Chapter Twenty-One
Christopher
It would forever go down in history as the night that all hell broke loose.
Charlotte getting sick was bad enough.
Then the hospital visit, where she cried about having to get stuck for the IV and looked sweaty and red in the hospital bed until, finally, the fluids, meds, and cooling blankets did their job.
I was sure that was it.
That we would go home and bunker down for a few days.
Then the call.
I’d never forget the sound of Liam’s voice as long as I lived.
It was a mix of scared, commanding, and determined all at once.
Then the sound of the gun racking.
That shit sent a chill down my spine.
I alternated between trying to call him and getting through to Brio.
By the time the cab pulled up by their house, they were already outside and ready to take her.
I saw the conflict on Brio’s face, knowing he wanted to come with me, wanted to save Alara.
And Liam. But he knew I needed him to keep Charlotte safe.
And that he was the one I trusted with the job the most.
Everything was a blur after that until I ran into that apartment and my nephew aimed a gun at me, a steady, cool look in his eye. Like if it hadn’t been me, he would have done what he needed to do.
I didn’t know where to look then, my gaze flicking between my nephew and Alara so fast, I almost felt dizzy.
They were both hurt.
The bruises blooming across Alara’s throat made my chest constrict, knowing how hard she had to be choked to leave them there.
But it was Liam who looked the worst.
He was bruised, bloody, his body hinged to the side like his ribs were bruised or busted.
Alive, though.
That was what mattered.
Everything else could be fixed.
And that was what we were doing at Salvatore’s again.
“Go with Liam,” Alara demanded when Salvatore and Venezio each stood next to open exam room doors.
She disappeared into the room with Venezio. And it was only then that I realized she was dragging her foot behind her.
Fuck.
“You should be with Alara,” Liam said as Salvatore grabbed his chin and moved it side to side, then pulled down his lip to check his teeth.
“I’m right where I need to be,” I assured him. Even if a part of me was in that room with Alara too.
“Teeth seem fine,” Salvatore said, trying to rock them with his finger. “But you tore the fuck out of your inner lip. That’s gonna suck for a while.”
I reached out, grabbing Liam’s shoulder and giving it a squeeze. He was playing it tough, but I knew he had to be hurting.
Salvatore took his time checking Liam’s vitals, his pupil response, poking around the bones in his face to make sure nothing was broken. Then he asked Liam to stand and pulled up his shirt.
“Christ,” I hissed, seeing the red and blue smattering the skin already.
“Looks worse than it feels,” Liam said, wincing as Salvatore pressed his ribs.
“Bullshit,” I said. “But I appreciate your trying to lie.”
Salvatore went through the questions then, asking about his breathing, heaviness in his chest, then about dizziness, double vision, covering all his bases for busted ribs and a concussion.
“I want to scan the ribs,” Salvatore said. “But I’m pretty confident they’re just bruised. Hard. I’m sure he has a concussion, but he seems stable. And you know what to look out for with that.”
“I do,” I said, nodding.
“I’m fine. Go check on Alara,” Liam demanded.
“Go on,” Salvatore encouraged. “I gotta clean his lip and decide if he needs stitches. Any idea when he had a tetanus booster?”
“Um, when he was eleven or twelve.”
“Should be fine then. Go on. He’s fine.”
Liam gave me a nod, and I moved into the hall just as Venezio was wheeling a very unhappy-looking Alara from the back room.
“Broken?” I asked as soon as I saw her.
“I don’t even want to talk about it,” she grumbled.
She sounded angry, but I could tell she was using it to cover up something a lot more raw.
“Want me to take her back to the room while you get the supplies?” I asked Venezio.
We both knew the supplies were all in the exam rooms. But he knew what I was really asking for. So he moved away from the handles and nodded.
Alone in the room, I closed the door, then reached to pull her out of the chair and put her on the table. Then I stepped in between her legs as the first whimper escaped her.
“Shh. It’s okay,” I assured her, arms going around her carefully, not sure how hurt she was. “I’m right here.”
“He wouldn’t run,” she cried against my chest. “I told him to run.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, running a hand down her hair. “Well, he’s a Costa.”
“Stupid, stubborn Costa.”
“That’s us,” I agreed. “I know you tried to protect him,” I assured her, pulling her tighter as a cry escaped her. “It’s not your fault he decided it was his job to try to protect you.”
“When… when he grabbed his head and slammed…” She broke off on a whimper.
I hated how the vision crossed my mind so vividly, making my stomach drop out.
“I’m sure he felt the same way seeing you get choked. This was a sucky night, all around.”
