He sighed and leaned his head back against the pillows. His breathing slowed, and his hand went limp in mine.
I stood up and kissed his forehead, moving the tray with water as close as possible in case he woke up thirsty. When I turned to leave, I was shocked to see Fern still standing there with tears in her eyes.
“Oh.” Fern’s chin trembled as she sucked in a shaky breath. “I’ll make sure you have visitation approved fortomorrow and will send you the times.” She squared her shoulders and calmly left.
“What a fucking day.” I glanced at Luca one last time, making sure he was, in fact, safe and sound, before heading back to my family.
As soon as I reached the waiting room, Rosa jumped up and joined me. “How is he?”
“As good as a guy with nine stab wounds can be.” We shared a small smile and started toward the exit, Frankie and Marco following in our wake. Once we got in the SUV, I leaned between the front seats and asked, “Everything’s in order for Halloween, right?”
Marco nodded as Frankie pulled out of the parking garage.
“I swear to God, if you guys don’t pull this off, I will handle it myself.”
Frankie smiled to himself, changing the radio station.
“This isn’t for you to worry about. One way or another, Luca’s coming home.” Marco pulled his phone from his pocket, dismissing me.
“These fuckers,” I grumbled as I put on my seatbelt.
“I’ll drive the getaway car if it comes to it,” Rosa whispered loud enough for me to hear.
I reached out and grabbed her hand. Things with Rosa weren’t back to how they were before she knew I was Dante’s murderer. Instead of fear of her finding out, and guilt at the memory of taking his life, there was a level of understanding and respect between us. I had to believe this new development would lead to good things. Otherwise, I’d always be waiting for the other shoe to drop.