Chapter EightIan
Chapter Eight
Ian
My eyes are heavy, and my body feels like I’ve gotten into another damn motorcycle accident. Although, the first one I was in didn’t feel this brutal. I squint several times, hoping to get a clear view of my surroundings. The haze fades as my entire body wakes up. Still, I’m unable to figure out where I am.
The light is harsh on my eyes and it’s giving me a blinding headache, so I close them again and groan.
“Oh my goodness, you’re awake, Mr. MacNamara. It’s a wonderful thing.” I swear my ears are playing tricks on me because I recognize that soft, milky tone.
“Excuse me, but who are you, and where am I?” I ask, needing clarification because I’m still not seeing clearly, but her voice is so damn identifiable that my heart rate spikes. Opening my eyes several times, I can make out her features, and I wonder if I’m fucking dreaming because she can’t be here.
She dips her head briefly, her lips tightening. I’ve embarrassed her, but I’m the one in the vulnerable state.
“I’m sorry, Mr. MacNamara. You’re at the hospital, and I am studying to be a doctor, so I’ve been assigned to your room,” she admits. I blink several times and now the image of her is clear as day. Damn it—all this searching, and all I needed to do was nearly die.
“Sweetheart, I asked your name.” I’m trying to figure out if I’m losing my mind or if I’m fantasizing because I swear it’s the elusive Callie.
“Calista Vitale.” Yes, that’s my woman, even if she didn’t tell me her real name. Although, we didn’t do a lot of talking after I got her naked.
“Don’t you mean Callie?” I sneer, hating that she left that pertinent bit of information out. It might have been a little easier to find her since Callie is clearly a nickname.
“Well, that’s what people call me,” she says, biting down on her delicious bottom lip.
“You disappeared on me.” My accusation is clear and bold, but she just swallows hard and doesn’t give me the dignity of a reply.
She takes a deep breath and stammers out, “I…need to check your wounds.”
I pull down my blanket, and her eyes linger on my growing erection as she lets out a tiny gasp. I whip the cover up so I can get her eyes back on my face for a moment. Not that I’m the least bit displeased about her checking out my dick. It’s fucking hers as far as I’m concerned, but still, we need to speak. “Eyes up here, babe,” I tease.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to stare. It’s not professional,” she stammers out, trying to excuse her behavior.
“Nothing between us is professional. Everything is personal. Besides, it’s nothing I haven’t shown you before.” I wink and smirk. “Did you insert this?” I grip my cock, pointing out the catheter in there. It’s not the sexiest thing, but my little volunteer is probably used to inserting them. The thought of her touching other men’s dicks instantly pisses me off.
“It can’t be anything but professional,” she insists, but I’m not listening.
“Why the fuck not? I can feel every part of my body.” It’s not like I’m permanently crippled and I can’t take care of her or myself. Yes, I’m fucked up right now, but thankfully, my bastard sperm donor didn’t destroy me completely. I can feel and move my body.
“Because that night was a mistake.” Fuck, those words shred more than the bullets did. She shakes her head, and I see the tears in her eyes as if she’s denying what she really wants.
“It didn’t feel like one,” I say.
“That was before I knew you were in the mafia,” she tosses back at me.
I nod, understanding why she’s upset. I can change her mind, or I can just do what Jack did and give her no choice. “That changes nothing for me, Calista.” She shivers just a little, letting me know I still affect her.
The door to the room opens and I move to protect her, sitting up straighter in the bed and dragging her to the side of my bed closer to my head. I see who it is, and the tension fades.
“You’re awake,” Jack says as he and Connor enter.
I smile at them and nod. “Yeah, that motherfucker can’t bring me down.”
“So, it was Dad?” Connor asks.
I nod and answer, “Yes. He wasn’t alone, but I couldn’t see who was in the escape vehicle.” Calista slaps her hands to her mouth at the revelation. I suppose she has a reason to fear my lifestyle. I try to sit all the way up, nearly tugging all my cords out.
“Ugh…Mr. MacNamara,” she says, pushing me back on the bed. I’m still in a sitting position, just not as upright.
She fucked up because now I have her too damn close. I snatch her hand in mine. “It’s Ian. Minx, stop with the formality.”
“Oh, shit. It’s the girl from the club,” Connor says with a smirk. Jack stares at her with an intense distrust that makes me wonder what he knows or if he is just being a big brother.
“Why the fuck are you in here instead of a real doctor?” Jack asks her with a tone that makes me want to flatten his ass.
“He was busy and stepped away. I’m supposed to reapply the bandages, if you don’t mind,” she snaps back.
“Actually, I do fucking mind.” His attitude is too much for me to tolerate. He doesn’t have the right to speak to my woman like that.
“Jack, watch it. You’re talking to my…” I snap, but he cuts me off.
“I don’t trust her. She was chatting up the governor. Now she’s in here with scissors.”
