Page 46 of Playboy

“This has been confirmed?” Ramon questioned. His voice was low and dangerous.

“Yes. Lorenzo is dead, along with the other three men that were traveling with him,” his contact inside the DEA told him.

For a moment, the world stopped. Ramon’s heart seized in his chest, anger boiling just beneath his skin. Roman’s grip tightened on the phone. “How did this happen?” he hissed, his knuckles turning white. “Lorenzo was supposed to be careful,” he could feel his heart breaking.

“I don’t have all the details yet, but from what I gathered, the raid was conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard.”

“I don’t understand. Where was Lorenzo? He was supposed to be close by but far enough away that if things went south, he’d be in the clear.”

“As I said, the details are still sketchy, not to mention the Coast Guard is being careful about the information being released. All that I can tell you right now is that Lorenzo was there with the sub. Now, how or when he got there is another story.”

Ramon’s chest burned, the rage festering deeper. “You’re telling me my brother’s dead, and you don’t even know who killed him? Find out. I want the names and faces of those responsible.” His tone was lethal, dripping with a promise of violence.

“I’m working on it, Ramon. But I’ll need some time.”

“Time?” Ramon spat. His eyes narrowed as if he could see the man through the phone. “I don’t give a damn about your time, Tyson. You work for me. If you want to keep breathing, you’ll get me that information.”

There was a tense silence on the other end before Tyson finally responded, a hint of fear in his voice. “Understood. I’ll get you what you need as quickly as I can.”

Without another word, Ramon hung up, his hand shaking with the force of his grip. The phone clattered onto the desk as he slammed it down. He released a guttural roar of rage as he swept everything off his desk in one violent motion. Papers, a laptop, and a few priceless artifacts crashed onto the floor, but it did little to quell the fury burning inside of him. Ramon grabbed the edges of the wooden surface, chest heaving.

“Lorenzo, you damn fool,” he muttered through clenched teeth, his eyes dark and wild. He stormed across the room, kicking over a chair as he went. His fists crashed into the wall, again and again, until his knuckles bled, and the drywall cracked beneath the force of his punches.

How could it have come to this? Lorenzo knew better than to interfere. He promised he would keep his distance and be smart. But now, he was gone.

Ramon’s breath was ragged. His vision blurred with fury and grief. The loss of his brother cut deeper than any wound, but his anger was the salve he needed. This wasn’t over. It wouldn’t be over until the people responsible were six feet under.

As he stood amidst the chaos of his destroyed office, Ramon’s face twisted into a deadly sneer. “They’ll pay for this,” he whispered to himself, his voice laced with venom. He would avenge Lorenzo’s death—no matter the cost.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Playboy sat in the stiff hospital chair, the sounds of machines humming around him as he looked down at Gabby’s still form. Her hand felt small and fragile in his, and despite everything, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of helplessness as he watched her lie there, unmoving. She had regained her coloring, which was good. Her vitals were more stable. The tubes that were helping to keep her alive had also been removed, signaling that her body was strengthening.

It had been four days since the accident—four long days and nights with barely any sleep.

When he first arrived at the hospital earlier in the day, he saw Gabby’s mom and dad. They told him that the doctor informed them Gabby was showing more signs of waking. She also tried to prepare everyone for when it happened because nobody knew how Gabby was going to take the news about her leg, which Playboy fully understood. He knew several men and women who were amputees, and he could recall their struggles both mentally and physically.

One of the things the doctor mentioned was that talking to Gabby might help. She said there was always a possibility that she could hear them, even in the sleep state she was in.

So, for the last hour or two, he tried to talk to her, but every time he opened his mouth, the words seemed to stick in his throat. He had never been good at that kind of thing, not when it came to expressing his feelings. Hell, it had taken him almost nine months to get the courage to tell Gabby how he felt abouther. Yet, here he was, trying to find the right words, hoping that somehow, she might hear him.

He cleared his throat and squeezed her hand gently. “Hey, Gabby,” he began, his voice low and rough. “I know this probably sounds silly, talking to you while you’re asleep and all. But the doctors say you might be able to hear, so…here it goes.”

He leaned forward, brushing a stray strand of hair from her forehead. He noticed how someone had tried to tie her hair up in a high ponytail but had done a horrible job.

“I had a pretty standard day on the base today,” he continued, trying to keep his voice light. “Did some training, a little bit of paperwork. Nothing too exciting. The guys…well, they’ve been asking about you. They miss you. So does Jocelyn, Clover, and Hannah. We all miss you.”

He lowered his eyes as his thumb gently rubbed circles on the back of her hand.

“But, uh…I don’t want to talk about work. I want to talk about you waking up. We all need you to wake up. I need you to wake up, Gabs. You promised me that you would tell me everything about you, and I’m going to hold you to that promise. But that won’t happen unless you wake up.”

He swallowed hard, his emotions catching up to him. “I know we haven’t been dating long, but it feels like it’s been so much longer. Maybe that’s because I’ve been pinning after you for months.” He lifted her hand to his lips and gently kissed it. “There’s something about you, something that makes me feel like I’m finally where I’m supposed to be.”

A small, sad smile tugged at his lips. “I miss your voice. I miss your laugh. I miss looking into your eyes—those gorgeous blue eyes that captivate me. You make everything brighter. You make everything…better.”

He paused, his voice growing thick with emotion. “Your teammates miss you too. And your family—they miss you morethan anything. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a group of people so full of love for someone. They need you, Gabby. We all do.”

Playboy’s grip tightened around her hand, his eyes stinging with unshed tears. “I need you, Gabs. So, please, please come back to us. Come back to me.”

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