Chapter 38 #2
Cassian and his brothers are the kind of men who are excellent to have on your side.
The thing about them is that while the mafia and families like mine handle business in our own violent ways, guys like Cassian, Ghost, and Cage are virtually non-existent in the world.
People never know when they’re coming. They have skills the average person doesn’t.
It’s how we met. Cassian was counting cards and stealing millions from our casino.
He would’ve gotten away with it, too, except his mark was acting strange at the table to tip us off that something was wrong.
Using the barrel of his rifle, Cassian presses it to Luciano’s back, pushing him deeper into the living room. Luciano tosses the bouquet of flowers onto the table and holds up his hands, the coin held between his fingers.
“Lacey is all I have,” he says to me, his voice raw.
“I have my men, and they are my family and loyal as it gets, but Lacey is a piece of me. Of my heart. I had to look her in the eye when her father died as her entire world fell apart. I had to sit back and let her mother keep her from seeing me because I was a Ricci. I sat in her hospital room every day after the accident, praying for her to live. I’ve just got her back in my life.
I’d never do anything to hurt her. I’d kill myself before I let anything happen to Lacey.
Her mother hated us. Hated that Lacey continued going by the name Ricci after her father died. ”
The man is practically breaking before me. Although I don’t know Luciano, he’s in my girl’s corner, and whether I like it or not, that’s a good thing.
I still don’t fucking like him.
Leveling him with a glare, I raise a brow. “She’s going to be a Savage eventually, and you’re not going to cause any fucking issues between us.”
Luciano stares back at me, his stone-cold mask back on. “She’s going to be whoever the fuck she wants to be. If she chooses to be a Savage, I’ll support her. She spent enough time being told who to be and how to be; it’s Lacey’s world now. She decides. Not either of us.”
Maybe the fucker is growing on me a tiny bit.
“And if you so much as cause my cousin any harm or pain, I will find you myself and skin you alive, then wear you as a fucking coat to your own funeral.”
Fuck. I’m going to have to start being nice to him.
I glance at Cassian and slowly blink, letting him know he can lower his weapon.
As soon as he does, Luciano swings at me and cracks me right in the jaw. “Motherfucker. Don’t ever ambush me like that again.”
Palming my chin, I smile at him. “That all you have, Ricci? Let’s fucking go.”
I probably deserved it, but fuck him.
“What the fuck is going on?” Ace stands in the entrance to the living room, her hands on her hips, glaring at us.
It’s kind of hard to take her seriously because she has her hair in two puffy buns that look like ears, and she’s, of course, covered in glitter like the adorable little angel she is.
“Why does everyone have guns? Who the hell are you?” She is staring at Ghost Black, who is literally wearing a ghost mask.
Then she reaches up and smacks the mask, making Ghost chuckle and pull it off.
When she sees him, she gasps and takes a step back, then looks at me. “What the hell?”
Glaring back at her, I open my mouth to ask why the fuck she’s here. I wasn’t alerted, but then I pull out my phone and see multiple missed calls from my security, all while we were confronting Luciano.
“How’d you get here, angel?” I ask, ignoring her simmering anger. Maybe she’ll punch Luciano. Then I realize her eyes are drooping slightly, and she’s pale.
“I took a cab. I thought I had my migraine medicine with me,” she answers softly, swaying.
Both Luciano and I go to her, and before he can do anything, I scoop her up, being careful not to jostle her.
“She has frozen packs in the freezer. Wrap one in a towel and bring a huge bowl and some ice,” I command, carrying her through the house to her bedroom.
“Why didn’t you call me, baby?” I lower her onto her bed and pull the blankets back to get her tucked in, then step back and grab my phone.
She squeezes her eyes shut while I remove her flip-flops and toss them to the side. “I didn’t want to bother you. I thought it would be faster if I came and got them,” Ace pauses and sits up, throwing the blankets back as she takes off for the bathroom.
Luciano comes in with his arms full just as she starts vomiting. Part of me feels like I’m dying inside as I listen to her struggle.
“Jesus,” he says, setting everything down. “I’m calling the paramedics.”
“Don’t you fucking dare, Luciano Ricci!” she yells from the bathroom.
I smirk at him as I stride past him. “You’d better listen to her.”
He glares at me. “You’re really going to let her make the choice when it comes to her health or safety? I didn’t take you for a fucking loser like that, Savage.”
Stopping in my tracks, I turn my head to look at him.
“She doesn’t like emergency rooms, asshole.
They give her anxiety and remind her of the accident.
I already have a doctor on the way, who she’s going to see whether she likes it or not, but I won’t force her into a fucking emergency room unless absolutely necessary. So go fuck yourself, Ricci.”
Then I go into the bathroom and squat behind her, gathering her hair as she throws up again.
“I got you, baby. Where’s your medication?”
She points behind her toward the vanity. As soon as I open the first drawer, I locate the tabs of pills then get a cold, wet washcloth and hand it to her, before I stride to the bedroom for a bottle of water.
Luciano is in one of the armchairs, his elbows on his knees, staring down at the carpet. “I feel helpless as fuck right now. Tell me if I can do something,” he says.
I feel the tiniest bit of guilt for being an asshole to him a second ago. But not enough to apologize, so I grunt in response and return to Ace.
Ace takes the pill from my palm and lets me hold the bottle while she drinks it down, then leans over the toilet, resting her face on her forearm.
