CHAPTER THIRTY
RAINA
I have to find somewhere to hide this phone because if he finds it, I’m dead. Or shocked to within an inch of my life. Like the nurse heard the panicking in my brain, she comes in with a smile on her face.
“Let’s see if we can get you up and around. If you can, you’re going to get to go home.”
She takes out the IV, and removes the stickers on my skin from the heart monitor, and I can almost taste freedom. I know I’m leaving with Kage, whether I like it or not, but it’s better than the hospital.
I grab the phone as I get off the bed, and walk to the bathroom with her.
“Looking good. I’ll give you a few minutes to yourself, and come back after I talk to the doctor. There’s a buzzer on the wall beside the toilet, if you need assistance.”
I spot clothing on the floor beside the counter.
Kage must have brought them for me to have when I leave. As I stuff the phone into the pants pocket, the guilt is overwhelming, but I push it away. Remembering my mom and Casey makes the tightening in my chest ease. He’s being nice now, saying sweet words, but it likely won’t last. One day at a time, Raina. Remember the collar, the cage, the deaths.
I let out a cleansing breath and turn the shower on, before I retrieve the phone and make my call. She answers on the second ring.
“I’m being discharged soon, and I don’t know what you want from me.”
“Listen to everything you can. Find me addresses, and any incriminating information you can. Once we have what we need, we’ll get you out of there, and put you in witness protection.”
I nod as if she can see me.
“Alright. I have to go. I’ll contact you when I have something.”
I disconnect the call, turn the phone off, and put it back into my pants.
Stepping into the water, I nearly moan from how good the heat feels on my skin. I swear, a hot shower can cure almost everything wrong in life.
Almost.
My heart races when there’s a knock on the door.
“Yes?” I ask nervously.
“Just checking on you, dear. Dr. Michaels said you can go home when you’re done.”
“Thank you. I’ll be right out.”
I rinse the conditioner from my hair and turn the water off.
Grabbing the towel on the rod on the outside of the shower, I dry myself off when I hear Kage outside the door.
“Firecracker, this won’t work. Open the door.”
“Just a second,” I say, as my heart pounds, threatening to extend my hospital stay.
I get dressed quickly, and check that the shirt hangs over my jeans enough to cover the phone in my pocket. After running my fingers through my hair, I open the door to an impatient Kage, holding a bag of food in his hand.
“They said I can leave.”
He shakes his head. “Not until you eat.”
Pointing to the chair, Kage says, “Sit.”
As I walk over and take a seat, he pulls the containers from the bags, and sets everything out for me. Lobster with butter, a baked potato, broccoli, fresh bread, and dessert.
“This is a lot of food,” I giggle as I pick up the fork.
“Did you steal this? I was expecting plastic.”
He shrugs his shoulders as I begin to eat.
“I did not steal it. I just told them to give it to me.”
I swallow down my first bite of lobster, and shake my head at him.
“What happens if they say no?”
The smirk that develops on his lips, is both sinful and sexy as hell.
“Very few people tell me no, Firecracker.”
I keep eating, but his words make me wonder if maybe I’m not the only woman in his life.
“People or women?”
He hovers over me while I eat, like I’m a prisoner at risk of escaping, which is insane because I haven’t even tried. Although, I probably should.
“If you’re asking if I’m fucking other women, the answer is no. I have not even considered touching another woman, since the moment I laid eyes on you. And I won’t. Your sweet pussy is the only one I want.”
Kage chuckles as I stop eating, and my cheeks turn bright red.
He grins proudly. “I like it when I can make your beautiful skin match the color of your hair.”
I finish eating and put my fork down.
“Happy?”
“Dessert. I got your favorite.”
I arch an eyebrow in question.
“How do you know what my favorite is?”
He chuckles as he points to the chocolate cake.
“Social media is amazing, baby.”
“Stalker,” I murmur, before I take my last bite of cake.
“Always,” he smirks as the doctor walks in.
“You’re free to go, but I want you to follow up with your primary doctor in two weeks. There should be no lasting complications, but I want you to have a check-up to be sure.”
“Anything else?” Kage asks, and the doctor’s response causes me to laugh.
“Maybe take a gun safety course. You guys are mafia, accidents shouldn’t happen.”
Obviously, Dr. Michaels wasn’t told the entire truth about what happened, because it was not an accident.
Kage takes my hand and, as we walk to the elevator, I say, “Accident?”
He shrugs his shoulders as he presses the button for the bottom floor.
“We don’t give reasons why people were shot. He must be assuming, since Reaper was shot and then the bullet hit you, that it was accidental, because Bones would never shoot his own brother.”
Wrapping his arm around my waist, he pulls me close and murmurs in my ear.
“I can’t wait to get you home, and show you how happy I am that you’re alive, but first we’re going to need to talk about your phone.”
His words cause me to tremble. He knows. How does he know? I had it hidden the entire time. As we step outside the hospital, he turns to me.
“Hey,” he says, as he places his hand on the side of my face.
“It’s going to be okay. You’re mine, and that means everything will be taken care of.”
I glance up into his face.
“You aren’t mad?”
Leaning down, he kisses me softly on the lips.
“Oh, I’m pissed, Firecracker, but not at you.”
The relief spreads through me, like a fire warming me up on a frigid day. A driver pulls up, Kage opens the back door for me, and I slide in. He gets inside beside me and places his arm around my shoulders. I still can’t wrap my head around the lack of death threats. Love or not, betrayal never ends well when a mafia family is involved. And I still can’t for the life of me figure out how he knows.