Page 82 of The Enforcer

My eyes opened wide as I remembered seeing the table enflamed. “The fucking gift from Davit?”

“We don’t know that yet,” he answered.

“Well, fucking find out.” I had to control my anger. This wasn’t helping. “How is Kara?”

“She’s keeping the kids and don’t worry. There’s heavy protection.” Havros offered a weak smile.

We were all exhausted from the ordeal. My father had been in surgery now for almost two hours. It had taken me far too long to get to the hospital. I’d had only a few minutes with Valencia. She’d seemed hollow, cold, but she’d attended to both my brother and father along with the other injured guests while waiting for the ambulances to arrive. “How many of our men died?”

“Two.” It was obvious Jonas was as shaken as everyone else.

I glanced over at our mother and Willow sitting together in the waiting room I’d had cleared out. “Let me talk to them.”

“Don’t rattle them, Christos. They’ve been through a lot,” Havros stated.

“I’m an asshole, but they’re our family.” As I slowly walked toward them, my thoughts drifted all over the place. I wouldhunt and slaughter whoever did this. But I knew there was a strong chance I’d lose Valencia over this.

That couldn’t happen.

I crouched down in front of my mother, taking her hand. “It’s going to be okay. Both men are strong. You know that.”

My mother was such a stoic woman, proud of the person she was and her family. But I could see tears of desperation in her eyes. “What if he doesn’t make it?”

“Don’t think that way, Mama Nomikos,” Willow said, her voice much softer than I was used to hearing. She was trying so hard to be strong when I knew how worried she was about her husband.

I didn’t have a single update to provide to her on Dimitrios’ condition. All I knew was that the bullet had entered his back near his lungs and had exited the front. He was also in surgery.

“I can’t help it. We’ve already lost so much,” Mama wept.

I squeezed her hand. “We won’t lose anyone else. That much I know.”

Willow gave me a hard look. I could see it was on the tip of her tongue not to make promises I obviously couldn’t keep.

At least I could keep one.

Those involved would soon take their last breaths.

And I would enjoy every minute of making that happen.

CHAPTER 22

Valencia

“Thank you for your assistance, Dr. Laurant. You made a call I didn’t see.”

Dr. Drakos was a highly qualified cardiac surgeon, but he would have made a costly mistake had I not been in the operating room. That wouldn’t have occurred if Christos hadn’t pulled some weight he had with the hospital.

“I’m just glad I could help.” I yanked off my gloves and surgical cap, also thankful they’d allowed me to borrow scrubs and operating gear. “Any news on Dimitrios Nomikos?”

“I just checked since I knew you’d ask. He’s out of surgery as well and in recovery. He should be fine.”

“The bullet?”

“He was lucky it went straight through without damaging his lungs. You can certainly check on him yourself at any point.”

“Thank you.”

We both glanced over at Apollo as the nurse began rolling him toward the recovery room. “Tonight is going to be touch and go with the patriarch. I’m certain the family will want me to stay.”

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