* * *
When I came to my senses again, Luca was cradling me in his arms. It was silent around us except for someone’s whimpers. It took me a moment to realize they were my own, and then the pain sliced through me and I wished I’d stayed unconscious, but I needed to know if everyone was all right. “You okay?” I croaked.
Luca trembled against me. “Yes,” he gritted out. “But you aren’t.” He was pressing down on my shoulder. That probably explained the pain. The back and front of my shirt were slick with a warm liquid.
“What about Gianna, Lily and Fabi?” I whispered even as darkness wanted to claim me again.
“Fine,” Gianna called from somewhere. She sounded far away, or maybe that was my imagination. Luca slid his hands under me and stood. I cried out in pain, tears leaking out of my eyes. The lobby was crowded with our men.
“I’ll take you to the hospital,” Luca said.
“Luca,” Matteo said in warning. “Let the Doc handle it. He’s been taking care of our business for years.”
“No,” Luca snarled. “Aria needs proper care. She’s lost too much blood.” I could see a few of Luca’s men glancing our way before pretending they were busy again. He was their Capo. He couldn’t show weakness, not even for me.
“I can do a blood transfusion,” came a deep, soothing voice. The Doc. He was over sixty with snow-white hair and a kind face.
Luca’s grip on me tightened. I clutched at his arm. “It’s okay, Luca. Let him take care of me. I don’t want you to take me to a hospital. It’s too dangerous.”
Luca’s eyes showed hesitation, then slowly he nodded. “Follow me!” He carried me toward the staircase, but I lost consciousness again.
* * *
I woke in a soft bed, feeling battered and foggy. My eyes peeled open. Gianna lay beside me, sleeping. It was light outside, so several hours must have passed. The bruise on her forehead had grown, but I supposed I looked worse. We were alone and disappointment filled me. I tried to sit up and was rewarded with a fierce throbbing in my shoulder. Glancing down, I found my upper arm and shoulder wrapped with bandages.
Gianna stirred, then she gave me a relieved smile. “You’re awake.”
“Yeah,” I whispered. My mouth felt as if it was filled with cotton.
“Luca has been guarding your bed almost all night, but Matteo forced him to come out and help him with the Russian mobsters they caught.”
“They caught some?”
“Yeah, they’re trying to extract information from them.”
My lips twisted, but I couldn’t bring myself to feel sorry for them. “How are you?”
“Better than you,” Gianna said, then she closed her eyes. “I’m sorry I lashed out at you yesterday. I would have hated myself forever if that had been the last thing I said to you.”
I shook my head. “It’s okay.”
She hopped off the bed. “I better tell Luca you’re awake, or he’ll rip my head off.”
She disappeared and a couple of minutes later, Luca stepped in. He stood in the doorway, his expression unreadable as he let his gaze wander over me. Then he stepped up to the bed and pressed a kiss against my forehead. “Do you need morphine?”
My shoulder felt like it was on fire. “Yeah.”
Luca turned toward the nightstand, picked up a syringe and slid the needle into the crook of my arm. When he was done, he threw the syringe into the trash but didn’t let go of my hand. I linked our fingers. “Did we lose someone?”
“A few. Cesare and a couple soldiers,” he said, then he paused. “And Umberto.”
“I know. I saw him get shot.” My stomach churned violently. It still felt surreal. I’d have to write Umberto’s wife a letter, but I needed a clear head for that.
“What did that guy Vitali mean when he said you had something that belonged to him?”
Luca’s lips thinned. “We intercepted one of their drug deliveries. But that’s not important now.”
“What is important then?”
“That I almost lost you. That I saw you get shot,” Luca said in an odd voice, but his expression gave nothing away. “You’re lucky the bullet only hit your shoulder. The Doc says it’ll heal completely and you’ll be able to use your arm like before.”
I tried a smile, but the morphine was making me sluggish. I blinked, trying to stay awake. Luca leaned down. “Don’t do that ever again.”
“What?” I breathed.
“Taking a bullet for me.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Taking a shower was a struggle. I had to cover my bandages with a waterproof cap, which was a major hassle, but the feel of the warm water washing away the blood and sweat was worth it. Gianna, Lily and Fabi had left less than one hour ago. Father had insisted they leave. Not that they were much safer in Chicago. The Bratva was closing in on the Outfit as well. At least I’d had them with me a day longer than planned. They’d kept me entertained as I lay in bed while Luca had to take care of everything. As Capo he couldn’t abandon his soldiers. He needed to show them he had a plan of action.
I was already feeling so much better. Maybe that was the lingering effect of the painkillers I’d taken two hours ago. I stepped out of the shower and awkwardly put on my panties. I could move both of my arms, but the Doc had said I should use my left arm as little as possible. Putting on the nightgown proved more difficult. I’d managed to slip one strap over my injured shoulder when I stepped back into the bedroom, where I found Luca sitting on the bed. He got up immediately.
“Done with business?” I asked.
He nodded. He came toward me and slid the second strap into place, then he led me toward the bed and made me sit down. We hadn’t been able to talk alone since our first conversation, and then I’d been high on morphine.
“I’m fine,” I said again because he looked like he needed to hear it. He didn’t say anything for a long time before he suddenly knelt before me and pressed his face against my stomach. “I could have lost you two days ago.”
I shivered. “But you didn’t.”
He peered up at me. “Why did you do this? Why did you take a bullet for me?”
“Do you really not know why?” I whispered.
He became very still, but didn’t say anything.
“I love you, Luca.” I knew saying it out loud was a risk, but I’d thought I’d die a couple days ago, so this was nothing.
Luca brought his face up to mine and cupped my cheeks. “You love me.” He said it as if I’d told him the skies were green, or that the sun revolved around the earth, or that fire was cold to the touch. As if what I’d said didn’t make sense, as if it didn’t fit into his view of the world. “You shouldn’t love me, Aria. I’m not someone who should be loved. People fear me, they hate me, they respect me, they admire me, but they don’t love me. I’m a killer. I’m good at killing. Better probably than at anything else, and I don’t regret it. Fuck, sometimes I even enjoy it. That’s a man you want to love?”
“It’s not a matter of want, Luca. It’s not like I could choose to stop loving you.”