by Lux Miller
Luca has somehow managed to cram both of us onto a tiny excuse for a couch. It isn’t comfortable by any stretch of the imagination. He’s got me enveloped in his arms and though we haven’t said six words since last night, if it’s comforting to him, it’s the least I can do.
“Mr. Barresi…”
Luca shifts behind me as he acknowledges the balding man standing before him in standard-issue scrubs. “Yes, Dr. Abrams?”
Doctor Abrams has been treating Dante since his arrival and even he’s surprised at Dante’s progress. “Your brother is still critical, but he is much closer to be being stable enough to awaken. We still need to address the shoulder. His X-rays show that multiple bullet fragments have lodged in the soft tissue surrounding the rotator cuff. While this obviously could cause mobility issues, we have more pressing concerns right now.
"There's the possibility that one of these fragments could shift and cause serious damage to the surrounding area. Obviously, we’re concerned about damage to the bone and tissues, but our biggest concern is the subclavian artery. One of the fragments is dangerously close to it and if it moves again and nicks it, he could bleed out internally…”
I hear Luca’s breath catch behind me. The arm that he has loosely draped around my waist tightens as he tugs my body against his. “Do whatever is necessary doctor.”
The doctor glances down at the pair of us sympathetically and nods, scribbling notes on the chart that is splayed across his clipboard. “Yes, sir. The blood we requested arrived overnight. We have more than enough to sustain him through a dozen surgeries if necessary. Right now, our focus is on removing these fragments is we can.
“If he pulls through this one without any complications, he may be able to go home in a couple of days. That’s when the real work will begin. He’s going to need extensive rehabilitation if he hopes to ever be able to use the arm normally again. He is also going to need several more surgeries to repair the damage done to his wrist.
"His lung will heal with time and the other gunshot wounds are through and through. Once the entry and exit wounds heal, there should be no further complications. The burns and skin tears from the bullets that basically missed will heal quickly too.
“I know that your family tends to be… guarded. It’s protocol for an investigation to be launched when there’s an attempted murder victim brought into our hospital. I’m sure you understand the necessary steps that must be followed. I’ve been informed that an Officer Givens will be by shortly to take your statements.
"When Mr. Barresi wakes up, he’ll be expected to give his version of events as well. Seeing as he was likely the only witness to the attack, his statement will be the primary evidence used to attempt to locate the suspects.”
Luca grumbles and nods, signing his name quickly to the small stack of paperwork that Dr. Abrams hands him. “Thank you, doctor. I’ll speak with the officer and offer him whatever insight I may be able to give him into the attack. I appreciate your diligence with my brother’s care.”
The doctor gathers up the papers as Luca signs them and gives a curt nod of his head before disappearing down the hallway. Once he’s out of earshot, I glance over my shoulder at Luca and sigh. “Luca… isn’t it bad that the cops are involved?”
Luca shrugs and rests his chin on my shoulder. “Are you asking out of concern for Dante? Or are you asking out of concern for your boyfriend?”
I shrug him off my shoulder and turn my upper body to face him. “I don’t recall agreeing to be your girlfriend.”
Smirking, he pecks my lips quickly then retorts, “You didn’t say no either. If you were going to walk away, you would have walked away when I upped your offer to twenty thousand.”
He slides his hands up underneath my shirt, resting his palms against my stomach. I roll my eyes and slap at his hands. “Luca… have you stopped to consider that I’m still here because I don’t know if Dante is okay or not?”
Worrying his bottom lip, Luca levels his gaze at me. “No games, Emily. I can accept that someone like you could never see themselves with a monster like me. But I can’t let you lead me on, just to have you drop me like a stone in the river. Even monsters can be hurt.”
Swallowing hard, I bring one hand up to his face and brush my fingertips over his cheek softly. He closes his eyes at the intimate touch and holds his breath for several moments. I shake my head and pat his cheek, coyly replying, “Yes.”
He eyes snap shut as a groan rumbles from his throat. “Emily…”
Smiling, I lean forward and brush my lips over his. I shiver as the contact elicits all the tiny hairs on my arms to stand up straight. Sighing into his slightly parted lips, I nod. “Yes… to both.”
Luca groans, pulling my body tightly against his as he instantly deepens the kiss. His tongue infiltrates my mouth like he’s a starved man and I’m cotton candy. Untangling myself from his grasp, I keep our mouths connected as he devours me. I twist myself around so that I’m standing between his thighs as he kisses me. Both of us are oblivious to our surroundings.
The sound of a loudly cleared throat startles me and I jump back from Luca. I whirl around to find myself face-to-face with a blond-haired man with a frown on his face. His brown eyes are watching me with thinly-veiled amusement as a smirk creeps across his face. He points to me, then at Luca. “Am I interrupting something?”
Luca loosens his possessive grip on me as he chuckles. “Nothing I can’t continue the minute you leave.”
I stumble backward away from the man as alarm bells sound in my head. My body freezes in front of Luca’s as he rests a reassuring hand on my hip. The stiffly starched shirt and pants the man’s wearing are a shade of blue any criminal learns from an early age to avoid. Even a petty thief like me knows better than to tempt fate by getting mixed up with the blue. The metallic badge pinned to his chest makes my skin crawl with fear. Just below the incriminating hardware is a name tag that reads “Givens.”
