Page 90 of Deception & Desire

“The bullet hit your chest, but it struck a rib at an angle, deflecting it away from your heart and major arteries. It punctured a lung, but we were able to stabilize you quickly enough to prevent permanent damage. You underwent surgery to repair the lung and stop the bleeding.”

I exhale sharply, trying to process his words. The memory of the shot, the staggering blow to the chest, flashes through my mind.

I clench my fists to ward off the memory. “How long have I been out?”

“Three days,” Isabella says quietly. “We’ve been taking shifts watching over you.”

“Three days,” I mutter, the weight of it settling on my bruising chest. “And Mia?”

“She’s alive,” Isabella says, starting to sound irritated. “I told you this.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “No, you said she was safe.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

The doctor clears his throat. “You need to rest, Mr. Moretti. Your body’s been through a major trauma, and pushing yourself too soon could cause complications. The lung will take weeks to fully heal.”

I barely hear him, too busy staring down my sister. “Isabella.”

She doesn’t look at me; her chin points up stubbornly. “You almost died, Leon. We thought…I thought…”

“Issy. Look at me.”

When she does, there are tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Leon.”

My mind is already racing, calculating, planning. Already jumping to every worst possible conclusion before she has a chance to draw another breath and speak out the last words I want to hear.

“They took her. The Cartel took her.”

For a moment, I let the words wash over me, feeling an eerie kind of calm settle into my bones. Then, the world narrows to a singular focus: Mia.

I shove the blanket off me and swing my legs over the side of the bed, ignoring the fire burning in my chest. My breath hitches, but I grit my teeth against the pain. Every second wasted here is a second Mia is at their mercy.

“Sir, please don’t—” the doctor tries.

“Leon, stop!” Isabella begs.

“She’s out there, Isabella. I’m not going to sit here and do nothing,” I roar as the room tilts violently, my knees buckling under me.

Before I can hit the ground, the door slams open, and Dante storms in, followed by Teo. Dante’s face is tight with worry as he slides himself under my arm and hoists me back up.

But Teo’s expression is stone cold, his eyes seemingly entirely black as they lock on me like a predator about to pounce.

“Sit down,” Teo orders, his voice like a whip.

“I’m not staying here.” I shrug away from Dante, gripping the edge of the bed to steady myself. “Mia needs me.”

“She needs you alive, Leon,” Teo retorts, crossing the room in three long strides.

He grabs my arm and shoves me back onto the bed with more force than necessary. There’s no mistaking the ruthless don in his dominance, and I instinctively snarl and push back. But his hands are too firm, his jaw tight as he holds me there.

“You’re no good to her dead. You are no good tomedead. We need everyone right now, and you will NOT lose your head over this.”

I narrow my eyes at him, ready to rip out his damn throat if I need to.

“Enough!” she snaps, her voice slicing through the tension. “Leon, calm the fuck down. You’re acting deranged. This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you.”

“You lied to me.”

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