before I could even get to it.
Tony glanced at me. “Do you want me to kill him?”
Did I? Yes, but I’d sworn I wouldn’t be a killer like everyone else in my family. “I…um….”
“Elio? What did he do to you? Did he hurt you?”
“He was rough, and he wouldn’t stop. Then he drugged me, and I think he?—”
The words were barely out of my mouth before a bullet penetrated Billy’s brain. He was thrown back from the force of the shot. His body twitched once, then it was still.
“He’s dead, right?” I asked.
“Yes. Very dead.”
I knew no one could survive a hit like that, but I needed the reassurance. I looked at Tony. His sleeve was soaked with blood.
“Your arm. We’ve got to fix it, and then…what are we going to do?”
I couldn’t be found with a dead man. My family name was enough to land me in jail. And if I were found with a Trevisani, things would get even more complicated.
The cops would drag Tony away, and I’d be guilty by association. He’d saved me. I wasn’t going to let him go down for that.
“How long do you think we have before the cops get here?”
Tony frowned. “There aren’t any close neighbors. It’s possible no one heard the shots.”
“Okay. Hang on.”
“Where the fuck are you going?”
I ran into the bedroom that had clearly been occupied by the now-very-dead Billy and grabbed one of his T-shirts to use as a bandage. I found a bottle of peroxide from the adjoining bathroom and raced back to Tony.
He frowned at me. “We need to get out of here now. I’ve got to call a cleanup crew.”
“Sit down. This won’t take long.” I pulled out a chair from the tiny kitchen table and pointed to it.
With a groan, Tony lowered himself into it. He had to be in a lot of pain. “You’re going to need stitches, but I’ll clean it so you’re okay for now.”
Before he could respond, I poured peroxide on the ragged skin showing through the rip in his shirt. He gritted his teeth as the wound foamed. I kept pouring until the bottle was empty, then I tied the shirt around him, adding pressure to try and stop the bleeding. By then sweat was running down his pale face. “I’ll get you some water.”
“No, we need to get out of here, and I need to make a call.”
“You need to not pass out. I can’t shoot worth a damn. I’m counting on you to save me.”
He grabbed my arm and pulled me closer, then caressed the side of my face.
A shiver ran through me as I felt the heat of his skin.
