My hold on her shifted, my hand sliding through her hair so that I could tangle the silken strands around my fingers.
She whimpered into my mouth and stiffened when I touched a tender spot on her scalp.
I instantly eased my grip and gently broke our kiss.
“You need to take your meds,” I murmured against her lips, regret lacing my tone. I didn’t like the idea of giving her more painkillers, but I could at least decrease the dosage as she healed. Dante had said that I could be in charge of administering her medication, and I would be careful with how much I allowed her to take. I’d never let her suffer needlessly, but my wife would not become addicted.
“I don’t want to sleep anymore,” she protested, her fingers curling into my shirt. “I want to stay with you.”
“I’ll be right by your side the whole time,” I promised. “I’m not going anywhere.”
I retrieved two pills from the bottle on the nightstand and ordered her to take them. She hesitated for a second, but a stern look from me made her swallow the medicine.
“Good girl.” I carefully trailed my fingers over her silken hair and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.
She rested her head on my shoulder, and I stroked her until she fell back asleep, mercifully free from nightmares. I would protect her from all the dark things that haunted her, especially Dante Torrio.
Chapter 7
Nora
“Did you save Giana from my father?” I asked as soon as Dante stepped into the bedroom, my heart leaping into my throat.
I turned my face away from the final bite of mashed potatoes that Luca offered me. I hadn’t objected to him helping me eat my dinner, but now that Dante had returned, my stomach knotted too tightly to take another bite.
His beautiful features pinched in a scowl, and his dark curls tumbled over his brow as he shook his head. “Your father’s home in the city is deserted. He must’ve decided to go into hiding when he realized I survived the assault on the Russians to rescue you.”
The mention of the Bratva made each of the bruises on my body flare with pain, and for an awful moment, their sick laughter echoed through my aching head.
Luca’s arms were warm and strong around me. “You’re safe,” he promised. “I’ve got you, Nora. Stay here with me.”
I blinked hard, willing the stinging tears to clear from my vision before their leering faces could coalesce before me in an echo of the nightmare. Between the drugs and Luca’s steady presence, I’d been able to keep the worst of the traumatic memories at bay. Now they threatened to overwhelm me, but I gritted my teeth and shoved them back. Giana’s life was on the line, and I didn’t have time to linger in my own remembered agony.
Dante’s scowl swam back into focus. His shockingly green eyes glittered as he watched Luca’s hands rove over my body, imbuing me with his warmth.
“Do you know where your father might have taken Giana?” he asked through gritted teeth. Something like pain tightened his jaw, as though he was fighting against some unseen strain.
I wracked my brain. “Did you raid Giuseppe’s beach house?”
Even as I asked it, I knew my father would never go somewhere so obvious. He would know that Dante had me once again, and he wouldn’t hide out somewhere I might be familiar with.
Dante shook his head, confirming my suspicions. “He’s not there, either. Any other ideas?”
I bit my lip, wishing I knew what to say, something that might help save my sister.
“Would any of your father’s associates betray him? Who is the weakest?” Dante pressed. “Give me names, and I’ll hunt them down. I won’t ask nicely for Giuseppe’s location. I can make a man talk.”
A memory stirred, dangerously close to the trauma I’d endured. Instinct warned me to flinch away from it, but deep in my gut, I knew that the answer was at the edge of my consciousness.
“Giana didn’t come alone when she helped me escape your estate.” My voice was too weak, but I managed to say the words.
Dante’s lips twisted when I said escape, but I couldn’t focus on his displeasure. My sister was more important.
“Antonio Di Mauro,” I continued. “He smuggled her in and then drove us to my father’s house.”
“I’ll find him,” Dante vowed darkly. “And I’ll make him scream.”
“No, wait,” I said quickly. “I think he cares about Giana. Or at least, he wants her.” I remembered the hungry way he’d watched her. “He might help you save her. You could use him to get her out. Don’t torture him.”
