Chapter 38
MIA
My foot taps against the ground, keeping perfect time with the beep of the heart monitor. It should be reassuring, but instead it’s driving me crazy.
I scoot my chair closer to Leo’s bed, resting my hand beside his. It’s been three hours since his surgery ended, and just like everything else he does, he’s making me wait here, completely on edge.
It’s fucking rude.
Even more rude that he selfishly risked his life for mine.
“You’re being creepy,” Dante says, leaning against the doorway. “I doubt the first thing he wants to wake up to is you staring holes into the side of his head.”
“Go away,” I snap, not bothering to look at him.
“I figured you’d be in a mood, so I come bearing gifts,” he says, walking over with two cups of coffee in his hands. I know he hasn’t slept either since we busted Adrian. There are two dark bags under his eyes and dried blood to prove it.
I let go of the breath I’ve been holding since we got to the hospital and uncurl my legs from underneath me before standing up. My entire body aches.
I look at Dante, then back at Leo. Anxiety builds at the thought of leaving him.
“He’ll be fine for a few minutes. Let’s take a walk,” Dante says, holding out my coffee.
I reach down and squeeze Leo’s hand one more time before nodding and wrapping my hands around the paper cup. “Fine. But just for a little bit.”
I follow Dante out into the bustling hospital hall. We push through a sea of nurses and doctors until we reach a less-busy section full of empty rooms. Dante turns and stops me.
“You scared the shit out of me yesterday,” he admits, white-knuckling his cup. His eyes bounce off every wall, desperate to avoid mine.
“I’m sorry. I should’ve—”
“No,” he says, cutting me off. “That’s not—” he begins dragging a hand down the side of his face.
“When Dad died, and everything fell to Vince and me, we both agreed it was safer to keep you away from everything. We wanted better things for you. Not a life full of wondering if you’d survive another week. ”
“And maybe we ended up pushing a little too hard because when you left, I felt like we lost a piece of our family. A family that was barely holding it together to begin with,” he says, his voice rough yet soft at the same time.
“When we lost Vince, I knew you’d be the best person to get him justice,” he admits, his throat bobbing up and down.
“And yeah, maybe it was selfish, but it was also the only excuse I had to bring you home again.” He finally looks at me, offering a faint smile.
“I know I’m not very good at expressing this stuff, but I missed you. ”
My throat tightens. “Dante, there’s something you need to know about why I left.”
His brows fold together, waiting for me to continue. “It was Vince’s idea for me to leave and move to Boston. He didn’t want you to know because he knew you wouldn’t be on board. And maybe I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I—”
“He told you to leave?”
I nod, tracking the way his chest rises up and down.
“You’re right. He wanted me to have a shot at a better life, and after everything that happened with Dad, I couldn’t be around that life anymore.
It was like reliving my own personal nightmare every day, waiting for the same thing to happen to you and Vince. ”
He lets out a slow breath through his teeth, his focus drifting to the floor. “He was always good at making hard decisions like that. He’s right, though. I wouldn’t have let you leave.”
“You’re not mad?” I ask quietly.
“No,” he says, huffing out a humorless laugh. “It would be kind of a dick move to be mad at a dead guy.”
I roll my eyes, smothering my own laugh with a long sip of coffee.
“At least now it makes sense,” he says, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. “When Adrian kidnapped you, I thought I would never forgive myself. I thought you were—”
“I wasn’t,” I say quietly. “I’m fine, Dante.”
His eyes flick toward mine, heavy with sadness. “I thought I lost you.”
The vulnerability in his voice pokes something loose inside me.
Dante and Vince kept me safe, but that didn’t mean they didn’t teach me a few things. Sure, our childhood wasn’t great, but they taught me that you never stop fighting for what you want. The second you give up, life isn’t worth living anymore.
Dante taught me how to throw my first punch in that ratty old bar we inherited, and Vince taught me how to stand up for myself and to be proud of my scars.
Some days I wished for a normal life and a loving family that wasn’t broken from the beginning, but today I’m thankful for what I got because I wouldn’t have survived last night without them.
“You and Vince are the reason I made it out of that house alive,” I say, my voice shaky. “I shouldn’t have left like I did—pretended you two never existed. I should’ve kept in contact because if I had—”
“Let’s not think about that,” Dante says, taking a step forward and placing his free hand on my shoulder. “Vince would’ve been proud of the woman you’ve become. And even if he had his reasons for wanting you to stay away, I think he’d want us to be there for each other now.”
