Anastasia
I woke up to a world of haziness and pain. Bright lights blinded me, and I blinked. Voices were speaking in low tones. I recognized those. It was Mom and Reign. I fought to get my brain back online. I tried to move, and the pain it caused in my shoulder made me moan.
“She’s awake! Thank God. Honey, we’re right here,” Mom said. I felt her hand take and squeeze mine. I attempted to squeeze back, but it was weak.
“Jaanu, don’t move. Your mom and I are here. I know you’re in pain. Do you need me to call the nurse?” Reign asked.
Finally, my eyes got with the program, and I was able to focus. The bright whiteness and the mention of a nurse told me I was in the hospital, if the beep of machines didn’t. As I stared at Reign and Mom, seeing how concerned and tired they looked, everything came back to me.
The cookout, the walking outside with the last of our guests.
Then, seeing someone in all black emerge from the shadows with a gun pointed at Reign.
My reaction had been automatic. I hadn’t thought.
All I knew was I couldn’t let him die. Then came the shot, the searing pain, voices jumbled, and then a ride in an ambulance.
“Where is he?” I croaked.
My throat was sore and dry. Mom swung around, and when she turned back, she held a plastic cup. She held up a plastic spoon with an ice cube on it.
“Here, take this. They said you need to start with cubes, then we can move to water if you tolerate it.”
Reign pressed a button on the side of my bed. A voice answered.
“How may I help you?”
“She’s awake,” he said. The woman said someone would be there shortly.
After I melted the ice cube on my tongue, I asked again, “Where is he?”
“We’ll explain as soon as the staff is done. Just don’t mention anything,” Reign stated.
It took patience to wait. A nurse came in, talked a bit, checked on my pain level, then messed with a machine.
She showed me how to administer my own pain medication and explained how it worked.
After she left, Iker arrived. Then, a doctor came in.
He went through an assessment and told me they had to repair my shoulder, but I was fortunate that no bones were hit or major blood vessels were damaged, though I would have to take things easy.
I sighed when the last medical person left, so I could rest and visit with my mom and fiancé.
“Fiancé?” I asked, raising my eyebrow.
Reign leaned down and gave me a kiss. Thankfully, between all the waiting and assessments, Mom had gotten the toothbrush and paste that the hospital provided and helped me brush my teeth. When he lifted, I knew I wore a bemused look. Reign grinned.
“Yeah, your fiancé. We’re getting engaged, so I thought it would be better to tell them that so they’d speak to me about your condition if Kathlyn weren’t around. Your mom backed me up.”
“I did. Now, you have questions,” Mom said.
“I do. What happened after I was shot? Things are fuzzy at the apartment. What did the police do to Sam?”
Both took seats on chairs on either side of my bed.
“Here’s the thing. We told the police that the shooter was dressed in a hoodie with a mask, so we had no idea who it was, other than that it was a man.
We claimed we didn’t recognize the voice.
Iker was still with us. He said it seemed to be a robbery, and the shooter was closest to me, so the guy probably saw me as the biggest threat.
Why he shot, we weren’t sure. Maybe because you moved, and it startled him.
Once he fired the gun, the man ran. We were all concerned for you, so no one gave chase,” Reign explained.
“What about Matvey, Victoria, and their people?” I asked.
“They left before the cops arrived. And don’t worry about security cameras. My people took care of those. As for witnesses, none were close enough to see clearly. It was dark, and they had mostly been drinking, from what I heard. And the guard inside your lobby had stepped away,” Iker said.
“And Sam?”
“Matvey’s men took him. He’s alive and will be dealt with appropriately. He was shot by one of Matvey’s guys, but it wasn’t a kill shot. Sam moved at the last second,” Reign informed me.
“And would that appropriate dealing involve letting the Bratva rather than the law take care of him?” I asked.
Both men remained silent, which was my answer.
As I thought about it, I couldn’t find it in me to object.
The fact that Sam thought he could either get me to marry him or vent his frustration over losing the breach-of-contract case by shooting Reign told me he wasn’t someone to mess with.
And there was no guarantee he’d be convicted and sent to prison.
And even if he were, he’d get out one day.
I glanced over at Mom to see how she was handling their silence.
Her expression was grim. When she spoke, I thought I knew what she would say.
“I want it so that man will never be a threat to you or Reign or anyone else again. He won’t be locked up forever. We know this from what your brother has shared. As long as he’s gone, I’m good.”
Astonishment filled me. Reign spoke again.
“Now that you’re awake and the doctor has assured us you’re on the road to recovery, I need to leave for a while. Iker and Poe will be here. If the rest of your family tries to see you, they’ll stop them. Although I don’t know how they’d know you were in here.
“I hate to leave, but I need to resolve this sooner rather than later. I’ll be back as soon as I can. And based on the way your eyelids are drooping, you’ll be sleeping. Rest, Sia, I’ll be back at your side before you know it.”
Without waiting, Reign gave me another kiss. When he parted our mouths, he whispered against my lips.
“Sia, I love you more than anything or anyone else in this world. Please, never put my life before yours. I can’t live without you.”
“And I can’t live without you, so no promises. Go deal with that mess. I love you. Be careful,” I whispered back.
He gave me a slight smile, pecked me on the lips, then raised himself. He shook Iker’s hand and hugged Mom before he left. I fought to keep my eyelids open after he left my room, but I gave up the battle.