Chapter 30Ari
Chapter Thirty
ARI
Dimitris strode inside my room. “Anna?”
“She’s in the room two doors down.”
My love was visiting with her brother. Their relationship seemed to be on the mend now that Jason was being honest with her. I understood him. That drive to keep her innocent had kept me up since her father was shot.
The bullet had punctured his spleen, and in minutes, he’d bled out. She watched him die and that’d been the last thing I ever wanted for her. I didn’t want death touching her, and in that regard, I failed her.
He shut the door. “We managed to grab a couple of the guys guarding the building. One’s already dead.”
“Learn anything interesting?”
“No, and I’ve told Lex if he doesn’t get anything by the end of the day to take care of him.”
I cleared my throat and winced. That song didn’t lie. All my bones were connected, and it hurt to do almost everything. I’d confessed that to Anna a week ago. Seven days longer than I’d ever wanted to be in a hospital, but the doctors were insistent that I stay put.
“That story he told about his granddaughter? I’m not sure it was entirely true.”
Dimitris cocked his head. “He lied about that too?”
“Marco calls the girls he molests his granddaughters.”
The color drained from my brother’s face. “I saved that…” He grabbed a cigarette from his pocket and twirled it in his fingers. “I didn’t save him. It was a setup. ”
Nodding, I replied, “Yeah, a good one.” With the reservations I’d had when I put the file together for the meeting our family had with Gabriele and Jason, I’d kept the information mostly about Franklin. He’d been the subject of that meeting. All Gabriele got was Franklin’s connection to Marco.
“That’s why Marco is still alive. Gabriele didn’t lose him, he’s hiding him.”
“That’s my suspicion. We need to find that hideout. Get Thea to do her thing,” I said.
“All right.”
A knock came from the door and the handle wiggled. “Ari Kalantzis, if you’re not resting, I swear…” A muted growl of frustration traveled through the door.
My brother laughed and crossed the room.
Anna barged in and stopped short. “Oh, I’m sorry. I can come back if you’re?—”
“Nah, we’re done.” Then he did something I’d never seen him do. He hugged her. “How are you doing?”
Her personality had infected my brother. There wasn’t a doctor or nurse who didn’t smile by the time they left my room. That was the sunshine I’d worked to protect. The guilt lifted a little when she did that.
“I’m okay. Did he behave?”
Dimitris tossed a glance my way. “No, not even a little bit. He was trying to do sit-ups.”
My mouth dropped open. “Liar! I’ve lain right here the whole time.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I believe him.”
I’d been a horrible patient, and I knew it. I wasn’t trying to be; it simply came out of me. When I said I hated hospitals, I hadn’t expressed the depths of my disdain. It was easy for her to believe that I would be disobeying my doctor’s orders to rest.
My brother hung his cigarette between his lips at the corner. “If you need anything, call me.”
“Okay, be careful out there.”
“Anything for you.” He winked and threw another glance in my direction. “Later.” The door clicked shut.
Crossing the room, Anna heaved a sigh. “What am I going to do with you?”
When she reached me, I pulled her down onto the bed. “I have a few ideas.”
She bent forward and kissed me. “Behave or I’ll slip them enough money to keep you here another two weeks.”
What was left of my humor was gone. “That’s not funny.”
Her head tilted as she shot me a playful smile. “Yes, it is.” The flirty floral knee-length dress she wore complemented her playfulness and showed off her shapely legs.
I’m waking up every day a little more in love with her than I was the day before. I’d shared something so deep and personal that I couldn’t even believe I’d done it. The words were out of my mouth, and once they were said, the rest poured out.
Then she’d kissed me, but it wasn’t a sweet, tentative peck. It was a full-on collision. Our lips had met with an urgency crackling between us. That fierce demand—the absolute possession—had left me breathless.
I hadn’t expected the declaration of love. She’d said it and I was sure I was hearing things. She’d said it twice. I smiled at the memory. She’d wanted me to know that it wasn’t in the heat of the moment. Three words whispered like a hurried prayer. There was devotion in her voice and in those words .
“Can we please talk about when we’re getting married?” I asked. It came out more like a grumble than a question.
“When your body has healed.” She grinned. “I want to go on a honeymoon, not go to rehab.”
She pulled a hard, painful laugh from me. “Message received.”
“Six to eight weeks. It depends on the severity of the injuries.” She grinned. “Jason will be able to walk me down the aisle by then, I think. Otherwise, I want to wait until he’s better.”
As beaten up as I was, Jason was worse. His esophagus was bruised when their father stepped on his throat. He also had lasting damage to his left shoulder. He’d lost twenty-five percent of his use. It’d never be the same even with physical therapy. I’d seen him shuffling down the hall with Cora a few times.
I brought Anna’s hand to my lips and kissed her wrist. “Do you want the wedding we’d planned, or do you want something different?” I knew what I wanted.
“When I was planning the last one, I wasn’t planning a wedding for us.” Her eyes found mine. “I want this one to be for us.”
“That’s what I was hoping. Friends and family. Maybe we can keep the ceremony small and have a huge reception.”
Anna nodded. “I like that.”
I brushed her hair over her shoulder. “How are you doing?” She knew what I was asking. This wasn’t about her general mood. This was about her father.
Her chest rose as she took a deep breath. “I’m okay. I mean, it’s weird. He’s not alive. I want to care. I feel like I should, and then I feel guilty that I don’t. He can’t hurt me or Jason or anyone else ever again. Basically, I’m a mixed bag. It depends on the hour.”
“Did you set up a time to meet with your counselor?”
“Yeah, I see her a week from today. Honestly, though, even as up and down as I am, I think I’m okay. I didn’t shoot him. He shot himself. I just happened to be standing really close when he did it.”
Nodding, I pulled her closer. “I know. I’m here if you need to talk.”
She snuggled against me, a contented sigh pouring from her. “I love you. ”
“Eight weeks. I can maybe handle eight weeks, but not a day longer.”
Her cheeks slid up and down against my shirt. “Okay.”
I dropped a kiss atop her head. “I love you, sweetheart.”