I nod, tears fogging up my vision.
Dante’s mouth twitches as he lowers his hand. “Besides, the apartment’s too quiet without you yelling at me all the time.”
“The only way to get your attention is to yell, asshole.”
“True,” he smirks, taking a sip of his coffee.
A comforting silence falls between us for the first time in years. It feels familiar and unexpected. I want to bask in the moment, but there’s still so much uncertainty.
“What are you going to do about Enzo?”
His expression stills, the movement shifting instantly.
“I don’t know,” he answers honestly, scratching the back of his neck. “Word is probably already out about last night, and I have no clue how much Enzo knows. All I know is my priority is keeping my men safe.”
“Do you think you’d ever leave the life?” I ask, thinking back to Vince’s reason for working with Leo. But I can’t picture Dante doing anything else.
His jaw flexes as he turns his head. His eyes ghost over the open doors, mind reeling for an answer to an impossible question.
“Maybe one day, but there’s still a lot of work to do.
I know that’s not what you want to hear and I don’t expect you to get it, but I’m just taking things one step at a time. ”
I bite my bottom lip, softening my gaze as his head turns back to mine. “I can work with maybe.”
“Don’t get too excited,” he sighs, draping an arm around my shoulder and pulling me into his side. “We just cut the head off a snake, and ten more are going to pop up in its place.”
“Did you just use a metaphor? That’s huge for you,” I tease, letting him lead me back to Leo’s room.
“Don’t ruin the moment.”
I laugh quietly, leaning on my big brother for the first time in years. It feels good to let go of everything I’ve spent so long trying to hide.
And even if this shitshow is just getting started, I’m ready to embrace my past and use it to build my future.
My eyes are drifting shut when I feel his arm tug on mine. I shoot up, slightly off balance from being curled up in a ball for hours on end.
“Leo?”
His eyes crack open, fighting through whatever pain medication they have pumping into him. But when they finally open, my heart stops.
His mouth tilts upward. “Are you my nurse?”
I roll my eyes, nudging his shoulder. “In your dreams, DeLuca.”
“How did you know what I was dreaming about, Tesoro?” he asks with his lips curled upwards.
“I know I always threaten to shoot you, but jumping in front of a bullet for me doesn’t count,” I say, trying to lighten the mood even though all I want to do is collapse in his arms.
“I knew you cared about me.”
I shake my head, my vision blurring no matter how much I force the tears not to fall. I haven’t slept in two days and every moment since then has been soaked in fear and relief.
Leo’s finger grazes up my chin, catching one of the tears built up underneath my eyes. “Hey, don’t cry.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, but it’s no use.
“You scared me,” I admit, leaning into his touch.
“Come here,” he says, shifting his weight to one side of the bed.
“Leo, you’re hurt. I can’t—”
“Don’t make me argue with you. You know how much it turns me on,” he says with one brow arched like a challenge.
I sigh and crawl in beside him. My body curls into his, so desperate for his touch that my nervous system slows to a quiet buzz. I need him and I’m not afraid of that anymore.
We don’t talk for a while. The only indication I have that he’s still awake is his hand gently running through loose strands of my hair. His chest rises and falls like he wants to say something, but he’s afraid to ruin the moment.
“What is it?” I ask, lifting my chin toward him.
He exhales one more time and asks, “Did you get him?”
I nod. “I’ve been here the entire time, but Keith’s been giving me updates.
There’s still a lot of work to be done, but Adrian’s finished.
Thanks to him revealing his lair, we’ve recovered financial records, emails, and enough evidence to tie him to Vince’s murder and the entire corruption scheme.
Keith thinks it will be enough to keep him in prison for the rest of his life.
And the captain was so impressed that he immediately reinstated me. ”
He smiles, tucking my hair behind my ear. “I’m glad, Tesoro,” he says before his face drops. “And Enzo?”
I hesitate. I know how much taking down Enzo means to him. He’s been working toward this moment for years, and now it seems like the finish line keeps getting further and further away.
“We haven’t been able to find anything that sticks yet,” I admit. “Enzo was smart and kept his connection with Adrian hidden—at least in the legal sense. Everyone knows they worked together, but knowing it and proving it are two different things.”
Leo’s shoulder sag, but I grab his hand and squeeze.