Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
Gia
I wake a few times during the night when the nurse comes to top up my medication, but I’m barely conscious. It’s only when I fully wake the next morning I become aware of Joshua sleeping beside me. His hand is extended toward me in slumber, but he’s too far away, and I need his arms around me.
It hurts when I move, and I have to be careful with the drip in my arm, but I scoot sideways on the bed, ignoring my pain in a bid to get closer to him. His eyes pop open with the movement of the bed. “Hey,” I whisper in a hoarse voice, setting my hand on his T-shirt- clad chest. My vision is blurry in my swollen eye, but I can see him clearly with my other.
“Gia.” Emotion swims in his eyes. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“Can’t get rid of me that easily,” I tease.
“Don’t joke. You nearly died last night, Gia. If I hadn’t made it in time, I?—”
I press my fingers over his lips to stop him. “But you did. You saved me, Joshua. We’re both alive, and that’s what we should focus on.” My eyes narrow as the events of last night replay in my head. “Please tell me you got him. Please tell me he’s in your bunker waiting for me to torture and kill him?”
“I wish I could, but he’s in the wind. Caleb took a team, and they combed the area for hours, but just like the night they stole the drug shipment, it’s as if he’s vanished into thin air.”
“What about O’Hara’s man? Did you find his body.”
He nods. “He was at the warehouse, riddled with bullets. Diarmuid took possession of his body last night, and they’ll give him a good send-off . His words.”
“I want to attend his funeral. He died so I could escape.”
“We’ll both go. I’ll get the details.” His gaze rakes over me. “How much pain are you in?”
I attempt to shrug, wincing as pain shuttles through me. “A fair bit,” I truthfully admit because Joshua won’t accept anything less. “It might be time for more pain medication.”
“I’ll get the nurse.”
“Don’t go.” I hold on to his arm. “I have a button.”
“Don’t move.” Sitting up, he reaches over me to press it.
“Come back here. I need you to hold me.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t. You never could.”
Very gently, he repositions us so I’m cradled against his chest and his arms are around me. He’s careful not to squeeze too tight. “I thought I’d never see you or my family again.”
“I had access to the audio feed. I heard everything you said. You were so fucking brave, honey. So strong.” He dots kisses into my hair as the nurse enters the room.
We stop talking while she asks me some questions, checks my injuries, and then tops up my medication. I ask her not to give me too much as I want to stay awake.
I peek up at Joshua and spot the forlorn expression on his face. “What’s that look for?”
He presses his lips against mine in a barely there kiss. “I’m so sorry, Gia. I promised I’d protect you. I swore nothing was going to happen to you on my watch, and it did.”
“It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have believed Liam when he told me he was in Ireland until January. We were both a little too careless, but it’s ultimately not either of our faults. He was always going to get me, babe. What’s important is he failed.”
“O’Hara has already rounded up those who were working with his brother. Well, those who are still here. We have to assume Liam left with a crew and they’ve gone to their allies. The board is going over there to interrogate them with Diarmuid shortly. Hopefully, we’ll get some useful intel.”
“You’re leaving?” I hate how pathetic I sound.
He shakes his head. “I’m going nowhere, honey. I’m staying right by your side, whether that’s here or at your parents’ place or Mom and Leo’s. I’ve already arranged it so I can work remotely for the time being. I’m not leaving you until Liam is caught and our enemies are defeated. I won’t risk you again. I can’t.” He presses a soft kiss to my lips again before peering deep into my eyes. “I love you, Gia. I love you so much. Almost losing you put everything into perspective. You almost died without knowing that, and it was unbearable.”
“I knew, Joshua.” I press a kiss to the underside of his jaw. “But I appreciate hearing it.” I can’t keep the smile off my face even if it hurts to do it. “Not sure it’s easy to love me when I look like something Frankenstein cooked up!” I quip, attempting to lighten the mood. Or maybe it’s the medication flowing through my veins that is responsible for the sense of contentment I currently feel. Which is probably a weird thing to say after the ordeal I’ve endured, but that’s how I’m feeling right now.
“You’re still your beautiful self.” He places his hand carefully on my chest. “It’s your soul, your strength, your spirit, I’m most drawn to. Your stunning face and sexy body are the cherry on top of the cake, but it’s who you are to your core that I’m drawn to. You soften all my hard edges and make me want to be better for you.”
“So romantic,” I whisper with tears in my eyes. “I can’t believe the man of my dreams was right under my nose all this time and I never realized it.”
“Man of your dreams, huh?” A cocky smile creeps over his face. “It’s only fair when you’re the woman of my dreams.”
A throat clearing bursts our bubble, and we turn our heads as one, discovering Joshua’s mom standing at the end of my bed with tears in her eyes. “I did knock. Several times,” Nat says. “I just wanted to see how you were feeling. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”
“It’s okay, Nat, and I’m fine. I’m in pain but I’ll heal.” I tilt my head to look up at Josh. “Help me to sit up?”
Nat rushes forward, and mother and son prop me up against a mountain of pillows until I’m comfortable. My ribs ache like a bitch as I’m sure they will for some time.
“Do you feel up to eating something? I had Caleb run to the store for me earlier, and I made some chicken noodle soup.”
“That explains the delicious smells.” I smile at Joshua’s mom. “I’d love some soup. I’m hungry.”
Nat leaves to prepare our food, and I snuggle into Josh’s side. “I’d like to stay here with you.”
“Good.” He nuzzles his nose in my hair. “We have beefed up security, and a team of thirty men are guarding the front of the building, the parking lot, the lobby downstairs, and the stairs and the lobby outside. Ben is sending a team to install panic buttons in every room and a new security system downstairs in the building and on every floor. He owns the building,” he adds when he sees my perplexed expression.