“Do you think you’re done for now, or do you want to stay here for a bit longer?” I ask quietly as I rub her back, feeling as helpless as Luciano. Fuck, if only I could take her pain away.
“I think I’m done,” she mumbles, but doesn’t move, so I let her stay where she is for a bit, just in case.
When she finally starts shifting, I help her to her feet, then take her to the sink to rinse her mouth out before leading her into the bedroom, where she goes directly to bed.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers as I pull the covers up over her. “I’m such a bother. You shouldn’t have to deal with this. You barely know me.”
Her words are slurring like they did the last time she had a migraine, which hopefully means the medication is kicking in and she’ll be able to drift off to sleep.
Leaning down, I kiss her damp forehead. “The only reason I’m not spanking your bottom right now is that you don’t feel good. But we’ll talk about you saying that BS when you’re better.”
Her mouth twitches slightly as she reaches for me, sliding her fingers into my beard. “Why is Luciano here?”
I pause and think about the flowers he dropped on the table. “Because he missed you. He’ll be here when you wake up. Just try to rest, angel.”
“Okay, Daddy,” she answers slowly as she fades to sleep.
“Kian, I’d really love to help you out, but if you could ask your friend to put his gun away, I’d feel a lot better,” Dr. Payton says.
Looking over at Luciano, who’s glaring at the doctor, one of the guns we returned to him rests on his thigh.
“You’re a fucking doctor. Kian says you’re even a great one. So fix her, or I’m going to put a bullet in your head. That’s all I’m asking,” Luciano says. “I think I’m being pretty reasonable, to be honest.”
The doctor stares at him and then looks at me again. I turn to Luciano. “Put the fucking gun away, man. He’s trying to help us. Jesus, I have him on payroll to help with gunshot wounds and shit. He’s not a fucking brain doctor,” I tell him.
Looking as irritated as possible, he leans forward and slides the pistol into the back of his slacks.
“Neurologist,” Dr. Payton says, straightening his glasses. “That’s what a doctor who specializes in brains is called.”
Turning back to the doctor, I narrow my gaze. “Thanks, smart-ass.”
He smirks and goes back to his computer. “I do, however, know two of the best in the entire world. I am reaching out to them now. They will contact you to discuss fees and scheduling.
“Migraines can be common after an accident, especially with the severity of her concussion and the trauma she went through. It’s possible that there’s nothing in particular that triggers them.
And one day, if she’s lucky, they’ll disappear forever and never return.
An updated brain scan should give the doctors something to get started with.
If you bring her to this facility, they can give her an MRI. ”
“The doctors in the hospital said they would go away. I assumed they had, or I never would have allowed her to move here by herself,” Luciano says, then abruptly rises, shaking his head. “This is fucking bullshit!”
He storms out of the room as Dr. Payton and I watch. Turning back to me, he shrugs. “I kind of like him.”
“What about the pain she’s still having in her leg? It’s been a year. She’s done extensive rehab, and she still hurts.”
He types on his laptop and pulls up an X-ray of her left side from her hip to her knee. When I see it, my stomach goes queasy as I stare at the shards of bones inside.
“Her hip and femur were pulverized. I don’t know the details of the crash, but I’d say the person was going at least eighty in a heavy vehicle.
I’ve never seen anything like this in all my years as a trauma specialist. If Mr. Ricci hadn’t gotten the surgeons flown in so quickly, I’m not sure Lacey’s recovery would have gone as well as it has. ”
I squint at him. “He brought in a surgeon?”
He looks at his screen again. “A team of five, actually. Mr. Ricci paid fifty million to have the best orthopedic trauma surgeons brought in from France.”
Of course he did.
Fuck.
I’m going to have to apologize for being such a dick.
“Even though they did a fantastic job, Lacey will always have some problems with that leg. The hot tub is great for pain relief. Ice if she’s experiencing swelling.
Some find that water therapy is effective.
And stretching, but she has to be careful not to overdo it.
Her flexibility isn’t the same as it was. ”
He rattles on, giving me more information while I add it all to memory so I can take better care of her. I hate that she has to live with pain. She’s had enough of that in her lifetime.
When I walk him out, Luciano is standing outside smoking a cigar. He offers one to me as Dr. Payton drives away.
I accept it and his lighter, the smoke furling around me when I light it. “You paid fifty million dollars for Ace’s surgery team.”
“I would have paid everything I had, if that’s what it took,” he says as he gazes off into the distance.
“Look,” I turn toward him as he takes a drag. “I’m so fucking in love with Ace. She’s… There’s something special about her. I know you understand what I’m talking about.”
Luciano slowly nods, not saying anything.
“She’s magical. She has brought me back to life. And I have to be honest, I’m possessive as fuck. I’m going to want to spend every second with my girl. That’s not going to go well if you and I don’t get along.”
He sighs, and I inwardly chuckle because I think he’s about as happy about this as I am.
“I only want the same thing as you. For Ace to be happy,” I tell him. “And now I can at least say I was the bigger man and tried to make amends.”
Luciano glares at me for a few seconds before he laughs and shakes his head. “You motherfucker. Just wait until I tell her you fucking ambushed me with sniper rifles. We’ll see how she feels about you then.”
Smirking, I shrug. “I’m not worried.”
Maybe I am a little.
She probably isn’t going to be too pleased about that.