Rely on Me - Elizabeth Knox Page 0,32

it would’ve told me on the drive up here. The last thing I got was the address, and that’s it. I step onto the sidewalk, careful to go around the broken glass. This place is really a fucking junkyard.

With every step I take, my gut is tellin’ me we’re about to be in a mess . . . but this is Riva’s pappa we’re talkin’ about. I’m gonna do this for her. No way in hell am I gonna turn around now.

Stepping onto the cement stairs, I’m right in front of the door. I place my hand on the door and push it open slowly. I take two steps into the house and Riva places her hands on my back, telling me where she is. I look to the left when Riva screams and I’m hit on the back of head with something.

They didn’t hit me hard enough, obviously. I turn to the right and face our enemy, but the first thing I lay my eyes on is the silencer aimed right at me. “You Mammoth?” A woman with a thick accent asks me.

“Yeah, he is. Who the fuck are you?” Riva growls.

I sigh, wishing she’d realize she was supposed to be quiet.

The woman holding the gun snickers, “Bozzelli. Lia Bozzelli, but you can refer to me as Miss Bozzelli.” Her eyes dart from Riva to me. “I like the bark on your puppy. She’s cute.” Bozzelli.

Fuck. The Italians.

“Where’s my father?” Riva questions her, keeping her attitude evident as hell in the tone of her voice.

Lia looks at her, blinking her eyes. “God, you’re rude. Cough over your gun, pal.”

Taking in a sharp breath, I hand her my gun. She drops it into her fancy ass purse on the floor and throws it over her shoulder. “Perfect, come with me.”

Lia escorts us through a hallway where a group of armed men stand guarding doors. What in the ever-loving fuck is this? “Boss, you want him in there?” One of the men asks her, starin’ me down. We’re about the same size, height and weight wise, but I’m sure I can take him.

“He’s fine, Franco. You know I can handle myself.” Lia responds, opening the door we head inside, Riva directly beside me.

Lia shuts the door behind us and I see an older man hooked up to a machine. He has numerous IVs going into him. One looks like saline, then there’s another red bag too. I’m guessin’ that’s what I think it is— blood.

“He’s alive?” Riva rushes over to him, grabbing hold of the hand that isn’t hooked up to any machines or IVs.

“Barely, but yeah.” Lia mutters, sounding annoyed. She turns to speak to me. “You’re lucky Boss is a friend of mine and that I went behind my father’s back. I’ll tell him about this at dinner tonight, but fuck, you’ve gotten me into quite a mess.”

I don’t mistake what she’s doing. “What do you want?”

Lia smirks, “The only compensation I’ll ever need. A favor.”

“What kind of favor?”

“I’ll decide when the time strikes. But until then, you owe me big time. I used my family’s resources to save this man . . . who means nothing to me.” She goes on, really drilling the point in my head.

“Fine.” I grit.

“Perfect. I’ll let you know what I want, and when I want it of course.”

“What happens now?” Riva asks, turning to address Lia and I.

“You’re his kid, right?”

Riva nods.

“Your father will stay here until he’s stable enough to be transferred. My family practically owns the University Hospital, considering we’re massive donors. I’ll have him set up there with guards watching over him. When he’s cleared to leave by one of our trusted physicians, he’ll leave.”

“They won’t question you on how he arrived?” Riva states, looking from me to Lia, and then back again. She’s obviously nervous, not understanding how crime families work.

Lia struts over to her, heels clicking against the wooden floor and smirks at my girl. “I’m Lia Bozzelli, sweetheart. No one questions me about a damn thing, because if they do, I’ll have their head on a platter. You feel me?”

Riva gulps. “Yep.”

“Perfect, now get the fuck out and forget you know about this place.” Lia hands my gun back to me and I slide it under my cut.

“But—” Riva starts, but I shoot her a glare and she stops immediately.

I need to get her over to the clubhouse as soon as possible, the new one that is. I’ll need my brothers to take care of her