“Me too.”
“What do we do when you’re released from the hospital?”
There was only one thing on the agenda. “We return to Tuscany and finish this.”
“Take out Micah and the rest?”
“Yes. We’ll work with our allies to bring him down. Now, we’ve declared war. Only there won’t be two sides. It’ll only be us annihilating them. Micah will go into his bunker for a while where we can’t get to him. But when he comes out, which he will, we’ll hit him hard. Then it’ll be over for good.”
“I can’t wait until that moment comes. We can finally be free.”
“Yes.” I would make sure nothing happened to the three of us ever again. I would annihilate my enemies, and they would know not to mess with me again. I was an enemy you didn’t want to have. “How’s our girl?”
“She’s very fussy. We’re in a new place, and her father isn’t here. I think she’s just uncomfortable.”
“I’ll see her soon.”
“She knows. She knows you love her too.”
She wasn’t the only one I loved. “You feel safe there with Giovanni? I can send Bates to you.”
“No, we’re fine. We’re just counting the moments until you’re out of there.”
I wanted to stay on the phone with her forever, but Bates walked back into the room. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Alright. Bye.”
I hung up and returned the phone.
“How is she?” Bates asked.
“Better now that she knows I’m okay.”
“Good. I know she’s eager to see you.”
“I’m eager to see her too.” As much as I wanted her here with me, I preferred to keep her safe. I was the target, not her. So, as long as she wasn’t near me, nothing should happen to her.
“How’s Martina?”
“Siena says she’s fussy.”
“Probably misses you.”
“I know she does,” I whispered.
Bates leaned back in the chair and relaxed. “Claw is on board with us. Said he’ll help us destroy Micah if we only make him pay back half of the loans.”
“That’s fine.” I didn’t care about money right now. I didn’t care about pride. I just wanted Micah to be gone in whatever way possible. “I don’t care.”
“So, when we’re ready, I’ll call him. I figured we would return to Tuscany and decide what to do then.”
“I wonder if my house is still standing.”
Bates shrugged. “The security team was still on site.”
“Or they were there…”
“I haven’t checked in.”
“What about Mother?”
“I got her out of there hours ago. The guys took her to Greece. I talked to her a while ago, and she’s fine. She’s worried about you. And Siena had me alert Landon to go into hiding.”
Everyone who mattered seemed to be safe and sound. “That could have been a lot worse.”
“Yeah, I agree.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you.” Bates warned me that something was wrong, but I brushed it off. We could have taken care of this much sooner if I’d just valued his opinion.
“It’s okay. I shot your woman. We’re both idiots.”
“Yeah…I guess we are.”
Bates looked at the clock on the wall then turned back to me. “It’s getting late. You should get some sleep.”
“You don’t have to stay here with me, Bates.”
“Yes, I do. If an asshole walks through that door, I’m prepared. So just relax. I got your back.”
Days later, the doctor finally discharged me from the hospital.
My vitals had improved, and I was given pain medication for the road. I was stable, but I still hadn’t returned to my former strength. It would take me a long time to get back to where I used to be. My broken ribs would take the longest to heal—and they caused me the most pain.
I walked on my own two feet as I left the hospital and got into the car Bates brought to the entrance. I sat down in the passenger seat and then we drove through the streets. It took me a few seconds to figure out where we were. I knew we were in the UK, but I didn’t know exactly where. “London?”
“Yes.”
“One of my favorite cities.”
“Maybe the three of you can enjoy it another time.” Bates drove to the apartment and parked in the underground parking garage. We rode the elevator to his floor then stepped inside the apartment.
Siena clearly hadn’t been expecting me, judging by the shock on her face. She was on the floor with Martina, who lay on a blanket playing with some colorful toys. Tears sparkled in Siena’s eyes instantly, and she got up so quickly she almost fell forward. She righted herself and came to me, the tears freely streaming down her cheeks. “You’re out…” Her arms opened to hug me, but then she changed her mind and grabbed my wrists instead. “I don’t want to hurt you…”
“This doesn’t hurt.” My hand slid into her hair as I kissed her in the living room. My fingers felt the soft strands that I had gotten used to touching every single day of my life. I kissed her slowly on the lips, taking my time as I appreciated this woman’s love. Our mouths moved together slowly, and my heart ached for the sacrifices she’d made for me. I might be dead right now if it weren’t for her.