Chapter 28
She is awake.
Three words. That was all Marcus's text message said, but the significance of it hit Aiden like a physical blow.
The sound of the silenced gun was barely a whisper in the tense, heavy air of the Valenti study. Aiden didn't hesitate. He pulled the trigger, catching Lorenzo squarely in the forehead. A clean headshot. The old man slumped forward in his wheelchair, his twisted games finally at an end.
Aiden had fully intended to end Enzo next, but he couldn't do it. Not now knowing the man was related to Anna.
Fuck. She was a Rossi heir. The true heir. He still couldn't completely wrap his mind around the revelation, but right now, the politics of the underworld didn't matter. Only Anna mattered.
"What is it? Is she okay?" Enzo asked, his voice raw with panic.
Aiden just stared at him blankly. He still didn't know how to process this man, his soon to be wife's cousin, the man who had inadvertently brought a war to his doorstep.
Without a word, Aiden turned and walked out.
He tore out of the Valenti compound like a man on fire, the tires shrieking as he sped toward the Thorne Medical Wing, with Enzo following closely behind in his own car.
Outside the Intensive Care Unit, Marcus and the kids were still buried in the heavy hospital chairs. Leo and Mia were exhausted, their small faces pale, but they had stubbornly refused to leave until they could see their mother.
Anna had been receiving the highest level of care possible. Every single minute, a private nurse checked her vitals, and the medical staff had been kind enough to keep the frantic family updated on every minor shift in her progress. But until she regained consciousness, all they could do was wait.
Then, it happened so fast. One minute a nurse was performing a routine check on her monitors, and the next, the lead doctor was turning around with a stunned look, announcing she was awake. Marcus hadn't wasted a single second. His fingers had flown across his phone to text Aiden.
By the time Aiden arrived, Anna had already been transferred to a private recovery room where they could visit her. She was still under heavy medication, meaning she was drifting continuously in and out of consciousness.
Aiden burst through the hospital doors like a hurricane.
Marcus stared at him, his eyes wide with shock.
He honestly wondered how the hell his boss was still standing.
Since the attack, Aiden hadn't rested, slept, or even blinked.
He had gone completely commando, turning the entire city inside out like a rogue soldier.
Marcus's thoughts were abruptly cut short when Enzo rushed into the waiting area right behind Aiden, a barrage of desperate questions spilling out of him.
"Is she okay? Has she woken up? Can I see her?"
Marcus looked around, utterly confused, wondering if Enzo had somehow walked into the wrong hospital.
Aiden didn't give Enzo a shred of attention.
"Where is she?" he demanded, his voice a gravelly whisper.
Marcus pointed toward her designated room, but as Aiden stepped forward to throw the door open, Marcus caught him by the shoulder, firmly pulling him back.
"Clean up first," Marcus said softly, his eyes filled with a mix of exhaustion and concern.
"You look terrible, Aiden. If she sees you covered in blood like this, she's only going to worry. Plus, the kids are still here."
Aiden looked down at his ruined, blood splattered white shirt. With a stiff nod, he walked into a private lounge nearby. He quickly freshened up, scrubbing the grim evidence of the slaughter from his skin, and changed into the clean clothes Marcus had thoughtfully arranged for him.
When Aiden walked back out into the corridor, he was met by a sight he didn't know how to react to.
Mia and Leo were actually sitting on Enzo's lap. Mia was distractedly playing with the collar of Enzo's jacket, while Leo was turning the heavy bezel of the man's watch.
"Uncle Enzo, are you here to see mommy too?" Mia asked in a small, trembling voice. Then, the tears came spilling over her cheeks again. "The bad man hurt mommy..."
Enzo's tough exterior completely shattered as he awkwardly but gently tried to soothe the crying little girl.
The moment Aiden emerged from the lounge, both kids scrambled off Enzo's lap. They ran toward him, crying out, "Daddy! Daddy!"
Aiden lowered himself to the floor, wrapping his powerful arms around his children and pulling them tightly against his chest. He closed his eyes, drawing strength from their warmth.
"Daddy, why is mommy still sleeping?" Leo asked, looking up with wide, innocent eyes.
Aiden shot a sharp, silent question toward Marcus over the boy's head.
I thought you said she was awake.
"She's in and out because of the pain medication," Marcus explained gently, stepping closer. "But she's alive, Aiden. She's going to be okay."
