Closing my eyes, I drifted back into the darkness where there was no pain, no memories, no fear, only nothingness.
I woke sometime later to a loud engine roaring as a cold wind blew over me. I could hear people talking as they rushed me towards the noise. “A nurse is already on board, Gio. She has family in Chicago. She checks out.”
“What about the ambulance?”
“Will be waiting at the airport when we land,” Sal shouted as the noise got louder.
“And Roxy?”
“Already at the house with Aunt Daniella. She said everything will be ready for when she arrives.”
“Security?”
“Marko, Enzo, and Dario have taken care of everything,” I heard Carmine say. “I called the family in Italy. Twenty men flew in from Italy yesterday. They’ve arrived and immediately secured the compound.”
“Illyria?”
“Nothing yet, but I was able to get a message to Maxim. Just waiting for his response.”
Men were shouting orders as someone squeezed my hand. Drifting back into the darkness, I welcomed its serenity.
“Aunt Daniella, I need you to take care of this. I am flying back right now. When we arrive, I will help you as best I can. Yes, Dwayne is with me right now. Did the doctor say when Lorenzo and Antonio will be released? Good. And what about Mattia? Okay. Marko and Enzo will help. Have the arrangements been made for Don Victor?”
My grandfather?
What arrangements?
What was going on?
I wanted so much to ask Giovanni, but I couldn’t get the words out. My face still hurt, and even moving my tongue caused me to moan.
“Aunt Daniella, I need to go. Dario is calling me. Okay, I love you too. Be home soon.”
“You are not sleeping in that bed, young man,” I heard my Aunt Roxy say. She sounded pissed. I wanted so much to tell Gio to back off when she got like that. She wouldn’t budge. She could be as stubborn as a mule when she put her mind to it. “She is covered in head-to-toe bruises. She doesn’t need you accidentally bumping her in the middle of the night, causing more pain. Go sleep in one of the other rooms.”
“She is my fiancé, Roxy. I won’t leave her.”
“I’m not telling you to leave her. I’m telling you to sleep in another damn room.”
“I’ll sleep on the sofa. That’s as far as I’m going.”
“Fine,” Roxy huffed, then added, “But if I find you in that bed with her, I will take a damn switch to your hide, young man. You hear me?”
The room was silent when I finally opened my eyes. Darkness still surrounded me. Blinking a couple of times, I let my eyes adjust to the dark room.
It was nighttime.
Well, I thought it was anyway.
Slowly moving my head, I noticed that I was in Giovanni’s room. Smirking a little, I felt like weeping when the pain wasn’t as intense as before. Carefully sitting up, I touched my face to find the gauze removed. Feeling everything, I could still tell I was tender, but the pain was bearable. I touched the right side of my face, and I could still feel how swollen it was.
There was a small bandage covering my cheek. I didn’t bother exploring any further. I knew if I touched the bandage, it would hurt like a mother fucker, and honestly, I was done hurting.
I wanted up.
I wanted a shower, and I wanted food.
I was starving.