“Laurie,” I say, my tone filled with urgency as I shoot up and lean over her. “Wake up for me,mia piccola farfalla.Let me see your eyes.”
Finally, her lashes lift, revealing her baby blues to me.
I haven’t cried since I was a kid, but as we lock eyes, the urge overwhelms me, and a fucking relieved tear escapes as I press a tender kiss to her mouth.
“Thank you.” I frame her head with my hands and press my forehead to hers, my voice hoarse from the hell I just walked through. “Thank you for not leaving me.”
“Hi,” she whispers weakly. “Shh… I’m here.”
They’re the most beautiful fucking words I’ve ever heard in my entire life.
“Christ, I love you so much,” my voice cracks, and I suck in a shuddering breath.
“Love you more.”
I can’t argue with her right now because she almost died to prove it to me, so I give it to her this once.
But I’ll spend my life showing her that I love her the most.
Still gripping Laurie’s hand, I move to sit again, needing a moment to breathe through the overwhelming relief that she woke up.
“Hi, sweetheart,” Mom says, pressing a kiss to Laurie’s hair. “How do you feel?”
“Like I was run over by a bus,” my wife mutters.
“You just focus on getting better. Okay?” Mom’s voice is filled with so much love for Laurie it warms my heart.
Dad steps closer as well, patting Laurie’s knee. “Yes, we’re all going to take care of you, so just rest and get stronger.”
“Thank you, Angelo.”
He shakes his head. “Dad. You earned that right the second you took a bullet for my son.” Mom moves to make space so Dad can kiss Laurie’s forehead. “You’re my daughter now.”
Laurie’s chin begins to quiver, and her eyes shine with unshed tears. “Anyone would’ve done what I did.”
“You’re the only one who took the bullet,” I mutter. “Don’t downplay what you did, Laurie.” I get up and stare her down. “And don’t ever do anything like that again.”
“That’s a promise I can’t make.” She pulls her hand from mine and lifts it to place her palm to my jaw. “I will run in front of a million bullets for you because life is just not worth living without you.”
Christ. My heart.
With Mom, Dad, Tiny, and Paulie watching over Laurie, I leave to deal with Marco.
Remo said he’d swing by the hospital and leave a team of men there, which eased my constant worry a little.
Big Ricky was exhausted because he patched up Marco so the fucker wouldn’t die before we got to question him.
When Little Ricky stops the SUV at Georgi’s warehouse, I shove the door open and get out. I don’t look at anyone as I head to the lower level where the cells are.
It’s seldom I torture someone, and when that happens, Georgi always lets me use his set-up.
When I walk into the room, my friend’s standing in front of the one-way window, a dark expression on his face as he stares at Marco, who’s sitting on a chair in the cell.
Georgi glances at me, then moves, grabbing me into a hug. “Are you okay? How’s Laurie?”
Pulling back, I shake my head, and when worry tightens his features even more, I quickly say, “She’s out of the woods. Doc says she’ll make a full recovery.”
“Thank fuck.” He lets out a sigh of relief.
