They Protected My Murderer, So I Walked Away from Them All Chapter 05

They Protected My Murderer, So I Walked Away from Them All Chapter 05

“What did you just say?”

The words hit Damian like a shot behind the ear.

His stomach dropped out.

The line went silent for a second before the officer repeated the dispatch, flat and routine.

“An Aurora Gambino was involved in a fatal wreck on North Hill Road, sir. We need a representative on scene

to identify the remains.”

Damian’s jaw locked.

The commotion in the hallway drew the others over.

Heavy footsteps crowded in, Nico demanding to know who was on the line.

Damian tapped the glass, flicking the call onto speaker.

“Say that again,” he said, his voice dropping below freezing. “What happened to Aurora?”

Faced with the pushback, the officer’s tone sharpened.

“I’ve stated it clearly, Mr. Russo. Severe rollover off North Hill Road. The deceased had your name and

number logged as her primary emergency contact.”

“We need someone down here to make the identification.”

The air in the corridor died.

Nico snapped first. He snatched the phone right out of Damian’s hand, barking into the receiver.

“Who the fuck put you up to this? If this is a shakedown, you’re dead men! My sister was fine two hours ago!”

Valerie leaned over his shoulder, her eyes wild with malice.

“We’re tracing this line right now. You have no idea whose family you’re fucking with–they’ll pull you out of

whatever hole you’re hiding in!”

The officer on the other end let out a cold, unimpressed breath.

“I’m not here to argue with you, str. Notification has been served. Handle it however you want.”

The call went dead.

A heavy silence slammed down over the room.

Nico swallowed hard, the bravado draining from his posture.

“It’s bullshit, right? She was still on the mountain when we pulled out.”

Every eye turned to Damian–the last man to see her.

Damian stared down at his phone, his thumb dragging down the screen to pull up Aurora’s contact.

His finger hovered over the dial icon.

From the hospital bed behind him, Bianca let out a faint, shuddering moan.

The room shifted in an instant. Damian’s screen went black as he cut the display.

They swarmed the mattress, cutting off the light, leaning over her with hushed concern.

“Bianca? Are you back with us?”

They caught Bianca at the bottom of the hill right before she collapsed.

An hour later, the hospital confirmed she was two months pregnant.

The monitors were stable.

Bianca turned her head toward Damian, tears spilling across the pillow.

“Don’t ship me out, Damian. Please.”

Her voice was barely a rasp, thin and broken.

“I don’t care about a ring. I don’t need your name. Just let me stay near you.”

Damian’s knuckles went stark white in his pockets.

Aurora’s stare haunted him. But looking at Bianca broken in that bed, he couldn’t say no.

He drew a hard breath, his shoulders dropping a fraction.

“You stay. But you never cross Aurora’s path again. She sees you one more time, and you’re on a plane that

night.”

He stopped, his eyes dropping to her flat stomach.

“The kid gets taken care of. Under my name.”

Bianca let out a breath that sounded like a sob, collapsing back against the headboard.

Around the bed, the Gambinos and Valerie traded looks of visible relief.

Then the phone buzzed against Damian’s palm.

Same unlisted caller ID.

A spike of raw fury tore through his chest.

He thumbed the call on and brought the phone to his ear, his voice a low, lethal rasp.

“What the fuck do you want?”

A different voice answered this time–older, flatter, with the dry authority of an on–scene investigator

“Mr. Russo. The ME’s transport is already here, and we’re clearing the roadway.”

If a representative isn’t down here within 20 minutes to verify the personal effects, the remains are going

straight to the county morgue under seal.”

The man paused, his tone shifting into something grimly detached.

“Though given the state of the vehicle-”

“Shut your fucking mouth,” Damian bit out, cutting him dead.

He didn’t wait for another word.

“Stay where you are. I’m coming down. And you better pray you’re lying.”