“I was chatting with the governor today, too,” Connor says, chuckling, like speaking to that asshole isn’t a bad thing. I stare at my woman with a dozen questions, like did that asshole send her my way on purpose?
“That’s fucking different, and you know it,” Jack snarls at Connor. My woman crosses her arms with a huff, glaring at my brother.
“Look, I have a job to do, and I don’t even get paid for it, so you can get out of here or you can be quiet. I don’t care if you’re a thug or not. I’m not losing my position in the program because you have issues.” She rolls her eyes at Jack while pointing the scissors toward him, like she dares him to come forward and try to stop her.
“Get to work, baby,” I say, getting more aroused by the moment. Seeing her give Jack shit is so damn hot.
“It would be great if you would calm down,” she whispers to me. I suppose there is a wound on my leg that she has to access, but all I can do is think with my third leg.
“If you took care of that first, then I would.” She gasps, but before she can respond, the door opens and then a man in scrubs enters.
“Ah, Ms. Vitale, have you changed his wound dressings yet?” he asks with a snideness that sets my teeth on edge.
“Unfortunately, no. His family entered the room before I could,” she answers, throwing Jack a scowl. I’m getting more turned on by the moment. No one puts Jack in his place, but his woman and my woman haven’t stopped.
The doctor stares at her and then says, “You should have asked them to leave.” He then looks to my brothers and says, “Please excuse us, so we can dress his wounds.”
“They can stay,” I say, wanting someone to keep me in control. Plus, I don’t think Jack is in the best temper to wait outside.
“We need space. Please move over to the other side,” the doctor says as he points toward the corner.
“Who are you?” I challenge him. He hasn’t introduced himself, and frankly, I don’t like the way he looked at my woman.
“Sorry, Mr. MacNamara. I’m Dr. Fisher. How are you feeling?” he asks me; his tenor changes just slightly to a little more of a civil tone.
“I’m feeling great right now. Shit, I’m ready to go home.” I rub my hands together and some pain shoots through my shoulder, but I don’t show any signs of discomfort because I want to get the fuck out of here.
“Hell, no,” Jack snaps.
He chuckles lightly. “Sorry, but your brother is correct. You were just shot yesterday, Mr. MacNamara.”
“Ms. Vitale, please remove the old dressing.” I watch her as she slides on a pair of gloves. My attention is never off her for a second. She slides her hand over my chest, lifting the tape, and I do my best not to complain because she’s watching. Hell, her hand on my chest is making my dick hard, even with this fucking tube in it. I think about these motherfuckers in the room, hoping to ice my cock, but their presence isn’t a bother. My next thought is my father. Rage pumps through me and I snarl, stopping my hard-on.
“Be a little gentler with the patient,” the doctor scolds her.
Connor laughs. “He’s not bothered by the tape, are you, Ian?”
“Fuck off.” I look at her. “Baby, I think the doc should take over or I’ll rip this catheter out and continue what we started.” The doctor stares right at her with a scowl, and she pales.
“Mr. MacNamara,” she hisses, eyes widening as she clenches her teeth.
“I don’t care about your boss.” I take her wrist and pull her closer to me. “All I know is you better not have let a motherfucker touch what’s mine.”
Jack’s phone beeps, and then he looks down. I wait patiently for him to address the situation, but he doesn’t say a thing. He crosses his arms. “Could you two get on with it? I have to see my family. Besides, we’d like to speak to my brother in private.”
“If he’d behave, then I could do my job,” Callie hisses.
I take her hand in mine again. “Sorry, baby. When you have your hands on me, all bets are off.”
“Ms. Vitale, please go get a nurse to take your place,” the doctor snipes at her.
“She doesn’t leave,” I snarl. I may not be able to fuck this asshole up right now, but I have my two brothers right here.
“Ms. Vitale is only a med student, Mr. MacNamara.”
“Did you just denigrate my future wife?” She gasps, and my brothers just shake their heads. Connor’s grinning, but Jack is still tight-lipped.
“My apologies, but I was only addressing her inexperience.”
“Well, I’d prefer her to touch me than another motherfucker, so carry on.”
The doctor tells her what to do and she attentively works on my bandages, cleaning my wounds before applying new gauze and tape. Once she’s done, I whisper a thank you. “I’ll reward you later.” Callie blushes while avoiding all eye contact.
“Okay, we’re finished here,” the doc barks out, causing us both to look at him. Her gaze is full of fear, where mine is filled with contempt.
“Yes, we are,” she adds, pulling off her latex gloves, tossing them and the dirty bandages in the medical waste bin. My mind goes to the fact that it’s the first time we used any latex between us. I gaze at her stomach and wonder if I left a little bit of me inside. Shaking my head, I remember that she was on birth control.
“We have more patients to check on. Please excuse us.”
“As I said, she’s not leaving yet.”
He freezes and then says, “She can only be here another ten minutes. We do have other patients that require special care. We are in the ICU, after all.”
“Fine.” The moment he’s out of the door, Connor says, “So back to the governor question, Ms. Vitale.”
