I bent to place a chaste kiss on his lips. “Wes…”
“Yeah?”
I hesitated. I wanted to tell him I loved him again, but I wasn’t sure that’s what he needed right now. “You try to get some sleep, too,” I said instead. As much as I needed rest, I doubted I’d sleep much tonight.
I left for home with two of my dad’s guys in tow.
The last thing I expected when I got back to my house was to see a car parked in front. I wondered why the two guards weren’t freaked. But apparently, they knew what was coming. Before I could sort out anything further, the window rolled down.
I exhaled. “Dad…what the hell are you doing here?”
CHAPTER 23
Wes
Fuck my life.
A wave of pain rippled through me as I tried to adjust my position in bed. I winced, sinking back into the mattress and breathing through the ache.
“Mr. Callahan.” A nurse walked into the room and took one look at my face. “Are you in pain?”
“Nah. I’m good.”
She side-eyed me and grabbed the chart hanging from the foot of my bed. Flipping through a few pages, she frowned. “You haven’t taken any pain medication since last night.”
“I don’t need any.”
“When pain is uncontrolled, your body responds to the stress by releasing adrenaline and cortisol, which can slow healing and weaken the immune system.”
That might be true, but the meds had also made me groggy as shit, and I needed to stay alert, especially because Juliette would probably be back soon. “If I’m in pain, I’ll take the meds. Promise.”
It didn’t look like she believed me, yet she kicked the stopper from the door and pulled a pair of disposable gloves from the box hanging on the wall. “I need to check your wound and change your dressing, so I’m going to have you roll onto your side. I can get another nurse to help me if you don’t think you’re up for it.”
“I got it.”
It felt like all my organs were being pulled to one side as I turned, but at least I managed not to wince again while she prodded around my back for fifteen minutes. I was still facing away from the closed door when it swung open.
“Sir,” the nurse said sternly. “I have the door shut for a reason.”
I glanced over my shoulder to find none other than Vince Ginocassi standing there. He shielded his eyes.
“Jesus Christ. Can’t you put some drawers on him? I’m looking at his bare ass.”
She raised her voice. “Wait outside, sir. Please.”
Vince backed out and pulled the door shut, and the nurse shook her head. “Friend of yours?”
“Something like that.”
“He could use some manners, barging into a hospital room when the door’s closed.”
Tell me about it.
Though his manners were the least of my problems at the moment. What the hell was Vince doing here? I didn’t like the idea of him nosing around, especially not when the place was crawling with cops. Yet the moment the nurse finished up and opened the door, there he was. She tried to kick the stopper back under the door to keep it open, but Vince waved her off.
“I’m his priest,” he said. “Gonna keep this closed for some privacy.”
The nurse’s brows furrowed, and she looked to me. I shrugged. “He doesn’t look the part without his collar.”
