Page 51 of The Mafia's Surprise Gift

MAE

There was a screech of metal, a terrible sound that made it seem like the whole car was screaming. Then there was so much bright light that my eyeballs felt like they were on fire. Then I was falling down, down, down for what felt like forever.

I jumped awake, my heart pounding fiercely in my chest as if it were trying to escape. Light pressure on my face made me twist my head this way and that, jerking my body too as I expected to be still trapped within the car and drowning under that terrible sound.

Instead, I was in a room. A hospital room, judging by the machines to my left, displayed information I didn’t understand. Tubes and wires stretched out from my arm, and plastic tubing across my face delivered oxygen. I knew that from when I’d given birth to Zack.

Zack!

Oh, my God, what happened? One minute, Jian and I had been driving, and the next, something came out of nowhere and smashed us right off the road. Replaying what events I could remember, I slowly tested each of my limbs. They were all moving and nothing was particularly painful. Confusion mixed with the swirl of anxiety in my chest over what the hell had happened.

Then the door opened and a sliver of light drifted across my bed. In walked a nurse, and beyond his shoulder, I glimpsed only a white corridor with another door at the opposite side of the hall.

“Miss Murphy?” The nurse approached with a kindly smile on his face. “How are you feeling?”

“What… what happened?”

“You were in a car accident. Do you remember that at all?”

A painful fog clouded my thoughts, snatching my memories away just as I tried to recall them. I nodded slowly, causing my hair to rustle on the pillow.

“You were brought here within the hour. Firefighters had to cut you out of the car, but don’t you worry.” He smiled warmly. “Your injuries are minimal. Your side of the car was relatively safe, so you have some minor cuts and bruises, although we’re keeping a close eye on the head injury you sustained, so please let me know if you have any issues with your eyesight or speech, okay?”

He moved around me and ticked a few things off on the chart in his hands. That comforting smile never wavered to the point that it was almost unsettling.

“What about…” I paused and coughed as the dryness in my mouth caught my throat. “What about Jian? The man I was with?”

“I’m sorry.” The nurse paused at the end of my bed. “Your friend’s injuries are more severe, but I can’t discuss them with you.”

“But… but is he alright?”

“He’s stable?—”

The door flung open so violently that it slammed into the wall and immediately bounced back on the two figures that stormed inside. Dino lifted his hand to stop the door from slamming into him while Rocco made a beeline to my bed.

“Mae!” He instantly grabbed my hand, his brows pinched deep with worry as he scanned me over. “Are you alright? Is she alright?” He turned to the nurse who stood in shock at the sudden intrusion.

Their appearance immediately sent acidic spirals of worry swirling in my gut and teasing at the base of my throat. If they were here, did that mean this was connected to the attack at the funeral? Was I once again being dragged into a painful, hellish situation?

Was this my punishment for giving in to the carnal desires these men raised in me?

“She’s alright,” the nurse assured Rocco. “A little banged up, and we’re keeping an eye on her head wounds, but other than that, she’s alright.”

“Oh, thank God.” Dino suddenly shoved Rocco out of the way and planted a deep, powerful kiss on my lips. The kiss was so strong that I didn’t notice he’d opened the split on my lower lip until he pulled away and a sharp flare of pain crept across my face. “I have to find Jian.”

With that, Dino was gone as abruptly as he arrived while Rocco perched on my bed, not looking away for even a second.

“I’ll leave you two alone.” The nurse smiled again, although more nervously this time, then he scurried from the room.

I turned my attention to Rocco, who didn’t smile. His face didn’t soften even as I smiled up at him. He reached out and gently swiped his thumb over my lightly bleeding lip, then he caressed my cheek.

“Fuck, I was so scared,” he said softly.

“I’m alright.”

“All I knew was that you were in an accident. Dino and I drove straight back from New York the moment we were informed. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m okay,” I assured him quietly, moving one hand to grasp his thigh. “Is this… because of what happened at the funeral? Are they connected? Is that why you’re here?”

---