Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 75699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
My heart pumps directly into my throat when I see the words. “Fuck,” I mutter.
“Do you know who sent this?”
“Who do you think? My grandfather, most likely.” I lower my voice. “You should take the advice.”
“No.” She grabs my arm, squeezes my bicep. “I know how much your mother means to you, Vinnie. I won’t leave you alone.”
She’s so damned stubborn. Hers is the kind of persistence that wins wars. And right now, she’s the kind of woman who isn’t going to let a mob boss’s threats keep her from standing by my side in my time of need.
I look at Raven, really look at her, and find a strength within those dark eyes that both frightens me and ignites a spark within me.
I gently brush her hand off my arm. “I can handle this. You don’t need to put yourself in danger for me.”
“It’s not about what I need,” she replies, tucking her phone back into her pocket. “It’s about what you need.”
“You’re impossible,” I mutter, rubbing my temples as if that could somehow rub away the inevitable headache this situation was bound to cause.
“I prefer ‘relentless.’” She smiles. “You don’t have to do this alone.”
Before I can respond, her phone chimes with another text. Her face hardens as she reads it. Then she turns the screen to show me.
Stay away from Gallo. This is your last warning.
“Fuck,” I mutter.
“We’ll work this out,” she says softly.
“We?” I grab her shoulders forcefully. “There is no ‘we’ in this, Raven. This is my life, my family, my problem.”
Her dark eyes don’t flicker in the face of my outburst. Instead, they harden as if cast from steel. “Your life became our life when you told me you love me. I’m not backing down now.”
I gape at her, momentarily struck dumb by the steel in her voice. Then, with a deep breath, I compose myself, letting go of her shoulders. “Raven, you don’t understand. My grandfather is dangerous. He doesn’t make idle threats.”
“He’s not the only one who can be dangerous, Vinnie.” She crosses her arms defiantly. “I’m not one to be scared off by threats.”
I swallow. “And what if he decides to make his point a little clearer next time? What if he tries to hurt you?”
“We’ll face this together, Vinnie.” She places a hand on my cheek. “That’s what people who love each other do.”
“We’re not normal people, Raven,” I reply bitterly, “and this isn’t a normal situation.”
“No,” she agrees. “But we are two people who care for each other deeply. And I swear to you —”
“Vinnie!”
I look up to see Savannah rushing toward us.
My heart races again. Something must have happened.
“Is she okay?”
Savannah grabs my hands. “Thank God I found you. Yes, Mom’s out of recovery. She’s been transferred to her room in ICU, and we can see her now.”
I wrangle out of Raven’s grasp. I look deep into her eyes. “Please go home. I don’t want you here.” Then I turn, unable to look at the sadness that is no doubt covering her face at my words.
Savannah’s jaw drops, but she says nothing, simply leads me back.
“Have you seen her?” I ask Savannah.
“No, not yet. The doctor says you and I can go in together.”
“All right.”
She nudges my arm. “Vinnie…”
I shake my head. “I can’t talk about that. I absolutely can’t. So don’t ask.”
Savannah gulps and simply nods.
We find a nurse who leads us back into the ICU wing into our mother’s room.
“She’s still asleep,” the nurse says. “But her vitals look good for now. She may be out for another couple of hours. Even after that, she’s going to be groggy.”
“The drugs last that long?” Savannah asks.
“Not so much the drugs. Although yes, they will make her groggy for the next twenty-four hours or so. But remember that sleep is the way the body heals. This has been traumatic on her body. She’s had her chest cut open, her sternum cracked and split, her heart—”
“Please,” Savannah interrupts. “We know the details. We don’t need to hear them again. It’s just so difficult to think of my mother that way.”
The nurse nods. “I understand. But please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions.”
“We won’t,” I assure her.
“I’ll give you some privacy then. I can only let you stay for a few moments. Like I said, she’s asleep, but she will probably be able to sense your presence. Feel free to talk to her. Reassure her that you’re here and that everything’s okay.”
Once the nurse leaves, Savannah turns to me. “You should go first, Vinnie.”
“Why me?”
She scratches her arm. “Because we both know how Mom feels about me at the moment. She’s not my biggest fan.”
I lay a hand on her shoulder. “Sav, she nearly died. However she was feeling about you has no bearing now. She’s alive, and she loves you. In fact, I was just thinking about how close you two were when you were a kid. How she would take you to do mother-daughter things.”