35. Nik
“How is she?” Kate asks, handing me a cup of tea from the hospital cafeteria. After we docked, a private ambulance hurried us to the hospital, and Luna was rushed into labs and scans. Luka and Kate came by an hour ago, and Luka pulled some strings to get Luna a secure wing. She’s finally settled in a room and on pain medicine.
“They confirmed she was injected with a psychedelic. That, along with her concussion and adrenaline spike during our escape, made her body—” My voice cracks. Explaining this is torture. I wish I could take her pain away. “Apparently, she woke during one of the tests and was answering basic questions. Her scans show no brain injury. She’s resting right now, and the doctors have encouraged me to let her sleep.”
Luka and Kate keep me company until nightfall. After they leave to go home, I stumble tiredly into Luna’s room, eyes immediately roaming over her sleeping form hooked up to IVs and monitors. Luka mentioned that Kieran came through with some additional information about EV; after the fireboats made it to the container ship, it was reportedly found empty.
The crew made it off.
Right now, though, I can’t think about anything except for Luna and her healing.
I snag the chair from the corner and drag it across the floor. Stiff blue vinyl cushions cover the seat, and there are no arms on the chair making it the most uncomfortable piece of furniture I’ve ever put my ass on.
Leaning over the bed, I lay my forearms next to Luna and watch the steady breaths she takes. Her eyelids flutter every so often, and I find myself holding out hope that she’ll wake up.
She doesn’t.
Her torn-up hand lies at her side. I reach for it, turning it over and writing all the things I want to say to her on her upturned palm.
My eyes flick to where her ring should be, and then to where mine is—still on. I’ve never taken it off. So much for my best laid plans to rid myself of it after our wedding night. Maybe my subconscious mind knew how much I actually need it—need her.
I place a chaste kiss to her knuckles and lower my head to my hands to wait.
Gentle scratches on my head make me moan out load. As I wake up fully, I realize there’s a hand playing with my hair. I bolt upright to see Luna smiling at me.
“Hey there,” she says.
Her olive skin looks ashen and part of her head is covered by a bandage, but her eyes are bright and vibrant. I almost wilt with relief at the sound of her voice.
“Hey there, how are you feeling?” I ask, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. I love the flush that always climbs up her neck and stains her cheeks when I do.
“Embarrassed,” she says.
I squint at her. “Embarrassed? Why?”
“I passed out from a short distance swim.”
I chuckle. “Luna, you were injected with a hallucinogen, had a head injury, and just rappelled a ship for the first time. You have zero reason for embarrassment. I’m beyond proud of you.”
She flushes a deeper shade of poppy and shifts uncomfortably. Has she ever been told by someone that they’re proud of her?
She looks around the room, absently poking at her IV. Her eyes move to the window, gaze far off. When she sniffs, I reach for her chin and turn her head back toward me. She avoids my eyes as tears fall down her cheeks.
“You’re safe, Luna. I promise.”
“My sister? Has anyone heard from her?”
I shake my head. “Salvatore has gas station camera footage of her being dropped off outside the city. According to him, after that, she hasn’t made contact with your parents. I’ve had Igor corroborate this. The gas station was right there, but it seems like she opted to avoid it.”
She wipes at her tears. “Where could she have gone? Do you think she’s okay?”
“I’m not sure. She may have run, Luna.” I wish I could offer her more.
She nods, swiping more tears away, but they keep coming.
“My father—he refused the demands. In the moment, I knew it was just him being loyal to the Cosa Nostra, but—it hurts, Nik. It makes me feel like I’m worthless …”
My chest constricts and I wish I could hold her. “Stop. You’re not worthless. Salvatore made a decision he’s going to have to live with for the rest of his life. Don’t let his error fall on you. When the next generation of Cosa Nostra leaders take over, and he’s left in a nursing home alone, he will regret it.”
She blinks her tears away, nodding, and nuzzles my hand when I bring it to her cheek.
“Thank you for coming for me. I?—”
The door opens and a nurse with pink scrubs comes in, smiling at Luna. “Look at you awake. I need to take some vitals and do some checks before the doctor comes in.” She glances at me, then to the door.
I roll my eyes—I’m really getting sick of this. “I’m her husband. I’m staying.” It comes out as a growl, and the woman’s face pales. Still, she peeks at Luna to collaborate, and that I can respect.
Luna nods at the nurse, and I move out of the way as the plump woman proceeds to fiddle with her IV, take her temperature, and check her blood pressure. She brings Luna a cup of water and opens the blinds. Moonlight trickles in along with the city lights.
“The doctor will be in shortly, and we’ll see about getting you discharged tomorrow,” the nurse tells her with a smile. She looks to me. “She’ll need to be monitored at home for a while.”