“Vitale?” Jack mutters.
“It’s a fairly common last name,” Callie says, but something in her facial expression tells me she’s not being honest.
“I’m sure it is, but when you have a connection to the governor, we have a problem,” Jack snarls.
“Yes, I recall you glaring at me like a fucking asshole. He was my neighbor when I was younger, if you must know. I want nothing to do with your world, so if you’ll excuse me, there are others who need me. I’ll send the nurse in to see if you need anything else.” She gathers the rest of her things that she brought in and then sets them on a tray she brought with her.
“We’ll buzz the nurse, little girl,” Jack adds.
She whips her head around and sneers at him. “Don’t piss me off, big boy. I want nothing to do with any of you. I don’t need to be mixed up in trouble or to be peppered with bullets.” She has a point, and I hate that she does. It isn’t safe in my world, but that doesn’t mean I’m not crazy about her. I knew that from the moment I tasted her lips.
I take her hand before she tries to run. “Callie, I’ll say this once. Run now, because the second I get a chance, I’m going to find you and then there’s no going back.”
“You didn’t bother looking for me before; keep it that way.” She yanks her hand away and storms past my brothers and out of the door.
“Do you realize what she just revealed?” Connor says to me.
“She’s Carlo Vitale’s daughter.”
“So, the head of a crime family that we have no beef with. Big deal. Look at who your women are related to and then tell me something.” They both need to be reminded that they all have ties to women with questionable backgrounds.
“Fuck, you have a point, but it’s messed up that all of our women are tied to some family,” Jack says.
“Hell, Connor picked Claudia out, knowing damn well she was related to the governor.”
“Technically she’s not,” Connor says, defending his choice, but I don’t know what the fuck he’s talking about.
“What the hell do you mean?” My brows cinch together.
“We didn’t get to tell you, but he’s definitely John’s father.”
So this is why our piece of shit father hates Saunders. “Are you serious?”
“Yes. We found this.” Jack dips into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and pulls out a piece of paper and a picture, handing it to me. I check the picture first, recognizing those in it. It’s clear my mom and the governor look a lot younger. I set it on my lap and read the letter.
Every word from my mother registers in my head. She loved the governor, and they had a baby together. She was planning on leaving my father before she died. “He had to have killed her.”
“We don’t doubt it. She didn’t die from having John, just like he didn’t suffer from brain damage either. It was all a made-up story to stop her from running.”
“Does Saunders know?” I ask. We’ll have to squash our differences and unite under a common enemy and a common love.
“Yes. I went to see him. He wants to see John.”
“He does?” I question.
“Yes. He never knew that she had his kid. All he knew was she was running away, and he planned to take her away, but he was afraid our bastard father would kill her rather than let her leave.”
“And he did. Fuck, if we knew she wanted to flee, I would have helped and put a bullet in his head. No fucking questions necessary,” I say, adjusting my bed to sit the fuck up. I want out of this place now. I think my revenge is mostly for me, but now it has my mother at the top of the list. She had given him more than he ever deserved, and he destroyed everything wonderful about her.
“We would have as well,” Jack says, while Connor nods in agreement.
“No doubt,” Connor adds.
“So about that little nurse. She gave me a strange vibe, like she’s hiding something besides knowing the governor.”
“She’s a med student, asshole. Besides, she’s not hiding anything other than she doesn’t want anything to do with me. Calista made it clear that she didn’t want to be with a mobster. I need to get the fuck out of here, and she needs to stay away or we’re taking her.” My brothers chuckle. Okay, maybe staying away won’t help her, but I’ll at least give her the impression that I will. The thought of never seeing her again infuriates me.
“We can call our doctor and have him at the house,” Jack says. He looks at the door and back at us. “Frankly, I don’t trust that doctor that was in here. He ”
“Me either.” Connor nods.
“We’ll get you out of here right now.”
There’s a knock at the door. “Hey, we’ve been waiting out here,” Claudia says, entering with a box in her hands.
“Sorry about that, trouble,” Connors says, pulling his wife to his side.
“It’s fine, but we were getting worried.”
“Yeah, the little woman that left was fighting tears, and then the doctor pulled her into another room,” Nora adds.
“We’re snatching her up and putting his head on a fucking platter,” I snarl, losing my composure.
“She’s probably getting reamed for having a relationship with you,” Connor says.
“It’s none of his fucking business. I already warned his ass once.”
“A relationship?” Nora asks, while she and Claudia share smiles with each other.
“She’s going to be my wife if she doesn’t hide from my ass,” I snarl.
“Oh Lord, she has no chance, does she?” Nora asks.
Claudia looks nervously around before she says, “There’s something you should know. I recognized her. She used to live next door to my dad with her grandparents, but her father lives in New York and he’s…in the mafia.”
“What else do you know?” I ask.
She twists her lips and then adds, “Her mother died when she was little, so she stayed with her grandparents while her dad ran the organization.”