“Chris… he shot someone.”
“He did,” I confirmed. “He did what he had to do. What you or I would both have done in the same situation.”
“He’s just a kid.”
“I think we both know he’s barely that anymore.”
“How is he?”
“Concussion. Nasty bite on the inside of his lip. Some bruised ribs. He’s gonna be alright. Probably will be happy to show off to the kids at school after all this.”
“Boys,” she snorted against my chest.
“Yeah, we’re a weird breed. You okay? Really.”
“I don’t know. My mind is spinning. Is it over? Was it just these guys?”
“We don’t know yet. But trust me, everyone is on it. We will have answers soon. That said, the part that involves us is over. We’re gonna be holed up recovering. With a guard, just in case.”
“With lots of sweet treats,” she said. “Especially ice pops. My throat hurts.”
I didn’t have the heart to tell her it was only going to get worse as the inflammation from being strangled really got going.
But I could take care of her
And Liam.
And poor, sick, blithely unaware Charlotte.
It was a small price to pay to have them all home with me. Hurt, sick, but safe.
“Fuck, babe,” I said, pressing my head to the top of hers. “When Liam said they took you… I thought I lost you.”
“I was planning to go with them,” she reminded me. “To get them away from Liam. But then he brought out the chloroform. The last thing I saw was his head being whacked into—”
“Hard head like his,” I cut her off before she spiraled. Like she hadn’t done everything she could to save the kid. “It would take a lot more than that to put him down.”
“I heard I need to cast your leg after all,” Salvatore said, coming in and making us pull away from each other.
“Venezio is taking the kid to x-ray,” he explained as he gathered the supplies.
“I’m going to loan you the electric wheelchair we have to get around the apartment for a while.
I have a knack for knowing who will and won’t be good with crutches. I have no faith in you, my dear.”
Alara let out a little laugh.
I left her to go check on Liam when he came back from his scan.
“They’re fine,” Venezio said. “Salvatore is gonna want to look at the results, but they’re fine. Elastic bandages, ice, and rest.”
With that, he made his way out of the room, leaving me to nudge Liam until he moved over enough for me to sit next to him.
“What’re you doing? Checking on Char?”
“I’m sure Char is sleeping. And Ezzy’s a pro with sick kids. No, I’m placing an order. Think we’re gonna need a lot of supplies to get us through the next few weeks.”
With that, he helped me fill up a cart and place the order while we waited for Salvatore to finish Alara’s cast.
As Venezio said, the ribs were fine, but Salvatore decided to go with the dissolving stitches after all. So I stood by him for moral support as he got a local and a few quick, neat stitches.
Finally, scripts and supplies in hand, we made our way back outside, all of us hissing and wincing at the morning sun like vampires before shuffling into the town car again.
Venezio shoved the electric wheelchair into the trunk, knocked on the roof, and we were off.
I almost wanted to cry in relief when we got back to the apartment.
Brio was just coming back with Tuna, who made a beeline for Liam.
“What do you need?” he asked me after relinquishing the leash to my nephew.
“Can you get the wheelchair in the back? I’m just gonna carry her up for now.”
As soon as she was in my arms, she melted into me, burying her face in my neck the whole ride back up to the apartment.
“I cleaned up the mess,” Ezzy said when we moved inside. “I didn’t want Charlotte asking questions when she got up and wasn’t so fuzzy anymore.”
“Is she okay?” I asked.
“Just checked on her. Temp is holding below a hundred. She’s not burning up anymore. She’s knocked out hard. How’s Liam?” she asked as the teen in question walked past to go into his own room.
He probably wanted a few minutes alone to process and feel. I wasn’t going to begrudge him that.
“He’s got stitches in his lower lip, a concussion, and bruised ribs. But he’s okay.”
“Before you ask, I’m fine too,” Alara said.
“Right. You totally look fine,” Ezmeray said with an eye roll.
“Really. Aside from the screaming ankle and my sore throat, I’m okay.”
Her voice was getting raspy as the swelling got worse.
“Well, why don’t you have that man of yours drop you in bed, and I will help you get cleaned up while he locates an ice pop?
Alara agreed, and I deposited her on the bed before checking in on Charlotte myself, then glancing in at Liam, who was in bed, rubbing his ribs absentmindedly.
“Want some meds?”
“I took what Salvatore said to. Just waiting.”
“You did good tonight, kid,” I told him, stepping inside. “It wasn’t your job, but you stepped up. I appreciate that more than you can know. Even if I hate that you got hurt in the process. I’m proud of you.”
He gave me a nod.
“She really okay?”