17. CONFRONTED #2
“I just had to follow you into that warehouse. None of us would be here if it weren’t for me.
” My hand drags down my face, what remains of my control slipping.
“And now look at him. Hudson is fighting for his life. Because of me.” The words land hard.
Not because they’re cruel, but because they’re true.
Just like when my broken engagement ended with the destruction of my family. I’m repeating history.
“This…us…” I shake my head. “It’s too complicated. I can’t risk him again.”
“So that’s it?” she challenges. “What if Hudson and I don’t agree?”
The air between us snaps tight. For one heartbeat, I almost break, almost reach for her, almost say the apology clawing its way up my throat.
Instead, I straighten, armor up. “Get some rest.”
Dismissal—clean and final.
Her hands curl into fists.
I don’t look at her, but I feel the heat of her stare.
“You can run all you want, Enzo, but this thing between us? It doesn’t vanish just because you say so. And if you think I’m the type of woman you can shut out, you really haven’t been paying attention.”
I don’t reply.
Click.
The door closes behind her and the air shifts.
I remain where I am, eyes on Hudson, guilt heavy and familiar. I don’t know how to untangle the three of us. I only know one thing for certain—I will not let anyone else get hurt because of me and my feelings.
Never again.
The steady beep of the monitor is the only thing keeping me anchored as I build my walls brick by brick. Each sound tells me Hudson’s heart is still fighting. Each rise and fall of his chest under the blanket feels like a fragile promise I don’t deserve.
“Vitals look good,” Eva says softly from behind me.
I didn’t hear her come in. I don’t know how much time has passed.
“Steady. Improving. Doc says he’s strong enough to pull through.”
I don’t look at her. “He hasn’t opened his eyes.”
“That’s because Hudson likes the attention,” she says with a forced lightness in her voice. “He knows the whole house is spinning around him and he’s milking it.”
I drag a hand over my jaw. “You don’t get it, Eva.”
“I don’t?”
“No.” My voice sharpens despite myself. “I pulled him into this. Into them. This is on me.”
She blinks, then lets out a dry laugh. “So now you’re rewriting the rules of cause and effect? A man gets shot in the middle of an operation and somehow your crush on Pippa pulled the trigger?”
I stiffen. “This isn’t a joke.”
“Then stop acting like one.” She leans forward. “Hudson knew the risks, same as you, same as me. You didn’t force him into this. You two have been ride-or-die since you were kids. He wouldn’t want you sitting here turning yourself into the villain.”
I don’t answer. My silence is thick, furious.
“So let me guess,” she continues. “It’s your fault we all agreed to help them out. And in addition to blaming yourself, you’re going to go into protector mode, right? You’re planning to tell the team that Hudson, you, and I won’t join any future missions. Am I missing anything?”
I straighten in my chair. “It’s not our fight.”
“Wrong. You can make decisions for yourself all you want, Enz. But so can Hudson and so can I. And their fight became my fight the second they trusted me with it. The second Luna let me in. You don’t get to decide otherwise.”
“The hell I don’t!” I snap, the old Luciano authority filling the room—the very one our father drilled into me.
She stares me down, unflinching. “Last I checked, Hudson and I are adults. And you and I both know Hudson won’t let this stop him from working with Pippa or Luna. He cares about them. He’s all in on this, you know he is. And so am I.” She looks just like our mother.
I curse and drag in a breath. “I know you’re right, E. I know you and Hudson are in deep with this.” I hesitate, then add quieter, “But what do we really know about them? We jumped in too fast.”
“Maybe we did, but we jumped in all the same. Are you really telling me you can walk away?”
That hits harder than I want it to. I stare at Hudson, fighting something inside myself, unsure which side will win. “I can’t argue about this right now, E.” My voice gives way to exhaustion. “I just need to know he’s okay.”
“Can I ask you something?”
I want to say no. I agree anyway.
“Assuming Hudson recovers like Doc says—he wakes up with all his normal bravado and shenanigans—are you really willing to walk away from what you have with him and Pippa?”
“Why would I have to walk away from Hudson?”
The look on her face tells me that wasn’t the answer she expected.
“Do you think Hudson will want to walk away from Pippa?”
I don’t answer.
The silence stretches. Then, quietly, more vulnerable than I’d like, I ask, “Do you think he’d pick her over me?”
Eva’s face softens. “Never, Enz. Hudson would never leave your side.”
Some of the tension drains from my body.
“But after all this,” she continues gently, “are you really willing to ask him to choose? You know he cares for her, too. And while you might be beating yourself up for getting us involved, you can’t tell me you don’t care about her. Could you really walk away?”
“I have to. I have to keep you and him safe, E. You’re my family. The only family I have left.” My voice cracks on the last word.
“I know, but no one ever said our family couldn’t expand.” She crosses the room and hugs me. I hold on longer than I expect to. I tell my sister I love her and she says it back.
When she turns to leave, she pauses. “Try to get some rest.”
I nod, though we both know I won’t.
I turn back to Hudson, grip his hand tighter, and wait for the next beep.