Page 165 of Sin & Sapphire

I stood to allow his daughters to embrace their father, only for Oscuro to catch my eye and lead me to the corner of the waiting room. We embraced, exchanging air kisses, and then stood back, taking each other’s measure.

There was a lot of that going around today.

“I’m sorry to hear about Ana,” he said finally.

“He won’t bother her again,” I said, pride in her ferocity filling my chest. She’d murdered an abuser, taken out Valentin’s most powerful business rival, and ended the threat the Tchérnovs posed to Yorkfield’s equilibrium.

“And you? Will you continue to bother her?” Oscuro asked, the air turning menacing with his threat.

I scoffed, stepping forward instead of stepping back. “That’s a conversation between Ana and me, don’t you think?”

Oscuro didn’t back away. “We managed to keep her out of the conflict between the Costas and the Russos, and you dragged her right back in.”

That wasn’t how I remembered it. Cruel guilt wracked me, but that wasn’t this asshole’s business.

“Patti and Tony Russo?” the nurse asked, capturing everyone’s attention. “You can come to see your son, now.”

Valentin beat me to the nurses’ station. “How is Ana Costa, the woman who arrived with him?”

“Still unconscious,” she said.

“Please, anything you can tell me, I beg you.”

The woman took pity on me. “I’ll let you know when she wakes up.”

63

LUCA

“Luca!”my mother exclaimed, rushing over to embrace me through the miles of tubing and monitors.

I could have told the nurses I was fine, except for a few broken bones. My head was hard, and I’d had a lifetime of accidents and injuries to prove it.

“Mamma,” I murmured, letting her fuss over me, enjoying her unusual physical affection when she pushed my hair out of my face.

“Luca,” my father said, standing at my other side, stiff and uncomfortable. “Are you okay?”

I stared at him flatly, then cast around for the remote that would allow me to raise the back of the bed to a sitting position.

Oh fuck, that hurt. I gasped as pain flared in my ribs.

The nurse raised an eyebrow. “Do you want to hear your diagnosis with them in the room?”

“Give it to me,” I said, putting all my charm into my smile.

“A couple of broken ribs, two broken fingers, bruises to hell and back, and a concussion. No permanent damage, but you’ll need to take it easy for several weeks while you heal.”

“And Ana?”

The nurse shrugged. “I don’t have any information on her.”

“Can you get it?”

“Nope,” the nurse said, popping the P as she injected a drug into my IV.

“What’s that?”

“Painkiller.” She eyed my parents and leaned over to murmur in my ear. “You look like you’ll need it.”

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