“Then stay behind me. If anything happens to you, Angelo will kill me.”
“I trust you to keep me safe, big guy.” I force a wink to smother my increasing anxiety. If we walk in on Luka with some ho, I will fucking murder him.
Weeds infest the cracked parking lot while an intermittently flashing neon vacancy sign hangs at a jaunty angle near the reception. A man emerges from an adjacent unit, takes one look at Kane, and immediately shoots back inside and slams his door.
Kane tells me to stand aside while he knocks on the room where he thinks Luka is. The blinds are down over the window, so it’s impossible to see inside, but there are no lights on. Or noises. Unlike the unit next door, where someone is watching porn from the loud sex noises and cheesy dialog.
When there’s no reply, Kane tries the handle. It’s locked, so he shoulder-barges the door. The cheap lock is so flimsy it gives almost immediately. Ignoring Kane’s growl, I shove past him.
Luka lies on the bed, fully dressed. There’s nobody else here. At first glance he’s asleep, but when I yell his name, there’s no response. There are pill bottles all over the bed, and the room reeks of liquor and vomit.
Kane curses and rushes over to check his pulse.
“He’s alive. Call 911 now!” My hands shake as I make the call.
Why did he do this? He was so happy this morning. So damn excited.
Nothing makes sense.
It isn’t until Kane takes me in his arms while the EMTs work on Luka that I realize I’m crying. He rubs my back and murmurs meaningless platitudes in my ear, telling me Luka will be okay.
But I’m not sure I believe him.
22
Kane
Chiara sits next to Luka’s bed, clutching his hand. She’s not left her chair since the doctors moved him from the ER into this room.
It was touch and go for a while. Luckily we found him just in time. Another thirty minutes longer and his organs would have shut down.
The doc says it’s an opioid overdose. Not completely out of the blue given his history, but for him to take that step now? That’s the part I don’t understand.
He’s been much happier lately. The idiot is madly in love with Chiara, even if Angelo refuses to see it. So why would he throw all that away?
“Was there a note?” Angelo’s low voice knocks me out of my thoughts. He looks like shit, with his hair all over the place and his jacket missing. When I called, he was talking to a potential investor in his next casino hotel venture.
I wasn’t sure he’d come to the hospital, but he’s here. Fina wanted to come too, but we told her to wait until Luka wakes.Assuming he does. Right now he’s in a coma, and the doctor says she’s not sure how long that will last.
“Not in the room, no, but he left one on his phone.” I show Angelo the screen, and he frowns as he reads what Luka wrote in his notes app. It’s a mish-mash of how he can’t cope with fame, his life is pointless, and he feels rejected by his father, blah blah blah.
Nothing new there, aside from the fame bit. I always thought he enjoyed the validation he got from women throwing themselves at him, but who knows? I’m not exactly a therapist.
We’re all familiar with Luka’s daddy issues. That’s why he ended up in rehab two years ago. After Lorenzo treated him so badly when he first reached out to his father and half siblings, the stupid fuck went off the rails big time.
Eventually, Fina intervened and forced him into rehab. Since then, he’s been clean aside from some pot here and there.
It’s one of many legitimate reasons why I fucking hate Angelo’s father. The man’s a cold-hearted psychopath.
“Selfish little bastard,” Angelo seethes as he thrusts Luka’s phone back at me. “How fucking dare he hurt her like this?”
My mouth gapes in surprise. “I thought you hated that he’s with her?”
He has the grace to look momentarily ashamed before his usual mulish expression returns. “I do, and now you know why we should have nipped this in the bud. The minute he’s well enough to leave here, I’m sending him back to rehab, in an involuntary hold if necessary. Chiara’s got enough to deal with.”
“How selfless of you.” His eyes narrow at my sarcastic riposte. “Are you planning to get rid of me too?”
His glare suggests it’s an option, but we both know he won’t touch me. As much as he hates the fact Chiara wants me, he needs me. I’m one of the few people he trusts with her safety.
