Chapter MARCELLO
Two days later…
Mina's screeching voice brings me back. I still can't open my eyes, but I can smell her cloying perfume.
She has become too comfortable playing her role.
Christ, I should have broken it off with her months ago, when she showed up holding out that four-carat diamond on her finger and announced we were engaged.
A diamond that she charged my credit card without bothering to inform me.
Granted, I gave her free rein, and the money doesn't matter to me; there's enough of it there, but the ballsiness of roping me into an engagement had me fuming for days. I'm still mad over it.
She does serve a purpose—shielding me from vultures who think my last name entitles them to my time or bloodline.
She's been an excellent deterrent to keep other women and overzealous fathers and brothers away.
There are many men out there who want me to marry their daughter or sister.
I don't need that kind of distraction. I have an empire to run, a large family to take care of and protect, and a shitshow of problems to deal with.
Besides, Mina has many advantages. She has a nice body, knows how to dress and wrap the other mafia bosses around her finger, and is good in bed. What else could you possibly want? Luciano asked while rolling his eyes not too long ago.
I wasn't able to answer him then, and I probably couldn't now. Mina could give me beautiful sons and daughters to further my family. The fact that she isn't connected to any of the other families is a plus. Her loyalties are to me. So what more could I possibly want?
I want someone who isn't after my money, who sees me, the man underneath the hard capo. Someone who doesn't play games. Someone who will bring my sons and daughters into this world. Which isn't Mina. Hell, I wouldn't want her anywhere near a dog. Let alone my children.
The beeping of monitors reminds me where I am and why. I also remember the gunshots from… last night? Or was it days ago? I have no idea.
I remember hearing a small cry, and sweat breaks out all over my body. Chirps!
That cry wasn't Mina's. It was hers. Chirps.
The nurse with the melodic voice who has been fluttering around me like one of those exotic birds in the Caribbean.
If those bastards laid a hand on her, I swear on everything I've built, I'll cut out their tongues and feed them their fingers.
The vehemence of my thoughts surprises me.
I don't even know what this woman looks like, but she has every single one of my protective instincts set to full alert.
"When will he wake up?" Mina's fingers clasp my arm. I want to pull it away from her grasp, but frustratingly, I still can't even move a damn toe.
"The doc said any day now," Luciano says in the condescending voice he reserves for her. He doesn't like her; that should have been my first warning. Then again, Luciano doesn't like many women. The few he does are hard to live up to.
"Will he even remember that I was here?" Mina whines.
I envision Luciano shrugging. It's in the sound of his voice. "Probably not, since you're only here for an hour at a time."
I tune them both out, because worry about Chirps weaves through me once again. If those bastards hurt her, I will kill them, and if Luciano has already done so, I will kill their families.
Fuck, I need to open my mouth and ask about Chirps. I focus on moving my jaw—nothing. I try again, harder.
"He's sweating. What does that mean, Lucio?
" Mina baits my best friend. He hates it when people call him Lucio, and she knows it.
But she also knows that he doesn't like her.
At first, she tried to win him over with her charms, but when that didn't work, she resorted to outright hostility, just like he does for her.
"Boss?" Luciano's hand grips my arm, and Mina's grip loosens; he must have pushed her to the side. Thank you, Luciano.
"Ring for the nurse. Where is that useless woman anyway?"
I want to get up and wring Mina's scrawny neck for referring to Chirps that way, but besides not being able to move just yet, it's coincidentally the same question I want to ask.
"Don't call her that," Luciano snarls, astonishing me. For Luciano to defend her? That means something. But I don't need him to fight my battles. Next time someone disrespects her, I want my own voice to make the room go still.
"Well? Where is she? She usually always hovers about with those lovesick puppy eyes."
Luciano grunts.
"Good morning, how are we today?" No sound has ever been more music to my ears than hearing Chirps' voice right now.
"He's sweating, do something," Mina demands.
"Christ, you look a fright. Are you okay?" Luciano asks.
"I'm fine. Don't fuss over me, just a few bruises," Chirps replies. I feel her presence even before gentle fingers brush over my shoulder. Bruises? She was hurt? And she's still here, caring for me? That's loyalty! One of the character traits I value the most.
"His heart rate is a bit elevated, and so is his blood pressure. But he doesn't have a fever. I'll contact the on-call doctor, but honestly, I think he's trying to wake up."
Damn straight I am.
"Oh, how exciting!" Mina bleats. "I need to go change into some other clothes. I look terrible." The clacking of heels announces her departure. Or would have if she had kept going. "Or do you think he wants to see me when he wakes up?"
No!
"No," Luciano takes the word out of my mouth. There's a reason he's my best friend and second-in-command. Unfortunately, it's the wrong thing to say to Mina.
"Nurse? What do you think?"
"Me?" Chirps sounds surprised. She recovers quickly, though, and sounds utterly professional. "It's usually a good idea for a patient to see the face of a loved one when he wakes up."
"Okay, I'll stay." Mina decides. "I hope he appreciates the sacrifices I make for him."
"Didn't you hear her say, loved ones?" Luciano smirks.
"Oh, go eat a bull, Lucio!" Mina plops down on the bed by my feet, pushing them aside.
"Take your time, Mr. Orsi. There is no need to rush," Chirps emphasizes her words by gently rubbing my shoulder.
"Why don't you make yourself useful and bring me a coffee, nurse?" Mina demands, raising my heart rate a few more notches, which I would have recognized even without the beeping of the monitor.
"Easy, Mr. Orsi, all in good time," Chirps stops rubbing my shoulder, probably adjusting the monitor, because the alarm stops.
"Would you like something too, Luciano?" Chirps asks.
"I'm fine, and you shouldn't go, you're limping," Luciano objects.
She's limping? How much did those bastards hurt her?
"Oh, don't pamper her, it's just for show.
She probably wants money for saving his life.
" Mina pouts. Careful, Mina. I've slit throats for less.
That woman saved my life. You won't speak her name again unless you want your pretty little fingers broken.
Again, the intensity of my emotions surprises me.
I would have dwelled on it too, had another thought not taken over.
Saved my life?
"Don't draw conclusions about other people's behavior based on what you would do," Luciano counsels, and a grunt escapes me.
"Oh, did you hear that?" Mina's body by my foot tenses.
My eyelids flutter, and a blurry hospital room enters my field of vision.
"Marcello," Luciano exclaims.
Mina jumps up, pushes Luciano to the side, and puts her face right in front of me. She's the first face I see, and I want to turn my head. What does that say about our relationship?
"Do you remember who I am?" She yells.
"He isn't deaf," Luciano mumbles.
I keep blinking, but my vision remains blurry.
"Hold on, one moment. Your eyes are probably dry," Chirps says. There. That voice. That calm. I'd crawl through hell again just to hear her say my name. My head automatically turns in her direction. I squint. I need to see her.
Blonde hair frames a hazy face. Clear hazel gray-green eyes look down on me in concern. Damn it, I want to see her. I blink a few more times, willing my damn eyes to fucking work.
Pink, full lips come into focus. Christ, Brigitte Bardot had nothing on those lips. Fuck, I want to own that mouth. Not just kiss it—own it. Taste her. Silence her breathless gasps with mine until she forgets her own name and remembers only mine.
"Here, let me get some eye drops," she says, having no idea where my mind has gone. She tries to move past me, but my hand reaches out, my fingers close around her wrist, shaky but firm. My body may be broken, but some things I don't need strength to enforce. She's here. She stays.