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 fucking 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.

“He’s been waking up more and more, so you should be able to talk to him soon.”

In some part of my brain, I registered the doctor leaving, leaving us alone, but my eyes were glued to the other half of my soul lying on that bed.

“How’s he ever gonna forgive us, Aust?” Levi said through a tight throat. “We treated him like shit, never gave him a damn chance to explain anything… and look what he’s been doing… look what he did for us both and we never knew. He nearly died in that prison trying to protect us, and he’s done it again… he’s protected us again…”

Levi’s voice cracked. “He’s always been protecting us, hasn’t he, Aust? From when we were kids, he’s always tried to keep us close… and we turned our backs on him when he needed us most…”

In the aftermath of Levi’s confession, the drips from the IV sounded like clashes of thunder as they dropped down into the liquid gathering in the dispenser.

I opened my mouth to tell him it would all be okay, when we heard, “Ain’t got… nothing… to be… sorry… for…”

Time seemed to stand still as the gruff timbre of Axel’s hoarse voice cut through the sadness of the room. As one, we all leapt forward. Axel and Levi ran to one side of his bed, and I the other.

Stroking my hand across Axel’s forehead, I watched him struggle to swallow and open his eyes. A tear from my eye splashed on his cheek, right on his crucifix tattoo. I used my thumb to brush it away.

As I ran the damp pad of my thumb along his jaw line, I felt that delicious sensation of a pair of Italian dark eyes watching me. Inhaling a fortifying breath, I blinked and glanced up to meet those beautiful eyes full on.

Top lip twitching into a hooked smirk, Axel opened his split lips and rasped, “Carina…” with a relieved sigh.