“Please don’t be long. I have disliked not seeing you this week.” I shamelessly lifted my chin, forcing Chiara to press a kiss to my lips.
“I missed you, too. But I’ve made such a mangled mess of things. Ishotyou. You’re lying in a hospital bed because of me—”
“Precisely! I am lying in a hospital bed because you shot me and miraculously lodged a bullet in my chest that has grounded me to this world.” I managed a small smile. “Thank you.”
Her eyes narrowed. Ah. There was the Chiara I knew and adored. “That wasn’t my point, and you know it.”
Dante opened the door again. “I’m sorry, guys. The police are being more insistent. Chiara, you gotta come.”
She made a frustrated, growly sound.
“Go. I’ll be fine until you return.” Fatigue washed over me. Pain filtered through. “There will be plenty of time to hash out our issues.”
Her expression drew down further. “Promise?”
“Promise.” My voice sounded weak.
I closed my eyes, letting pain and weariness pull me under.
TWENTY-FOUR
Jack
Chiara wasn’t at my side when I woke again.
Dante sat in the chair beside my bed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.
“Glad to see you’re still with us.” He smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
Lifting my head, I glanced around. Aside from Dante, the room was empty. The heart rate monitor beeped a steady rhythm. My body felt heavy and sluggish. My chest ached.
“Where’s Chiara?” I asked, words groggy.
Dante full-on sighed. “Isn’t that the question?”
Alarm flashed through me. “What?!” I struggled to sit up.
“Whoa there, big guy.” Dante was instantly over me, pushing me back down. The heart rate monitor spiked.
“Where’s Chiara?” I asked again, meeting his hazel eyes.
“The police took her in for questioning.”
A pause.
“Why would they do that? I thought they already interrogated her.” I tried to sit up again. Agony lashed my side, forcing me to collapse back.
“They did.” Dante pressed a button and the head of my bed slowly raised upward. “Apparently, this round of questioning is related to the conversation Chiara recorded a few weeks ago.”
“Oh.” I winced, taking a deep breath around the pain in my chest. “When will she be back?” I shifted trying to get comfortable.
“I don’t know. The police didn’t say. Soon, I would expect.”
I relaxed against the bed, breathing through the discomfort.
Soon was good. I could manage soon.
I had a physical body again. And I didn’t want to waste one single moment without Chiara at my side.
