Page 92 of Heartless Mafia Prince 2: Rocco & Ryah

“She suffered some internal bleeding. We’re keeping her stable. I need her parents’ consent before I can operate.”

Shit, shit!

I ran a hand tightly over my head.

“I’ll call her mother.”

We halted outside a hospital room door.

Her brown eyes softened. “She’s lucky to be alive.”

“Thank you for saving Ryah’s life.”

A small smile lifted her brown cheeks. “Don’t thank me yet. We have to get through surgery first. Call Ryah’s family, then spend time with her. I’ll get prepped for surgery.” She patted my shoulder before walking away.

I retrieved my phone from my pocket and took a deep breath. Then pressed Melanie’s contact info.

The phone rang three times before she picked up.

“Hello.” She paused. “Rocco?” Melanie asked in disbelief.

“Hi, Ms. Soloman. I’m just going to cut straight to it. Ryah was in a motorcycle accident-”

“No!” she shrilled.

I waited a beat. “She’s unconscious, but in stable condition. Ryah needs surgery. We’re at Temple University Hospital.”

Her long bouts of crying filled my ears.

It was best I just got it off my chest. Not giving her a chance to ask questions. “You and Luciano need to get here right away. Dr. Grey needs your consent to perform surgery.”

I heard shoes pounding the pavement, then a car alarm beep. “Ok.”

I disconnected the call. It was imperative I spent time with Ryah, because once her father arrived, he would probably forbid me from seeing her. While she was in the hospital, anyway. That was the extent of his reach. Ryah had a life with me. There wasn’t a chance in hell he’d keep me away from her forever.

Shit, I wished I would’ve dragged her to the altar and tied the knot. That way, Luciano couldn’t put me out of her room.

Standing at her bedside, anger struck every inch of my body. The monitors whooshed and beeped. I wanted to kill that guy for hitting her. Squeezing my eyes shut, I replayed the accident in my head.

Ryah looked to the right once, then twice. Whatever she saw distracted her, causing her to run the red light. The accident was her fault.

Slowly, my eyes opened. “Baby, what did you do?” I asked. My voice heavy with sorrow.

Whipping off my jacket, I tossed it on the recliner and sat on the edge.

I held her hand, running my lips back and forth over her soft skin.

My beautiful princess slept. I wished she’d open her eyes and tell me it would be ok. The leather motorcycle suit she wore protected her exterior.

“Baby, the doctor said you need surgery. Your parents are on their way. In case I’m not here when you wake up, know that I’m thinking about you. I don’t want to be on this earth without you, Ryah. You have to pull through surgery.” My voice was pained with sorrow. Going on without her wasn’t an option. I’d become a hollow killer if I were left here without her.

An oxygen mask covered her pretty lips. It didn’t take away from her beauty. Staring at her, I smiled. “I loved how you beamed with excitement at the Pink concert. That was one of my all-time favorite moments that I spent with you. I loved when you looked up at me and smiled. Not sure what you were looking for. Did you expect me to leave you there? Not a fucking chance I’d leave you, baby. I want so many more of those moments. We were headed to spring break in two weeks. It’s ok we can go another time. This summer we’ll party somewhere special. Just me and you. Ryah, you know that’s the way I like it.”

Leaning over her, I planted a string of kisses along her cheek to her ear.

“Listen to my voice. Ryah. I won’t be far away. I’ll wait downstairs in the waiting room if I have to. I love you, Princess.”

Her body jerked, and the machine went berserk. I stood straight up and grabbed her hand. “Nurse! Nurse!” I shouted.

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