Chapter 29
Chapter
Twenty-Nine
NATHANIEL
T itus hadn’t even stopped the car when I jumped out and ran for the emergency room doors. I growled at the glass when it didn’t move fast enough.
“Come on.”
The sound of my shoes echoed as I ran down the short hallway and skidded to a stop. I rounded the corner and saw my men looking sullen with their heads down. But the sight of my mother and sister crying as they held onto one another was a blade to my chest.
Goran was the first to spot me, and I stared at the front of him in horror. He was painted red from his chest to his knees. The color got more vivid the closer he came to me. I locked eyes with him, and I’d never seen him so distraught. Imagining the worst, I sucked in a shuddering breath as the pain in my chest felt like someone was ripping it open and tearing me in two.
Savannah was more than just my wife. She’d become part of me. She was the shimmering light in my mind that kept my heart from turning black. Her soft whispers of love and encouragement made me feel whole and more of a man than anything else ever could. My Kisa was more than my world. She was every speck of glittering stardust, the north star, and my universe.
“Dear God, no,” the words were nothing more than a gasp of breath as the sight of everyone in despair made me clutch my chest. My knees buckled, and I had to grip the wall. This wasn’t happening. She couldn’t be…she couldn’t.
Goran grabbed me and helped me to a chair to sit down. With my head in my hands, I leaned on my knees. Goran squeezed my shoulder and sat down beside me.
“She’s in surgery. They rushed her in as soon as we arrived,” he said, and I lifted my eyes to his.
“She’s still….” I licked my lips.
“Yes, Savannah’s a fighter. She’s still alive.”
I closed my eyes and let the relief wash over me as his words registered. When Mom and Kaylani walked over, they looked the way I felt, with tearstained cheeks and worry etched into every feature. My sister opened her arms, and I wrapped her up before I was gripped in a hug from my mom that I would know anywhere.
“I’m so sorry. I should’ve had everyone come to us. I put her in danger for dresses,” Mom said as she cried.
“No, this is not on you. It’s on that asshole you were forced to marry.” I clung to my earlier rage with both hands. I didn’t do fear, and I certainly didn’t know how to be here like this with my entire life caught in the balance and in the hands of surgeons.
My mom pulled back and stared at me just as Titus joined us.
“What do you mean this is your father’s fault?” My mom looked like she was ready to kill as her face twisted into confusion and rage. “I’ll be the one he’ll need to be afraid of if that’s the case.”
“He’s no longer my father. I don’t care if he gets down on his hands and knees and crawls over broken glass, begging me for forgiveness. The blood he’ll spill can go straight to hell with him. I’ll never call him family again,” I growled, and Mom looked at me and then Titus.
“What am I missing?”
My phone rang, and I pulled it out expecting Ronan or Aaron, but it was an unknown number. My thumb hovered as I thought about declining, but the last time I did that, I missed two calls from Goran. Fuck. If this was a telemarketer….
“Explain to them what happened. I need to take this,” I said to Titus and stepped away.
“What?” I bit out and clenched my shaking hand, trying to get control of the emotions squeezing my chest.
“Nathaniel, it’s Romeo Mancini.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. Romeo, you’ve got some nerve calling me. Did my father call and warn you that I knew about his deal, or did Aldo call you himself?”
“I was the one who sent you the voice clip.” My brow furrowed. I’d thrown that idea at my father to punch him in the middle of his ego, but I hadn’t actually considered that it could be the truth.
“Why would you do that?”
There was a heavy sigh from the other end of the line. “Nathaniel, we were born into the same world. You know as well as I know how this game is played. We’re cut from the same cloth. But that doesn’t mean we have to do things the old way.”
“I think it’s a little too late for that. My wife is in surgery right now, and I’m not sure if she’s going to make it because of the deal you made with Dimitri.” I looked over my shoulder as a shadow was cast along the floor. Goran silently signaled that no matter what, they all had my back.
“I’m aware that I was too late. It was sent as a warning when I learned that my uncle had snuck into the U.S. through a port. He was paranoid and didn’t inform anyone that he was coming. You may not believe that, but it is the truth.”
I glared at the poster on the wall, declaring the importance of heart health and how stress was one of the leading causes of angina and other issues. Fucking ironic. You couldn’t find a more stress-inducing situation than sitting in an emergency waiting room.
