Page 70 of Finn

“Thank you, Alessia.”

“Of course.” It doesn’t feel right to reply with you’re welcome when I’ve delivered devastating news to her.

We hang up and Finn makes the call for Emilia’s car. Apparently, Enzo gave him all of her information.

“Do you want to go home and change?”

“No, I want to sit with him for a bit before his sister gets here. I don’t want…” I trail off, feeling silly about where my thoughts are going.

“You don’t want him to be alone,” Finn finishes for me.

I stare at my husband for a few beats, amazed at the overwhelming feeling that washes through me. Before I have time to sift through the heady rush of emotion, his phone rings.

“Yeah,” he answers. Gone is the caring husband; the mob boss has taken his place. “Thanks, Cillian. I’ll call the families myself.”

My husband disconnects the call and turns to me. “Cillian had everything at the house cleaned up. I’ll be honest, Alessia, I don’t want to leave you there now that they think they can get to you.”

“Where do you want to go?”

“I’d feel better if you went to your parents—”

“Absolutely not,” I cut in before he can finish that thought. “My place is with you, Finn. You aren’t going to hide me away until this is settled. I won’t show them that kind of weakness.” How he could even consider it baffles me. If he wants it to look like I run scared every time there’s a threat, then all his enemies for the rest of our short lives will come after me to get to him. I won’t be used against him. “We’re Monaghans. We don’t run.”

The smile that covers his face with my statement is blinding before he wraps an arm around my waist and kisses me soundly on the mouth.

“That’s right, baby. We are.” He lays another kiss on my mouth before dialing a number.

“Cillian, we’re staying at the penthouse.”

When Finn hangs up, he’s still wearing his smile, pride shining in his eyes. “I need to make a few calls, but I’ll be right outside Enzo’s room. Why don’t you wait with him, then, when his sister gets here, I’ll take you into the city.”

Taking my hand in his, he leads me to where Dr. Simmons keeps the patients. It looks like any room in a hospital, filled with medical equipment and monitors with the same disinfectant smell permeating the air.

Enzo is still pale, which is to be expected, and so still. If the monitor next to him wasn’t beeping with every beat of his heart, I’d be worried. Finn kisses me before stepping out of the room to make his phone calls. I have a seat next to his ventilator and focus on the rhythmic whooshing noise to reassure me that he’s alive and recovering.

“I’m going to make them pay for this, Enzo. I promise you. They aren’t going to get away with hurting you.”

He doesn’t answer of course, but I need to say the words for him as much as I need to hear them myself. Orlando has taken too much from me as it is, and I refuse to let him live so he has the opportunity to hurt me or anyone I care about again.

With nothing else to do or say until Emilia gets here, I sit and allow the monotonous noises to lull me to sleep.

When I wake, my gaze meets Emilia in a chair on the other side of the bed.

“Hi.” My voice is raspy and thick with sleep.

Emilia looks at me and gives me a soft smile. “Hi,” she whispers. I’m at a loss of what to say to the woman whose brother almost lost his life protecting me.

“I’m so sorry for what happened, Emilia. I know how close you two are and the kids…” I let my words trail off because what’s there to say, really? This isn’t an uncommon position for someone in our life to be in.

“Enzo was well aware this could happen, Alessia. You have nothing to apologize for.”

She’s right; I don’t. But that doesn’t mean I still don’t feel responsible.

She smiles at her brother and brushes his dark hair back from his forehead. “You know, he cares about you. He thinks of you as another sister. I used to be so jealous of you.” She looks at me with wide eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Why not if it’s your truth?” I shrug. I’ve never had issues with people being honest with me. It’s when they smile to my face and lie behind my back that I have a problem with them. Enzo and Emilia are cut from the same cloth, so I have no doubt she’s a straight shooter like her brother.

She waves her hand in front of her face. “I was just being a bratty younger sister. Here was this gorgeous girl taking my brother away all the time.” She laughs and shakes her head. “For a while there, I thought you two would end up together. Like one of those romance books where the girl falls for her bodyguard who’s always been by her side.”

---