need your rest.”
When her breath grows shallow, and she finally falls asleep, I allow myself to finally breathe.
I don’t think any more about Jonathan, Marino, or Salvatore.
I’m just happy to have her in my arms again.
The next morning comes before I know it.
When I open my eyes, I see that hers are still closed. She looks peaceful while she rests. I don’t want to wake her. She needs to gather her strength. We don’t have the luxury of not retaliating soon. This means the next few days are key to taking down my opponents. If she’s up for it, she’s going to need to come with me to talk to Jonathan. It’s all tied together. Her father, my cousin, and this would-be killer I have locked in a cage in my basement.
“Morning,” she says.
“Morning.” I gently pull her closer to me, careful not to hurt her.
“How are you feeling? Are you in pain?”
“No. I’m okay.” She sighs into my chest, and I know, for now, she is.
Regardless of that, I also know now more than ever, I need to take care of the threat once and for all.
Viviana will never be safe in a world where her father walks free, nor in a world where my cousin breathes.
I need to kill them.
41
Viviana
* * *
Time moves rather slowly when you are confined to a hospital bed and can’t get up. But as the days pass, Matteo never leaves my side.
He reads to me, too.
Beside my bed is a stack of the classics.
All the books I grew up reading.
If there wasn’t a hole in my stomach from where a bullet was ripped out, I would say the time we’ve spent together in this room have been perfect.
There is one thing, though, and in the back of my mind, even as Matteo cares for me, there is also the issue of Jonathan.
He’s somewhere in this house.
Locked up.
For all I know, he’s being tortured.
The thing is, I should hate him. He shot me, but something tells me there is more to this story.
Lots more.
Beside me, Matteo stirs, and then he is moving his body until he hovers over mine. He is careful not to rest his weight on me, although for a little pain, it would be worth it. I’ve been home for days, and other than a small peck on the lips, he hasn’t touched me.
“Don’t even think about it,” he says, his early morning voice rough and husky.
“Think about what?” Mine is coy.
“You know what. You’re still healing.” He scolds me as though I have just been summoned to the principal’s office.
“Fine, but you’re no fun.” I pout, and he shuts me up with another damn kiss.
He laughs against my lips, and the sound is heavenly. It also reminds me that we can’t live in this bubble for long.
We do have to deal with the mess in the basement first.
“I’m ready,” I blurt out, and the confused look in his eyes is cute.
It’s funny how much he’s changed over the course of this week. I saw glimpses of this man before, sweet and caring, but now that he’s admitted he loves me, it’s so much more.
“Ready for . . .” he trails off. “Sex? I thought I just said no.”
I playfully swing at him. “Not sex, perv. I’m ready to go down to the basement and talk to Jonathan.”
His mischievous stare from only a second ago is now long gone. It’s replaced by narrow eyes and a line between his brow.
A deep scowl across his face.
“Are you sure?” Even his voice has changed. There is no lightness at all. This is all mob boss. The playful and dutiful husband replaced by a killer.
“Yes. Help me up.”
He stands from the bed and pulls me up to be beside him.
Although the doctors have had me walk each day, it still feels weird to be on my legs. Like a fawn learning their first steps, I’m wobbly and unsteady.
Matteo helps me into the bathroom, and as I get ready to go downstairs, so does he.
It takes me a good hour to get myself pulled together. I might have miscalculated the extent of my injuries.
“You sure you want to do this?”
“Yes. I need too. I need to know what he knows.”
The truth is, that’s the scary part. I’m not sure if my father told him anything, and I’m not sure how he will react if he doesn’t know the truth.
My stomach churns with nerves.
“You okay?”
I nod my head, but Matteo places his finger on my lip,