Sweet Hope (Sweet Home #4)(89)

My lips and voice quivered, but I was able to say, “He told Axel he was going to kill him. He got word to Axel in prison that he would kill him in revenge for Gio’s death.”

“SHIT!” Austin bellowed, his deep voice breaking, echoing off the gallery's walls. “Why didn’t he tell us? Why the f*ck did he keep this from us?”

“He… he never wanted you to worry about him… he was trying to protect you… all he wanted to do was to keep you safe.”

Snapping his head back to Vin, Austin demanded, “Which hospital?”

In a fluster, Vin told him. In seconds we were all running out of the door.





Chapter Twenty-Two


Ally


“Mr. Carillo took a gunshot straight to the stomach. He lost a lot of blood. When he was brought in we had to operate straight away. We managed to repair the wound and successfully remove the bullet. He’s been transfused with blood and is now stable.”

The doctor had yet to let us see Axel. My nerves were shot. I felt sick to my stomach as the doctor explained the extent of his injuries and how it could have killed him if the police hadn’t found him when they did.

“Give us a few minutes to get him into his new room and he'll be ready to receive visitors, but only two at a time.”

The doctor left the room. As I tried to breathe, a police officer walked in. “You’re Axel Carillo’s family?” he asked and looked at Austin.

“Yes, sir,” Austin said and got to his feet. “You know what happened to him?”

The police officer closed his notebook and nodded his head. “You know a Mr. Remo Marino?”

I closed my eyes feeling my world was falling apart. I was numb, totally numb knowing that I could have lost the love of my life. The love of my life who deserved this new life he had—literally—carved out for himself.

Remo… Remo Marino. That bastard almost took my heart from me.

“Yeah, I know Remo,” Austin said, the tone of his voice dropping to arctic temperatures.

The officer raised his eyebrow. “Old crew member?”

Austin stared at the officer, but didn’t say anything. The officer swallowed and nodded his head. “Okay, I get it.”

“What happened to Remo?” Levi asked, seeming to take himself by surprise.

The officer ran his hand down his face. “Mr. Marino was wanted on five counts of drug related felonies as well as two homicides. He’s been on the run for years. He crossed state lines in a stolen vehicle and it was only a matter of time before we caught him… unfortunately he managed to attack Mr. Carillo before we discovered his whereabouts. Another car passing by saw the incident and called it in.”

“And?” Rome asked. “Where’s the prick now?”

“Mr. Marino open fired on the attending officers. He had no intention of going to prison. He was shot dead on the scene.”

The silence that followed the officer’s news hung heavily in the room. But I couldn’t help but be thankful that Remo had died… that meant… that meant Axel was finally free.

He was finally free of his past.

The officer opened the door and said, “I’m sorry your brother was injured. It seems he’s turned his life around. I hope he pulls through.”

As the door shut, Austin slumped against the wall, sliding down to floor. He covered his face with his hands. “Christ…” he said in a gutting voice that made fresh tears spring from my eyes. “That f*cking Heighter cunt. If he wasn’t dead already, I’d kill him myself.”

Austin raised his head to me. “Ally?”

I met his gaze.

“Alessio?” he questioned. I knew what he was asking. He wanted to know if he was a danger to his brothers.

“Serving life. Three counts of Homocide,” I replied, and saw a ton of tension leave his muscles. “He’s never ever getting out.”

Just then, the doctor walked in the door. “Mr. Carillo can have visitors now.”

I immediately jumped to my feet, as did Levi and Austin. The doctor looked at the three of us and his shoulders sagged. “No more than you three, okay?”

We followed him out of the door and with every step I took, my heart beat faster and faster. I wanted to see Axel so desperately that I almost broke into a sprint. Clearly feeling my anxiousness, Levi reached down and took my hand. Startled, I met his gray eyes and saw the fear and sadness in their depths. He was just as afraid of walking in that room as me.

The doctor led us to a room at the corner of the hallway. Chest tight and feeling numb, I followed him through a door, when I immediately froze in my tracks, as did we all, Levi’s hand grasping mine like a vise.

Axel…

Like a dam breaking, water poured down my face as I looked to my broken love in a hospital bed. Wires were poking in and out of his skin, blood being transfused into his arms.

His beaten eyes were closed, his lips were swollen and bruised and his long hair was brushed back off his face.

Even like this he was beautiful… my dark and tortured anti-hero… the man I was always destined to adore.

As Austin’s back bunched at seeing his older brother, I held his hand too. Austin’s eyes closed briefly at my touch, but they opened and kept focus on Axel. None of us could look away… we’d come too close to losing him.