Mafia Obsession

Leo

The beep of a heart monitor breaks through my unconscious, pulling me back to reality. My eyes flutter open for a second, only to shut instantly from the brightness, too sensitive to

keep open. I can’t be in a hospital. We don’t use freaking hospitals because it raises too many questions.

What the fuck happened?

I let my eyes fall open again, squinting against the brightness. Slowly, my vision focuses and I realize I’m in our home hospital in the basement. My mouth dries at the sight of Kane hooked up to another monitor in a bed opposite. He’s unconscious and blooded and that’s when every memory floods back to my mind in a moment.

I panic, trying to sit upright. Everything floods back to me in a moment.

The blockade at the Oklahoma border, and then the car crash.

Where is Ellie?

Jasmine is sitting by Kane’s side and she notices I’m awake. “Leo, don’t sit up,” she warns, rushing toward me.

“Where is she?” I ask, my voice hoarse and quiet.

She smiles at me, taking my hand. “Don’t worry, she’s fine thanks to you.”

I relax back into the bed, coughing. “How the hell did we get back here from Oklahoma?”

Jasmine bites her bottom lip. “Kane text me when you left the warehouse, worried you would not make it back.” She takes the empty seat by my bedside. “I went straight to Rick, and he flew down to Oklahoma and drove to the border. He got there in the nick of time and flew all of you back.”

Shit.

“I bet Rick is as pissed as hell.”

Jasmine shrugs. “He’ll get over it, but there has been a huge fall out over what you did.” She bites her lip again. “Not to mention the kidnapping of Juliano’s daughter.”

“I assume they got her?”

Jasmine nods in response. “Yeah, but apparently Juliano is insisting he wasn’t the one selling guns into Romano territory.” She shakes her head. “There’s a tense standoff at the moment.” She pauses. “Rick won’t admit it, but he is struggling without you two.”

A female doctor in a white coat approaches the machines I’m hooked up to and checks some vitals, noting them down. “How are you feeling?” she asks.

“Just fucking great,” I say, holding a hand to my aching head. “My head hurts like hell.”

The doctor nods. “It’s to be expected. You had a concussion, but everything seems to be good on your vitals.” She pulls out a small flash light. “Can you look into the light for me?”

I do as she says, and she nods her head. “Everything seems okay, but we’ll keep monitoring you. Get some rest,” she says, walking off toward a small office.

I sigh heavily, feeling bogged down by the information. My brain hurts. “Was Ellie injured?” I ask, trying to search for her.

“Not as badly as you and Kane.” She swallows hard and gazes back at her fiance.

“Is he going to be all right?”

She nods, smiling sadly. “He hasn’t woken up yet, but the doctor is sure he hasn’t got brain damage.” She shakes her head. “He had a gunshot wound to the chest and neck, luckily neither hit an artery. He hit his head pretty badly in the crash.” She looks over at me. “You did too.”

“Fuck, this is all my fault.” I gaze over at my brother, seeing him so broken make me fill with guilt. “How long has it been since the crash?”

“Two-days, the doctor reckons he could wake soon. That’s why I’m staying down here.” She gazes at him with such love it makes me long to see Ellie, to tell her everything I should have told her already. “Ellie wanted to come and sit with you, but she has prescribed her bed rest.”

She digs into her pocket. “I’ll text her and let her know you’re awake.”

I grab hold of her hand, stopping her. “if she needs to rest, then don’t disturb her.”

She shakes her head. “I promised her I’d tell her the moment you woke up.” She smiles. “We’ve become fast friends during all of this, supporting each other.”

I smile at that, loving that Kane’s fiance and my woman get on. They can keep each other company when we’re away on business. Ellie is everything to me and all I want is for her to be happy and safe.

Her phone beeps almost instantly. “She’s on her way down,” Jasmine says, stowing it back in her pocket.

My heart hammers faster, sending the heart monitor beeping at a quicker pace. The prospect of seeing Ellie excites me and scares me all at the same time. What am I supposed to say to her?

Jasmine gives me a kind smile and then returns to sit by Kane’s side. He picked a good one there, she’s devoted to him to a fault. I swallow as my gaze lands on my brother again, in such a state because I had to lie to our eldest brother. He sustained two gun-shot wounds trying to get us both to safety.

The sound of the door swinging open makes me heart race faster. Ellie’s eyes are wide as they meet mine, and she rushes toward me. Her arms go tentatively around my neck and she holds me gently, crying into my chest.

My little thief so wounded and vulnerable. The true woman behind all the tough exterior she forces in place. I hold her close, loving her fresh strawberry scent and warmth. There were moments when she had been taken that I thought I never see her again, never touch her again and those thoughts threatened to drown me. As each day went by, my hope faded with them.

I can’t find the words to tell her. My throat closes up and I just hold her with my good arm, hoping this moment will never end. She doesn’t speak either. So many things to say, but there’s time now. We’re both safe and together.

Someone clears their throat by the door, forcing my attention over to it. Rick is standing with his shoulders back and hands stuffed in his pockets.

The look in his eyes is pure disappointment as he stares at me. He walks toward me, and I know I’m about to get an earful. It’s the least I deserve.

