“Yes, boss. Arrived here a few minutes ago. He’s setting up in the master bedroom,” he answers, tapping the elevator call button.
“Master bedroom?” Emilia shifts in my arms, confusion in her voice.
“Shh,” I quiet her with a gentle murmur, nodding at Pierre as I get into the elevator. He leans in to press the P button for me, then steps back out as the doors slide shut.
“What did he mean the doctor is setting up in the master bedroom?” she asks again.
Instead of answering directly, I ask, “Would you really have come to my penthouse tonight?” I’m partly trying to distract her from the pain, but mostly I just need to know. I’ve been burning with curiosity ever since she mentioned it.
She rolls her bottom lip between her teeth, hesitating. “I’ve had the opportunity to think about a lot of things lately.”
I wonder if that has anything to do with her visit to Maximo this afternoon. I want to ask what they talked about, but that can wait for now. “So, you know now that I didn’t kill your father?”
Say it. Say you believe me. Say you know I could never hurt you like that.
“I think… there must have been a misunderstanding. Someone misinterpreted what they saw… or something.”
Close enough.She’s not ready to admit she was lied to, but I think she’s figured it out. She’s a smart girl. I let it go for now as the elevator doors slide open. Holding her tightly, I step out into the foyer.
Leo, one of the men stationed to watch Jamie, moves towards me, his eyes full of concern as he takes in the bundle in my arms. Emilia tucks her face into my shoulder, suddenly shy,and something possessive and protective roars to life in my chest.
I ignore Leos’s questioning look, focusing entirely on climbing the stairs to the second floor as gently as possible. Every step makes her wince, and each pained sound is like a knife to my heart.
“I’m sorry, love,” I murmur, and she nods tightly.
My bedroom door stands open. Jamie is inside, setting up a line attached to an IV drip. I nudge the door closed with my back and cross to the bed, gently placing my precious cargo against the headboard in a semi-sitting position.
“Well, hello there. Not looking your best, I have to say.” Jamie offers Emilia a sympathetic smile.
Understatement of the fucking century.
She manages a bitter laugh. “Tell me about it. Every single joint in my body aches.”
Jamie approaches the bed and I step back to give him room to work, though every instinct scream at me to hover. My hands clench into fists as I resist the urge to take out my phone and demand Stefano to share the location of Emilia’s attackers so I can go fuck them up.
Patience. Take care of her first. Revenge second.
“Well, the good news is that it’s not as bad as I expected, and by morning the worst of the pain should be over. I’ll give you something for the pain right now, though it will probably knock you out.”
“Give it to her,” I say before she can answer, because knowing her, she’ll try to refuse.
“No, Rafael, I can’t be knocked out. I need to check on Katie, and I need to be up to–”
“This is not negotiable,piccola. Your friend is fine. My men are with her, and she’s safe in that hospital. When you wake up in the morning, I’ll update you on her condition. For now, take the meds.” I look at Jamie. “Give it to her.”
The doctor glances between us for a moment, then picks up some tubes and leans towards her. I watch him like a hawk as he gently applies ointments to the bruises mottling her skin. No open wounds, thank God, but the sight of those angry red marks pisses me the fuck off.
He finishes with the ointments and reaches for a medium-sized needle. “Getting you on an IV will allow the medications to go directly into your bloodstream, which will help you heal faster,” he explains as he attaches the needle to the line connected to the drip.
I hold my breath, resisting the weird as fuck compulsion to close my eyes like I’m squeamish around a little blood. Ridiculous, considering I’ve tortured men with my bare hands, pulled teeth with pliers, but somehow, watching someone stick a needle in her delicate skin feels worse. Fucking hell.
I force myself to keep my eyes open, wincing along with Emilia as Jamie inserts the needle into her vein and secures it with a medical tape.
“There, all done,” he says lightly. “Didn’t hurt much, did it?”
Everything hurts right now, you idiot.
Emilia shrugs, staring down at her left hand where the IV sits.