Luca stands up beside me and eases me back onto the couch, patting my knee gently. “Don’t worry, Emily… I’ll handle the cop. He’s just here to get information about what happened to Dante. Not much to tell when everyone knows that nobody else was there when my brother was ambushed. Just my brother and whoever is now a dead man walking.”
The officer nods, his face not betraying his thoughts. He doesn’t seem to be intimidated in the least by Luca’s forwardness. For that matter, he doesn’t seem to be intimidated by Luca at all. Most of the vice cops I’ve met are keen on staying as far away from the mob as they can. I’ve even overheard them on the streets concocting elaborate ruses to get out of dealing with Luca’s family. This man seems… comfortable around Luca.
The officer scribbles several lines of notes in a memo pad, flipping several pages. He then reads them back aloud as he rubs the index finger and thumb from his left hand together. “Victim, Dante Barresi, believed to be the only witness to the crime beside assailant. Ambushed while checking on family assets in the Quarter. Parker Cartel suspected in shooting. Victim returned fire with three weapons recovered at scene. Assailant likely injured.”
I slap my hand over my mouth to stifle the audible gasp that slips through. I know that I wasn’t listening to what Luca said that closely, but I’m about ninety percent sure he didn’t say what the officer just said he did. I know with absolute certainty that he never mentioned a drug cartel. What the hell is going on here?
The corner of Luca’s mouth turns up in a sly grin as he nods. “Sounds right to me, sir. I don’t know why Parker and his goons would have a beef with my little brother. He’s not even involved in the family business. Just running a little favor for his big brother.”
The officer flicks his wrist so that the cover of the memo pad flips closed over his writing. He eyes Luca thoughtfully, then casts his gaze to me. I reach down and grab hold of Luca’s hand nervously as the officer rakes his eyes over me. He raises one eyebrow and nods. “So I’ve heard. I also heard that shiner on his face was caused
by yours truly.”
My mouth falls open as Luca nods slowly, shrugging his shoulder slightly. “Big misunderstanding. A little bit of a brotherly squabble. I was just protecting what’s mine.”
The officer nods with a smirk and turns to look at me again. He winks at me, then laughs at Luca. “Can’t say I blame you. I’d be feeling mighty protective too.”
“Givens?”
The officer glances over his shoulder with a quirk of his eyebrow. He looks at Luca expectedly. “Yeah, Boss?’
Luca shakes his head and rolls his eyes at the officer, “Quit thinking inappropriate thoughts about my girlfriend...” Luca’s smirks widens as the officer shakes his head warily. The officer pats Luca on the shoulder and tucks the memo pad into his pocket with a nod. He pats the pocket and turns to walk down the hallway to speak with Dante’s doctors.
I turn my gaze on Luca and he shrugs. “What? Not everybody on my payroll plays the whole cloak and dagger game, Emily. I’m a powerful man in this city and that power comes with a responsibility to my men. I may have authority, but I've sworn a blood oath to protect those who serve me... just as they have sworn to protect me. My blood is their blood. And those who serve me…” He glances in the direction of the officer and the doctor, “...are everywhere…”
TWENTY
Twenty-four hours ago, Dante underwent the last of the surgeries his doctors deemed necessary for survival. They’ve stopped giving him the sedation drugs meant to keep him in a medically-induced coma. Now it’s a waiting game to see when… or if… he’ll wake up. While his heart never stopped, the damage from shock and trauma that his body went through could take weeks or even months to show itself. Then there’s the blood loss he sustained both in the attack and the numerous surgeries to save his life.
Luca is worried sick and the only thing I’ve been able to do is be here for him. To offer him the warmth and closeness of another human body. He’s not a man who wears his emotions on his sleeve. He hasn’t said much since the New Orleans police officer interviewed him, but I can tell he’s anxious. He feels responsible for what happened to Dante, even though it isn’t even remotely his fault.
I’ve tried to tell him that, but he always shuts me down. Luca says if he’d been honest with himself sooner that Dante never would’ve been in the position he was in. I’ve had to remind him more than once that Dante kissing me was Dante’s own idea. And that his reaction was normal. What isn’t normal in this whole fucked up situation is that their father tried to punish Luca’s defiance by sending Dante on a possible suicide mission.
Luca doesn’t want to hear it, though. I can tell he agrees on some level, but I’ve learned quickly not to criticize his father. I can sense that Luca has some deep-seated resentment toward his father. He also has an unwavering loyalty to him. I can’t even pretend to understand the intricacies of how the mob works, but I do know that most successful crime families aren’t biologically family. At least, they’re only cousins or adoptive relations.
Family is messy enough as it is. Throw in running a crime syndicate and things are bound to explode into heated arguments. From what I’ve heard and been able to discreetly learn, the Barresi crime family has been in power for generations all the way back to the Civil War. The current Don, or the ultimate boss, is Luca’s grandfather, Enzo Barresi.
