“It wasn’t a bullet that hit him.”
“What? What was it?”
“A tranquilizer. Granted it did some damage going in. He must have moved in front of you just in time. I’m pretty sure it was meant for you.”
She shakes her head, forehead wrinkling in confusion. “No way it was the cartel. It’s still my family.” She stops at that and a moment later looks up at me.
“Well, lucky for you they didn’t seem to be the most organized crew. There were plenty of them, but the operation was a clusterfuck.”
“I thought the plan was for the cartel to work with you.”
“Yeah, well, take me out and the cartel is rid of their problem.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s more profitable for them to work with Rinaldi.”
“Because he’s willing to make slaves of women.”
I nod. “I can’t assume it was Rinaldi, at least he couldn’t have done it alone.” Something about the whole thing doesn’t feel right, actually.
“What do you mean?”
“His family is weakened here. He wouldn’t stand a chance against me here or in Naples. Not now. It doesn’t make sense that he’d come back and have the manpower to attack alone. He simply doesn’t have it.”
“So, you think he’s working with my family? And you think that tranquilizer was to kidnap me?”
“I don’t know. It’d make sense, I guess. He marries you, there’s a link between the cartel and his family, but I don’t know.”
“But why?” I watch her as she says the words. “I mean, I’m not that valuable to the cartel. How can I be?”
“It will mean something to those who were loyal to your father. You’re valuable to them. Before, the cartel needed Rinaldi. Needed his connections. Now, Rinaldi needs them more than they need him. He’d need to get you back first thing. It’s what would pave the way for a union. Then they could attack me. Take me out. Together and with you back, ensuring the loyalty of those who’d walked away when your father was killed, they’d have the manpower to do it.”
“For money. All this just for money.”
“Money is a powerful motivator. Almost as much as love.”
“As much as hate you mean,” she mutters.
“Love is the most powerful.”
She looks up at me like she’s surprised by that. Then her glance drops to my side. “You’re bleeding.”
I look down too and sure enough, the white T-shirt I put on has a splotch of dark red where the bandage is. I lift my shirt and look.
Doctor’s downstairs eating and he’ll be pissed I’m up. I’d get Lenore but she’ll mother me too. Dante feels guilty enough not to bother him with this. “Does blood make you queasy?”
She shakes her head.
“Come with me.” I stand and wait for her to pull the covers back. She gets up, her feet bare on the carpet, the chipped polish on her toes matching the soft lilac all over this room. “She loved purple, as you can probably guess.” I walk into the hallway and Scarlett follows me.
“Elizabeth?”
I nod, enter my room and pull my shirt off over my head with my good arm. I drop it on the bed and turn to find her staring at my back.
“Frankenstein?” I ask.
“It’s not that bad,” she says, schooling her features.
“You’re a bad liar.”
“All right. A little like Frankenstein. I’m glad you’re not dead.”
I feel my eyebrows rise high on my forehead. “Why?”
“Because I think it would mean Noah and I are dead. Or at least Noah is, if you are.”
“And here I thought you were concerned for me,” I say lightly. I didn’t, did I? I sit on my bed, lie back against the headboard and peel off the bandage. I’d do it myself but with my shoulder, it makes it tough.
“Let me help,” she says and comes over.
“You don’t have a sadistic side, do you?”
She shrugs, looks at the stitches and makes a face.
“Looks worse than it is. Put some of that ointment on it then you can bandage it again and we can get on with things.”
“Get on with things,” she says, walking into the bathroom. I hear the water go on and a moment later she’s back drying her hands. “What sort of things?” She picks up the ointment, reads the label and gives me a grin. “This is going to sting.”
“It’s going to sting like a mother fucker but you’re going to do it.”
“Oh, I never said I wasn’t,” she smiles wide and makes a move so unexpected, it takes me by surprise. She climbs up on the bed and straddles me.
“Don’t move.”
Fuck. Me.
She squeezes a generous amount of ointment onto her fingers and extends her arm to my side. I grab hold of her wrist before she touches me. “Gentle. Understand? You look like you’re going to enjoy this too much for my liking.”
“What’s the matter, Cristiano? Afraid of a little pain?”
“You just told me you were glad I didn’t die,” I say, loosening my hold but not letting her go, bracing myself because this is definitely going to hurt.
But I owe her this. I glance to the nightstand where the ring box sits.
I hiss when she smears the stuff on the too tender skin.
She meets my gaze and holds it as she smears it on a little harder than she needs to.
“Take it easy.”
Her smile widens at my discomfort. “Aww. What is it?” She tilts her head, pouts, eyes going all big. “The big bad wolf is just a helpless little pup when it hurts?”
I grin. She’s sparring, my Little Kitten. That’s good. I reach up with my good hand to take hold of the hair at the back of her head. It’s pretty much fallen out of its braid and still damp from her shower.
“You like this, don’t you, Little Kitten? Me at your mercy?” I squeeze my hand in her hair when she pushes her fingers against the stiches.
“I do like it,” she says, her eyes narrowed, almost glowing in the moonlight.
“You’re very pretty, Scarlett.” I pull her a little closer. “And you know what else?”
“What?” she asks, her confidence melting just a little.
“Your sadistic side is getting my dick hard.”
Her hand stops moving and she blinks a few times, realizing what it is she’s straddling. I try not to laugh, but it just pisses her off that much more when she sees my attempt to hide my amusement.
“Fuck you! Do it yourself!” She starts to climb off me, but I tug her back.
“All right. Sorry. I’ll stop.”
Her eyes narrow and she sets her other hand on my bad shoulder. “You think you’ll still be hard when I dislocate your shoulder again?”
“Truce. I’m just having some fun. It’s been a long time since I’ve had fun.”
“I’m not sure this is the time.” She settles back down and focuses on smearing ointment again.
It’s quiet for a long moment while I just watch her. She is concentrating, thinking.
“My uncle said something.” She only glances at me momentarily when she says it.