69. Chapter Sixty-Nine
Chapter Sixty-Nine
Mateo
H ow did she find out?
Tiero always said he could sense when she wasn’t okay.
Is it the same for her?
I swipe to answer, but the call ends before it connects. Damn.
My grip on the phone tightens.
She is the solution.
If anyone can give Tiero the will to pull through, it’s her.
Before I can think twice, I hit redial. No matter what, she deserves to know.
Her phone rings a few times before she answers.
“Hello?” she says, a little out of breath.
“Ella, it’s Mateo.” Even to my own ears, my voice sounds strained.
A pause.
“What happened? Is Tiero okay?” she asks without a greeting.
God, how do I tell her?
“Mateo?” she whispers.
The despair in her tone tells me I’m right. She knows Tiero needs her.
“Ella. Tiero is in bad shape. He might not have long.” The words are hard to force out, my throat tightening around them.
I don’t want to say them. Saying them makes it real.
Rom’s gaze locks onto mine, as if he’s reading the hesitation in my eyes. Yeah, yeah, I know what I just told you, what I’d like to believe, but Ella needs to understand how urgent this is.
There’s no time for second-guessing.
“What happened?” she all but chokes out.
“He got shot in the chest. Unless we find a lung donor within the next seventy-two hours, he’s not going to make it.”
“Who did this? Molinaro? I thought he was dealt with?” Anger now edges her voice.
“Molinaro is dead. Has been for weeks. We have no clue who’s responsible, but we will find out.” My voice hardens with conviction.
I will find the person who did this, if it’s the last thing I do. And then they and everyone associated with them will die.
“Will you come? I’ll send the jet for you.”
“Yes, of course,” she says immediately. “But I’ll get there faster on a commercial flight.”
“Tiero wouldn’t like that.”
“Tough luck. When have I ever listened to him?”
That makes me chuckle. It’s true. She’s always had a mind of her own and never hesitated to put my brother in his place.
“Ella, it’s not safe. I can’t risk something happening to you. Tiero would have my balls. At least on our plane, I know you’ll be safe.”
A beat of silence.
Then, softly, “What are his chances of a transplant?”
“Not good.”
My stomach feels like it’s lined with lead, nausea churning in my gut. For the first time, I understand how Mari was nervous enough to throw up on her wedding day.
Before I can spiral over how close I came to losing her to another man, Ella’s next words snap me back.
“Mateo. Tiero cannot die!” she all but yells. “You’re the fucking Mafia. You have ways to find him a lung.”
“We’re exploring every option, but time is running out. Please, just come. You might give him the will to hold on a little longer and pull through this.
“He’s in Rome. I’ll send the jet now. It should be there by morning. Be ready. I’ll call you.”
Not giving her room to argue, I hang up, exhaling a long breath.
“Is Ella really coming?” Rom asks.
“Yes. Maybe that’ll give Tiero enough reason to hang in there until we find a donor.”
“It might. Your brother would defy death for her.”
I turn to look at him, my gaze searching his. But he’s not mocking, there’s only sincerity. He gets it. He understands the depth of Tiero’s love for Ella.
And he’s right.
Tiero would conquer even death for the woman he loves.
And I’m starting to realize if it ever came down to it, so would I.
It’s a day later when Ella’s flight touches down in Rome. Santino and a crew of soldiers went to collect her at the airport and are bringing her straight here.
My phone vibrates.
Santino: About to arrive at the back entrance.
I glance at my brother. He’s sleeping, his breathing steady but weak.
God, let Ella be the answer. Let her be the reason he fights to stay alive.
Quietly, I step out of his room and head downstairs. As I exit the elevator, she’s already striding toward me.
Besides Santino and our soldiers, three unfamiliar people accompany her.
“Ella.” I greet her with a kiss on the cheek, relieved she’s finally here.
But when I step back and really take her in, my stomach tightens.
She’s paler than I remember, dark circles smudged beneath her eyes. One of the two men with her stands unnervingly close, his posture tense, as if he’s ready to catch her if she stumbles.
Her eyes meet mine, reading the question before I can even ask.
“Long story,” she says quickly. “I’ll tell you later.”
A long story? Not exactly reassuring.
My gaze flicks to a monitor strapped to her wrist.
Is she sick?
How bad is it if she needs a damn medical team to travel?
I don’t realize I’ve frozen until she touches my arm.
“Please, just take me to Tiero,” she says, her voice urgent.
As we move through the halls, Ella bombards me with questions, most of which I have no satisfying answers for.
We reach Tiero’s door, the guards on either side snapping to attention. I hesitate, torn between giving her space and demanding answers about her, but decide to leave her be for now.
I turn back, catching her gaze over my shoulder.
“Please bring him back to us. Please give him the strength to hold on.”
Her breath shudders, but she gives me a small, resolute nod. That’s all I need.
I walk away, my mind already shifting to the new problem, Ella herself.
In the waiting area, I find her travel companions. A tall, muscular guy with short dark blond hair rises, his sharp gaze locked on me.
“Mateo De Marco,” I introduce myself, my voice even despite the tension curling in my gut.
“I presume you’re Aiden Burg,” I continue, extending my hand, even though I’d rather put my fist through his face. “Santino filled me in on as much as he knew.”
He nods and clasps my hand in a firm shake.
“Ella said you’re the man in charge until your brother recovers,” he replies, settling into a chair. I take the one opposite, both of us silently sizing each other up.
“What the hell is going on with Ella?” I ask, cutting straight to the point.
“Why is she wearing a monitor? And why the medical entourage?”
Burg exhales, his expression unreadable. “Ella’s heart is damaged. It could give out at any time.”
My stomach drops.
What?
The words don’t compute.
