I hear him quietly talking to someone but can’t tell who until there’s another knock on the door.“Noa, I’m coming in.”My nurse.She enters quickly and shuts us in, a horrified expression on her face when she sees my leg.“What the hell happened?”She opens the corner cupboard and grabs medical supplies, ripping open a pack of gauze to press on the wound and stop the bleeding.That makes me hiss.
“I had a visitor.”
“Hold this,” she directs before opening the door the slightest amount.“Hey, honey, could you grab Mom a cup of water?”He must have been prepared because she quickly returns with it and pushes it into my hands.“Drink, you’ll feel better.”I don’t think either of us believes that.
“When can I go home?”Where that home is, I have no idea, but it’s apparent I’m not safe here.
“Doctor wants you here overnight.”She gives a sympathetic smile.“I think we can get this glued together.I’ll get another nurse to take Joey to the cafeteria while we get you cleaned up.”
She leaves, and I pull back the edge of the gauze.The bleeding hasn’t stopped, but it’s slowed to a trickle, and I can finally see that he hasn’t just cut me but branded me.A large ‘V’ sits in the middle of my shin, about six inches long, and I want to scream.
Sobbing when the nurse is with me again, I tell her, “I want a plastic surgeon.I can’t have that on me for the rest of my life.”Showing her what was left behind, she sucks in a sharp breath and agrees.
“You need to get back in bed.I’ll make some calls, and we’ll get this fixed as good as new.I really need you on the monitors, though.”Helping me to my feet, we shuffle back into the room just as Jermaine enters from the hallway.
His eyes soak in the blood-covered gauze in the nurse’s hand, then my leg in the next second, and starts cursing.“What the hell happened, and is that a V?”
“A gift from Carmine’s friend, Vincent,” I sneer at him, and he steps back.I’ve only ever been nice to him, so I’m sure the venom in my tone is surprising.
CHAPTER13
Carmine
“Who the fuck are you?”
This bastard does not appear the way I thought he would.Noa’s stepfather is gangly, underweight, and weathered.His face is sunken in, and he looks like he could be blown over with a stiff wind.Younger than myself, yet he looks twice my age.
“My name is Carmine Cavanaugh.”
The guy sits taller, obviously having heard about me.
“Look, man, I meant to have paid my money back by now, but that bitch got me locked up.”It’s my turn to be surprised.
“You owe me money?”I’ll have to speak with Malice, make sure it’s paid back in blood while in lock-up.“I don’t care about that.”
“You don’t?”He gets that same look in his eyes that all weasels do when they think they’re getting something for free.
“Noa is carrying my child.”The swiftness with which he pales would normally make me laugh, but I’m enraged that my woman is so terrified of this man that she has had such a tough time accepting my help and love.“ I saw what you did to her.Heard what you’ve done to those children.”His Adam's apple bobs as he tries to swallow.Gazing through the glass partition that separates us, I say, “It’s a shame you’re in here.I don’t take kindly to those who harm the ones I love, especially when they’re children.”
“Those are my fucking kids,” he barks, but quickly backs down when I laugh in his face.
“Emma has no idea who you are; in fact, she’s calling me Daddy now.Kylie is beginning to forget.She’s focused on excelling in school and practicing being a ballerina and hasn’t mentioned you once.And Joey…that boy…if he were to ever get his hands on you… Well, it won’t bode well for you.”This sad little man is so pathetic, there’s no use wasting more time with him.“Malice will be in touch soon about your debt.I’m sure he’ll have much more to say since Emma is the same age as his own son.”
“Wait!You can’t do this!”I’ve already hung up the receiver and begun to walk away as he whines and pounds on the glass.Gathering my belongings from the guards, I notice missed calls and messages from Jermaine urging me to return to the hospital.
Jumping behind the wheel of my car, I speed out of the parking lot and back towards the city, intent on reaching Noa before anything happens.Jermaine answers my call before the first ring is complete.
“Vincent paid her a visit.”His anger is clear.
“What did he say?”I’m gonna give that fucker one hell of a beating now.
“It’s not what he said, rather, what he did.”My heart stops as my vision runs red with blood.
“Get Holy and Malice to find him.Stash him and any men he has with him where no one can find or hear him.I’ll deal with him tonight.”Hanging up, my foot hammers down, and I break every driving law to arrive at the hospital, barely shutting the vehicle off before racing into the building and up to Noa.
“Where is she?”Storming into her room and not seeing her, my panic kicks into overdrive.
“Right here.”Noa exits the bathroom, her face tear-stained, a bandage on her leg, looking rightfully mad.