She takes in my suit pants and gray button-down that technically belongs to Luka. Hence why it’s squeezing the living daylights out of my biceps—I wouldn’t tell him that, though.
“Is that going to be a problem?” she asks.
“Not at all.” I cross my arms and move back to Luna.
The nurse gives me a look like she doesn’t believe me for a second, and I wink at her as she leaves the room. Laughter bubbles out of my wife. I let it soak in, relishing the sound.
After the doctor comes in several hours later and clears Luna for discharge tomorrow afternoon, I run down to grab the dinner I ordered for us.
“Hope you’re up for pizza,” I say, heading back into the room.
Luna is sitting up in bed, her hair now pulled up into a bun. Immediately, I zero in on her wet lashes, and it takes all the willpower I have not to demand to know what’s wrong. Gritting my teeth, I close the door and set the two pizzas plus breadsticks—I know how much she loves those—on the rolling hospital cart near the bed.
“Yeah. I’m pretty hungry.” She smiles. “I don’t think my parents are going to come by.”
Come by the hospital? I sure hope not. I don’t want Salvatore anywhere near Luna after the way he screwed her over.
“More pizza for us, then.” I grin, and her eyes light up. I fumble around with the paper towel holder and bring a stack over while Luna gently opens the bag of breadsticks. I watch her under the guise of getting my own pizza slice, as she holds a breadstick to her lips and closes her eyes. For a second, I wonder what she’s doing, but then she lets out a long sigh. Smiling, she opens her eyes, along with her mouth, and takes a bite.
Good girl.
I gather my four slices and move to sit in that damn chair again. When I shove half a piece in my mouth, Luna laughs with her mouth full.
“What?”
“I’ve never met anyone who could eat a slice in two bites. I remember being impressed at the pizza shop when we went.” She takes another bite of her breadstick, then reaches for her water. Her IV snags on the side rails of the hospital bed.
“Whoa, here, I got it.” I grab her cup and bring it to her. She closes her lips over the straw to suck, and I gulp.
“Thank you,” she says, eyes growing glassy again. “I’d be alone here if it weren’t for you—if even here at all.”
Shit. Guilt swarms me. The idea Luna has ever felt alone, or that she has this compulsive need to thank me for being kind and decent, means I’ve messed up somewhere.
I grab her hand. “Luna, I?—”
“What’s your favorite color?”
I blink, confused at the sudden shift in topic. But her smile, the hope in her eyes—maybe she needs this. Something easy and carefree.
“Blue,” I answer. “And yours is purple.”
It’s her turn to blink. “How do you know that?”
There isn’t much color in Luna’s wardrobe. She mostly wears neutrals, but there’s one thing consistently purple that she always brings into the warehouse.
“All the flowers you put in the mason jars are always purple.”
She smiles at me. And, hell, does it make my heart skip.
“Well, aren’t you observant, Nikolai Balakin.” The way she says my full name …
“You have no idea the things I observe, Luna Balakin.” I let my gaze trail dramatically down her hospital gown.
She laughs, her breadstick falling to the bed sheets, and I grin.
Luna falls asleep shortly after we eat, and I leave a note on her napkin saying I’ll be back tomorrow to pick her up.
Staying was my first plan, but I’m in desperate need of a shower. Salt from our swim in the ocean still clings to my hair, and there are a few things I want to do before Luna comes home to the warehouse.
“I’ll be out of the office for a few days. Send me whatever work you need done,” I say to Luka on my drive home.
“Of course, brother. Take all the time you need.” He lets out a small chuckle, which is scary enough, but the fact he’s laughing at me?
“What?” I bark.
“Nothing, Nikolai. I’m glad you’re taking the time. I’m serious. I’m sending extra security your way, too.”
That reminds me …
“I want Lev gone.” It’s a bold demand.
“I don’t have another man to assign to Luna.”
“Clone Frank.”
Luka chuckles again, and it’s starting to piss me off. There’s no way in hell I’m going to let the man who tried to keep her company in our apartment stay on as her guard.
“Luka, if he comes back to the warehouse, I will end him.”
I don’t have the same privileges as Luka, regardless of our relationship. I can’t just go and kill someone because they disrespected me. And, technically, Lev works for Luka. And, even though I outrank him, he’s still a Bratva brother. However, if he comes back, I will kill him.
I’m sure Luka can hear the contempt in my voice. He goes silent, and I hear Kate murmur something in the background. He clears his throat. “Understood, Nik, he’s gone. I’ll make him clean up after our latest interrogation when I’m done. Teach him a lesson about what happens when he goes after something that isn’t his.”