“She never should’ve traveled, but there was no stopping her,” he continues, rubbing a hand over his tired-looking face. “The medical team was the compromise.”
“She should have told me,” I grit out. “I’d never have asked her to come—”
“Which is exactly why she didn’t,” he cuts in smoothly. “If Tiero needs her, she’d move heaven and earth to be here.”
I rake a hand through my hair. “And you’re okay with that?” I can’t help myself asking.
“Yes,” he says simply, offering no further explanation.
Fair enough.
“What’s being done to help her?”
Aiden’s jaw tightens. “Ella needs a transplant.”
My breath hitches. She needs a transplant?
Seriously? First my brother, now her?
“The problem is, she has one of the rarest blood types. Finding a compatible heart in time through conventional channels is nearly impossible. It would take a miracle,” Burg says, his tone pointed.
Fuck.
“We could all lose her.”
Ella can’t die. Not when Tiero needs her. Not when she’s the only one who might bring him back.
“None of us want to face a world without her in it,” Burg continues, holding my gaze, letting the weight of his words sink in.
I yank my phone from my pocket and shove it at Burg. “Put your number in. Message yourself and send me every detail. I’ll get Uberto on it immediately.”
His relief is contagious as he takes my phone and taps in his details.
“What else does she need?”
“She wasn’t supposed to leave the hospital,” he says. “She needs a room here, a heart specialist on standby to coordinate with Dr. Simmons, and round-the-clock monitoring.”
I nod and wave Santino over. He’s been standing by the door quietly listening. He always listens.
“Arrange a room next to Tiero’s for Ella. Find the most qualified heart specialist in Rome and bring him here immediately.”
“Of course, sir.” He turns and leaves. Ella will have a room within the next half hour.
Burg watches me with sharp, assessing eyes that likely miss nothing. His gaze keeps flicking to the screen in the nurse’s hands. The line displayed there is steady.
“What else?” I ask.
“The most important thing is keeping her calm. Anything that raises her heart rate is a risk.”
Fuck!
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
How the hell is she supposed to stay calm when she sees Tiero in his current state? My own heart nearly gave out when I first saw him in that bed.
I glance at the screen again. The line is hardly moving.
Something isn’t right.
I’m on my feet in an instant.
“I’ll check on both of them,” I say, already moving.
What if Ella collapses in Tiero’s room? What if he wakes up and watches her die right in front of him? It would kill him.
Dr. Romano, my brother’s physician, appears at the end of the corridor. I grab his arm and pull him with me.
When we enter, Ella is hunched over in the chair, clutching Tiero’s hand, her chest heaving with ragged sobs.
Fuck.
Why wasn’t her doctor alerted?
Then I see it. Her wrist monitor is gone.
God, she’s reckless.
I scoop Ella off the chair and carry her to the small sofa in the corner of the room, lowering her gently onto the cushions. I crouch in front of her and pull her into my arms, holding her tight.
She buries her face in my shoulder, her body shaking as sobs wrack through her.
I murmur the same words over and over, half prayer, half plea, not even realizing I’m speaking Italian. She doesn’t ask what they mean, just clings to me, her tears soaking into my shirt. Eventually, her sobs quieten, but I can still feel her erratic heartbeat against me.
“Please calm down, Ella,” I whisper, my voice raw. “Please, your heart.”
She pushes away slightly, blinking up at me, her face blotchy, eyes red-rimmed.
“Aiden filled me in,” I say, searching her face. “You risked everything to be here. You should have told me. I would never have asked you to come. If anything had happened to you—”
Guilt churns in my gut.
“Nothing could have stopped me, Mateo. Nothing,” she insists. “Trust me, Aiden tried. So did my doctor. I’m likely going to d—”
“No.” The word rips from my throat before she can finish. “No. Not on my watch, Ella. I will find a heart for you, just like I’m going to find new lungs for Tiero.”
The promise isn’t empty. I mean every word. I will find what she needs.
But the way she looks at me, the way she stiffens in my arms, tells me she already knows exactly what I’m capable of.
“You cannot kill anyone to save my life, Mateo,” she says, her voice steely. “If it is my time to go, then so be it.”
I shake my head, refusing to accept it.
“Mateo, promise me.”
Before I can answer, Dr. Romano steps forward, drawing my attention. I rise, dragging a hand over my face before rubbing the back of my neck, an unconscious habit I’ve picked up from my brother.
Ella watches me, her gaze drifting to Tiero, lying motionless in the hospital bed. The pain in her eyes is gutting me.
I return to her, this time sitting beside her. “The room next door is ready for you. Aiden is waiting, along with your team. It’s late. You need rest.”
She shakes her head. “I can rest later. Tiero needs me. That’s why I’m here. It’s not like sitting in that chair is exhausting.”
My patience thins. “Not a chance, princess. Tiero is sleeping, and so should you.”
Her eyes flash with frustration.
Damn these overbearing men, I can practically hear her thinking.
I move to lift her again, but she stops me with a hand on my chest.
“I’ll walk. Tiero can’t see you carrying me. He might ask why, and I don’t want him to know.”
I exhale sharply. “Ella, you have to tell him.”
“No, I don’t. Promise me, Mateo, you won’t tell him either,” she pleads.
I shake my head. “Tiero and I don’t have secrets. I can’t keep this from him.”
“Mateo, please,” she whispers. “It would upset him too much. He needs all his strength to heal. Please.”
I glance at my brother, then back at her, my jaw clenching. The conflict inside me is unbearable, but in the end, I nod.
“For now.”
Before she can argue, I scoop her up anyway and carry her next door, ignoring her protests.
She can fight me all she wants. But I’m not letting her die. Not on my watch.