But Luca’s father, Matteo, is acting as leader because Enzo is incarcerated in the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola. Angola has a reputation as the roughest prison in America. That means that Enzo was convicted of something bad. Angola isn’t where they send you when they want to dish out a slap-on-the-wrist. If you end up there, you’ve had a hand in putting bodies in the ground. Knowing full well that Luca is responsible for the deaths of at least three men and he’s walking free, I shudder to think what Enzo has done.
A stiff, surprised voice snaps me out of my thoughts. “Luca?”
My blood runs cold as I realize what's happened. Shifting in Luca’s embrace, I grab hold of his shoulders and shake him roughly. “Luca… Luca, wake up!”
Luca blinks at me groggily as I continue to shake him. His eyes are unfocused as he peers at me. I’m about to shake him harder when the voice, a little clearer this time, repeats its question. “Luca?”
Now Luca is wide awake. He jumps up off the couch so quickly that he almost dumps me into the floor. Thankfully I’m able to get to my feet as he jumps up. We both look at the bed where tangled wires and bandages obscure his brother’s face. But the voice, though weak, is unmistakable.
Relief pours out of Luca as he responds, “Dante! You’re awake!” For the umpteenth time in the last few days, Luca drags his right hand up to his forehead, down to his chest, then back and forth across his chest. His hand comes to rest against his lips as he mutters, “Praise the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
As he leans over the side of the bed, his hand rests beside Dante’s head. He smirks slightly and adds, “Damn brother… you look like shit.”
Dante groans slightly as he attempts to push himself to a sitting position, “I feel like it too.” Dante focuses his eyes on Luca and smirks before grimacing, “You don’t look or smell much better.”
Luca chuckles as his shoulders relax. The tension that has wracked his body for the last several days eases. From my position behind him, I’m able to keep my hands pressed gently against his back. My fingertips trail up and down his spine in a calming motion. In response to my touch, Luca reaches behind himself and pulls my hands around his waist. He rests them against his stomach, over his shirt. Then he encloses one of my hands in his.
“Dante… what the fuck happened?”
Stifling silence follows Luca’s question. The beeping and whirring of the machines hooked up to Dante take over, restoring a gentle calm to the room. It’s a calm that’s dangerously close to chaos.
Dante groans in response to Luca, but then he sighs with defeat. “It was an ambush, Luca. I never stood a chance. I got three steps inside that warehouse and then everything went to shit. There were bullets flying from all directions. I returned fire as best I could, but I wasn’t prepared to defend myself against that many goons. I didn’t see any of them either. It was just...boom… they were there.”
Luca’s grip on my hand tightens and I gasp in response.
Dante trails off from the story he was telling. Though I can’t see him through Luca, I can feel that he’s staring at my hands. His voice is low and irritated as he states, “Already moved on? And in my hospital room where I could have been drooling or babbling about sexual fantasies in my pain-clouded sleep?”
Luca chuckles and steps to the side, pulling me from behind his back. He positions me in front of him so that I am trapped between the side of the bed and his body. The hardness of his muscles grinds into my back as he wraps his arms tightly around me. His voice is curt, but amused as he replies to Dante’s question, “Not exactly, bro.”
Dante blinks in surprise as Luca’s boldness catches him off-guard. He tilts his head to the side as his eyes appraise me. “Shit, I thought you’d be somewhere in Texas by now.” He turns his eyes up to his brother’s before bringing them back to meet my gaze. Quietly, he asks, “So the plan worked, then?”
Blushing, I give him a half-hearted shrug in response. “Define worked. After he pummeled your face, he kicked my ass out and sent me packing. You know your brother is a hard-headed, stubborn mule.”
Dante nods as he lays back down in the bed, his breathing labored. “Runs in the family, I’m afraid. It’s good to see you, Emily, but fuck, why does it hurt to breathe?”
Luca’s body is rigid against mine as he responds, “You took nine bullets, Dante. Several of them burst into fragments; they used assassin’s bullets. That ambush was no accident. The doctors got most of them, but they said one was too dangerous to attempt to remove. They said it’s stable and won’t shift, but it’s too deep in the muscles. Aside from the fact that you’ll probably set off metal detectors for the rest of your life,
they said you'd have little trouble from that one.”
Luca leans over me, squashing me against the side of the bed underneath him. I can’t see what he’s doing, but I can hear his words. “Your wrist is shattered, but they think they can fix it in time. They said it was a quality of life procedure, though and they wanted to make sure you’d have a life to add quality to first. It was real touch and go there for a while. Emily assured you survived the surgeries that removed the other bullets and fragments…”
As Luca’s weight shifts off of my back, I groan. Peeking my head up at Dante, I give him a small smile. “Uh, it was nothing. Just a little blood donation since you have such a rare blood type. Something anyone that could have would have done. They have plenty now though.”
Though Luca is no longer pinning me to the bed, his crotch is still pressed firmly against my ass, making it a struggle to stand back up. Squirming is proving pointless as is my fight to get up. Luca senses this and takes a step back, pulling me upright against his body and wrapping both arms protectively around me.