Aiden nodded, his shoulders dropping a fraction of an inch.
"Why is he here, though?" Marcus whispered, nodding pointedly at Enzo, who was standing a few feet away, looking lost.
"He's Anna's cousin," Aiden answered, his voice tightening.
Marcus froze, his jaw nearly dropping. "Let me get this straight. The secret family we've been trying to track down for Anna... is Enzo? The Rossi syndicate? Aiden, how the hell is this even going to work out?"
"I don't want to think about that yet," Aiden muttered, his gaze burning into the door of the recovery room. "All that matters right now is Anna."
The doctor stepped out of the room, adjusting his clipboard. "You can go in now," he began, clearing his throat. "Standard protocol is only two people at a...."
Aiden leveled a single, dark look at the man, and the doctor immediately shut his mouth, stepping aside to let them pass.
The room was quiet, filled only with the steady, rhythmic beep of the heart monitor. Anna looked incredibly fragile lying in the oversized hospital gown, her usually fierce frame swallowed by the sterile white bed.
Aiden moved to her side first. He leaned down, his heart hammering against his ribs, and gently pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.
As if sensing his presence, Anna's eyelids fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.
"Mommy!" the kids cried out in unison, instantly trying to run toward the edge of the bed. But Marcus and Aiden caught them at the last second, gently holding them back to keep them from accidentally hurting her.
"It's okay... come here, my loves," Anna whispered. Her voice was incredibly tired, rough from the breathing tubes, and barely audible.
"Gently," Aiden murmured to the children, his hand guiding them.
Leo and Mia carefully leaned against the mattress carefully.
Anna had been shot three times in the back, every small breath was a battle against the pain, and she didn't have the strength to move much, let alone speak in full sentences.
But as she looked at her children, a soft, fierce warmth returned to her eyes.
She weakly moved her fingers, brushing them against Mia's hair and letting Leo hold her hand.
Marcus stepped up, leaning over the bed to press a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Hey," he breathed, a massive wave of relief washing over his face. "Welcome back, Anna."
"Thank you... for taking care of them," she breathed out looking at the twins and Aiden, her eyes shining with gratitude.
Then, her gaze drifted past Marcus's shoulder. She frowned slightly, her eyes landing on the silhouette standing in the shadows near the back of the room.
"Why is he here?" she asked, weakly gesturing toward Enzo.
Enzo stood perfectly still, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. His eyes held a devastating mix of intense emotion, longing, overwhelming guilt, and a profound fear of rejection.
"Later," Aiden replied softly, smoothing a strand of hair from her forehead.
Anna looked up into Aiden's eyes, and in that silent exchange, she knew.
She knew him better than anyone else alive.
She knew this man had probably leveled half the city by now, hunting down every single soul responsible for hurting her.
She didn't have to ask because she knew she would have done the exact same thing for him.
Marcus, bless his heart, immediately read the heavy room.
He stepped forward, gently rounding up the children.
"Alright, kids, let's let mommy get a little bit of rest. Come on."
He then turned a stern look on a stubborn, lingering Enzo, firmly gripping his arm and ushering him out into the hallway, closing the door behind them.
Finally, they were alone.
"Come here," Anna whispered.
Aiden didn't hesitate. The terrifying, untouchable monster of the criminal underworld completely collapsed. He lowered his tall frame, carefully avoiding her injuries, and buried his face into her stomach. Anna felt his broad shoulders begin to shake violently.
She knew the absolute terror he had been running from for the past hours. With every ounce of strength she could muster in her weak, trembling hands, she held onto him, stroking his back as the tears finally broke free from both of them.
They cried in the quiet room, the heavy armor they wore for the outside world completely stripped away.
After a long, quiet moment, Aiden slowly lifted his head, his eyes red, his hand fiercely gripping hers.
Anna looked at him, her breathing shallow but stable. "Will you now tell me... why Enzo is here?" she asked, her voice a fragile thread.
Aiden opened his mouth to reply, his chest tight with the truth he was about to deliver.
But before a single word could leave his lips, the heavy wooden door swung open.
The lead doctor walked in, his expression strict as he finally put his foot down.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Thorne, but I must ask you to leave immediately. The patient's vitals are fluctuating, and she absolutely needs to rest without any emotional stress. Please, step outside."
Aiden froze, his eyes darting from the doctor back to Anna, the unspoken truth hanging dangerously in the air between them.