“How the hell did you already find out about my wife? I just found out.”
“I am in the area. I was supposed to meet with your father tomorrow, but that’s not happening. Earlier, my idiot uncle and his soldiers called for more protection while they arranged to leave the country. I also have someone who works for me at St. Mary’s. She notifies me of anything interesting. A Mikhailov last name is an immediate flag.”
That was really fucking smart and something to consider. I hadn’t thought of placing people at hospitals. “So, what exactly is this call about?”
“I have a peace offering for you. I’ll give you Aldo and the soldier who shot your wife. In exchange, you don’t retaliate, and the rest of the men are mine.”
I ran my hand through my hair and walked in a small circle as the emotional part of me wanted to tell him to shove his deal up his ass. I could find Aldo myself and kill him, as well as the rest of the Mancini family. The logical part of me knew that it was a good deal and that I should take it before Aldo slithered into a hole. I’d find him, but it could take me years.
“What makes you think I’ll make a deal with you after you agreed to work with my father to go after my son? Especially when you’re breaking Dimitri’s trust? Doesn’t make you very trustworthy, does it? This could’ve been your plan all along, to implode the Mikhailov family from the inside.”
“I never initiated that deal, Dimitri did. Besides, I think you’ll take it because this is not only a guarantee to get your hands on Aldo, but you can have him tonight.”
I closed my eyes and sucked in a deep breath. “Why are you doing this? You already have agreements in place with the council and Dimitri. You don’t need me.”
“That may be true on the surface, but like I said, we are more alike than you think. Look, I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t like this plan. My gut said not to go along with it, but the temptation to get rid of Aldo, keep my hands clean, and find traitors in our organization was too much to pass up.”
“You really hate your uncle that much?”
“Let’s just say he’s done things to this family that can’t be forgiven. Killing him outright causes more political drama and infighting. But if he deserved to die for going after a council member’s family…I’m sure you get the picture.”
“I do.” A set of doors opened, and I turned, my heart leaping at the sight of a nurse, but she casually walked by us as she snacked on an apple.
“Bottom line is I’m not fond of doing business with people who are so quick to throw their loved ones into the line of fire, especially a child. Long term, I don’t want to work with Dimitri. His values do not align with my own, but Nathaniel, we have always had a good working relationship.”
“Until you agreed to my father’s deal, we did,” I said flatly.
“Not my finest hour. I regret my part if this may have cost a little boy his mother. That is a pain that I understand and do not wish on anyone. Sometimes, we make decisions in this life that others never have to worry about. Heaviest is the crown on the heir’s head. Am I right?”
I stopped my pacing and stared around the packed waiting room. How the hell would I tell my son that his mother was gone if she didn’t pull through? How the hell did I wake up tomorrow and go back to work? How would I learn to breathe again?
“I’ll take your offer, Romeo, but with one stipulation. I’ll take Aldo from you now, but if my wife dies, then the truce is off regardless. My understanding only goes so far.”
“I understand.”
I ground my teeth as I fought the part of myself that wanted to kill everyone and anyone who had something to do with this. I’d never trust Romeo, not that I’d ever trust another family completely, but if I was going to topple my father’s empire, I needed allies.
“Where and when?”
“I’ll text you the location and meet you there in an hour.”
“If you double cross me, Romeo….”
“I won’t.” The phone went silent, and I knew he’d hung up.
I slowly turned to look at Goran and Vlad. “Get me ten men who you trust not to say anything to anyone, not even the other guards. We’ll also need one of our prisoner transports.”
“On it,” Vlad said as Titus walked over.
“Who was on the phone?”
I looked into my brother’s eyes and wanted to trust him. Maybe part of me needed to trust him. Titus had always wanted to keep the peace. His love for family was strong, but whose side would he take now?
“Romeo has Aldo. He offered me a deal.” I stepped in close to my brother, staring him in the eyes as I searched for any sign that he would betray me. “Can I trust you to keep that to yourself, or are you going to run off and tell Dimitri and Ronan?”
Hurt flashed behind his eyes. “Do you really think I’d do something to hurt you?”
“Honestly, I don’t know anymore,” I said. Before Titus could answer, the door to the emergency room opened, and a nurse stood there, staring around.
“Mr. Mikhailov?”
My stomach churned as my throat burned like I’d swallowed ash. I took a step forward. “I’m Mr. Mikhailov.”