“I’m putting guns in every room, so there is easy access should anyone breach the security measures. We should stay inside while you’re healing, and when you’re ready to go outside, we’ll have a team of ten men with us, traveling in our car and in security vehicles. No one is getting near any of us again. O’Hara thinks Liam is overseas, and he doubts he will try anything now we have taken his men and decimated his support at home, but we’re not taking chances.”
I straighten up, ignoring the pain the motion produces. “What do you mean, no one is getting near us again. Did something happen I’m not aware of?”
He nods, and his tongue darts out, wetting his lips. “Before I tell you, I’m fine, so don’t worry.”
“Well, that isn’t reassuring in the slightest. Tell me what happened.” I listen with mounting horror as he tells me about the attack on him and Caleb and Rowan. “Are you okay? Did you get checked out?” My eyes roam his face and his body for injuries.
“I’m fine. Not even a scratch, and Caleb is fine too. Luca and Benedito took the fall.”
“It’s so sad about Luca. How is Giulio?”
“I haven’t spoken with him but Caleb has. He’s devastated, and he wants revenge. He resigned from his Wall Street job this morning, and he’s being sworn in today as our new consigliere .”
“Everything is happening so fast.”
“We’re playing catch-up, and we’re on a deadline now. We’re not letting these pricks run rings around us any longer. We’re going to take the fight to them and bring it all to the surface.”
“Was Liam responsible for the hits too?”
“You were kidnapped about an hour before the timed attacks on us and Rowan, and we think it was orchestrated by two different parties. The attacks were planned but sloppy and amateurish. A skilled marksman would have taken us out with less mess and publicity. I had an early-morning con call with The Commission, and we think the Barone went rogue. Ben and Leo are itching for blood, and Massimo had to threaten them to force them to back down.”
“I don’t blame them. If someone tried to murder my kids, I’d be itching to spill blood too.”
“We all want revenge, but we can’t act without a strategic plan. We intend to use this situation to draw our enemies out. It’ll take a few weeks to pull it all together, but then it’s going down, and we will emerge victorious. We approved four new dons to join the board this morning, and those appointments will be official this week.”
“Will they provide men?”
“It’s part of the terms. Don Greco has also sent spies to Florida and Vegas to find out if they are traitors, and we’re bringing the full IT team in to review the tracker reports now we know Liam and his allies found a way to reverse engineer them.”
“I’d like in on that. I can work remotely from here.”
“You need time to heal, Gia.”
“And I will, but when I feel up to it, I want to be involved. I was always invested in this mission as my duty, but I have a personal need to see these pricks taken down now.”
“Okay. As long as the medical team in charge of your care signs off on it. I don’t want you jeopardizing your recovery.”
“Deal.”
He stares lovingly at me before his expression sobers. “You’re handling this incredibly well, but you’ve been through a traumatic event. You don’t need to put a brave face on for me. I’m here for you if you want to talk about it or you want to break down or whatever it is you need.”
“I know that, and I’ll need you, but I’m not letting Liam break me. I’m stronger than that.”
“You are,” Natalia says, entering the room with a tray. “But I’d still recommend therapy.”
Joshua takes the tray from his mother, holding it on his lap.
“I had psychological training as part of my induction. Kidnapping and assault are expected when you’re a female informant. I’ve been trained to accept it, and I know how to compartmentalize.”
“It’s one thing to be trained and quite another to handle it in real life,” Nat says, her face awash with compassion.
I know that personally. I was pretty upset after Liam forced me to blow him in front of his men, but this is different. I’m angry and hellbent on getting revenge. “I will attend a few therapy sessions. I’m not opposed to it. I’m just saying you don’t need to be overly worried. I know I can handle this. Like I said, I won’t give Liam that power over me. If I fall apart, he wins, and I refuse to allow that to happen. It helps that I don’t remember much. I know some women might find that harder to deal with, but it makes it easier for me.”
I think that’s the big difference between what happened in the basement of the Irish bar and what he did to me last night. Not being aware means I can separate my feelings and not let it impact me as much. Plus, the former was all about power and control, but last night, he lost that. He acted recklessly and out of malice. Liam only has power if I give it to him and I refuse to do it. I won’t be a victim. I’m a survivor and an avenger, and when I personally end him, I’ll be the one with all the power and control.
“I’m in awe of you, Gia,” Nat says. “You are a truly remarkable young woman.”
“Thank you.”
Joshua lifts a spoonful of soup to my mouth, and I open for him.
“I’ll leave so you have privacy,” Nat says, “but I’d just like to say one more thing.” She sits at the end of the bed. “You asked me last night not to call your mother, and I have respected your wishes, but I’m asking you to reconsider. She’s your mother, Gia, and she loves you. It will hurt her if you shut her out of this. If this was me, I would want to know. I would want to be there for my daughter.”
“I don’t want my family to see me like this. They will just worry.”
“They will worry anyway,” she says.
“I’m not sure how long we can contain the news,” Joshua adds, lifting another spoonful of the delicious soup to my lips. “You know how gossipy made men are.”
“They shouldn’t hear it from anyone else,” Natalia says.
“Okay. You’re right. I only wanted to protect them, but they should know. Can you call them?”
“Of course.” She leans in to kiss my cheek. “I’m so glad you’re okay, Gia. You gave us all a terrible fright.”
“Joshua told me what happened to Rowan. How is he doing?”
“He is shaken up but coping. It’s the fathers I’m more concerned with. Ben and Leo want to burn the world down right now.”
“I don’t blame them. I’m sorry about Luca. He didn’t deserve to die like that.”
“No, he didn’t. But it’s an honor to die protecting your don, and his family will draw some comfort from that.”