“I’m glad you’re awake,” he says, voice calm. As he gets closer, I note the dark circles around his eyes. The guy isn’t getting any sleep. “You guys almost fucking died.” There’s a slight crack in his voice. “What the hell were you thinking?”

I scrub my hand across my chin. “I’m not sure. All I knew was I had to get Ellie back.” I squeeze her hand.

Rick shifts, taking a seat next to my bed.

Ellie jumps off the side of the bed. “I’ll give you two a minute.” I want to protest, but I don’t. Instead, I watch her as she goes to join Jasmine by Kane’s side. We’ve got time to speak together later, without an audience.Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

“Why didn’t you tell me the truth, Leonardo?”

I wince at him using my full name. “Because I knew you wouldn’t let me go.”

“Then you don’t know me very well.” He shakes his head. “I could have asked the team I sent to get Alicia to delay until you’d got her and returned safely.”

“Alicia?” I ask.

His eyes flash with something I can’t quite make out. “Juliano’s daughter.” His jaw clenches. “We’re in the shit with them right now.” He rests his head in his hands. I’ve never seen Rick look so broken down before.

I nod. “Yeah, Jasmine mentioned.” I swallow hard. “I’m sorry I went off on my own and headed down to Texas without telling you. I was desperate to get her back.”

He doesn’t move for a moment, and I wonder if what I’ve done is beyond forgiveness. Would my own brother throw me out of the mob?

“I know, Leo. It’s fine, but don’t dare cross me like that again.” He shakes his head. “You put me in a precarious situation.” His gaze moves to Kane. “If it wasn’t for Kane, you’d all be fucking dead now.”

He’s right. Kane took it upon himself to get Jasmine to alert Rick. If it wasn’t for that, we would have died in that fucking car. “I know,” I say, quietly.

Rick stands abruptly, fists clenched by his side. “I’ll leave you to catch up with her.” His gaze switches to Ellie whose chatting with Jasmine. “I’ll see you later.”

He doesn’t wait for a reply and walks out of the room, slamming the door behind him. I know what I did was wrong. We stick together no matter what, and I should have trusted him to have let me go to Texas. Now, it seems like I’ve just escalated all the shit with the Juliano mob. There’s something else bothering him. I know Rick well enough to know when something else is bugging him.

Ellie hugs Jasmine who head out of the room, leaving the two of us alone, other than my unconscious brother. She takes my hand in hers and squeezes as she returns to my side. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” Her voice is so quiet.

I pull her close to me. “I’m so glad that you are okay, Bella.” I brush a finger over the healing bruise on her cheek. The fact those men hurt her still make me so angry, but she’ll heal. We’ll both heal together. “Is this the only bruise they gave you?”

She shakes her head and my jaw clenches. I’m not even sure I want to see, but I slowly lift her baggy shirt up and rage floods me at the sight. Her already scarred body is even more scarred than before, bruises over every inch of skin. “I’ll fucking kill them,” I growl, feeling so angry.

Ellie shakes her head. “This was only one man,” she says, closing her hand over mine and pulling them shirt down. “Bruce Hernandez, my ex- boyfriend.”

I grit my teeth together. “The man that stole you away from me?” I ask.

She nods. “Yeah, I don’t know if you killed him when you saved me or not. He was there.”

I blow out a long breath. “For his sake, he better hope that he’s fucking dead.”

She shivers slightly at my tone, eyes wide.

“Come here,” I whisper, pulling her to perch on the side of the hospital bed. I brush her hair from her face and kiss her gently, shutting my eyes.

She kisses me back, allowing her lips to part as I search her mouth tenderly. My chest aches as I’m finally reunited with her in a place where we are truly out of danger.

“I’ve missed you more than you can ever know,” I mutter against her lips, keeping my eyes shut.

She swallows. “I’ve missed you too, but I didn’t think you felt the same way.”

My eyes shoot open and I gaze into her oceanic blue eyes, seeing the fear in them. A fear of rejection that is so utterly ridiculous. It makes my stomach flutter with nerves as I know what is on the tip of my tongue. Words I’ve never said to anyone before, not even my own family. “I love you, Ellie,” I say, as the tightness constrict around my throat at the emotion. “Why the fuck do you think I drove down to Texas to get you out?”

A whisper of a smile plays at her full, pink lips. “I thought it was some mafia bullshit, like you take my property and I’ll come and get it back.”

I shake my head, chuckling softly. “No, although, you’re not far off with the mafia bullshit. I do have to do that too, but the real reason I came for you was because I love you.”

I hold my breath, wondering if she will say it back.

“I love you too, Leo.” She kisses me softly, and that’s when I hear a grunt from the other side of the room.

“Get a fucking room,” Kane says, shifting in the bed and wincing. Ellie jumps to her feet and rushes for the door, calling Jasmine in.

Jasmine is over to Kane in a flash. I watch as he kisses her despite his injuries, devouring the girl as if he’s been starving for her.

I can’t help but smile, as Ellie returns to my side. She’s smiling too. The rescue didn’t exactly go to plan, and the danger is far from over with the Juliano Mafia, but we’re together and alive, the whole family. We’ll find a way to survive, its what we always do.