Page 142 of His Enforcer

It was worth it.

All of it was worth it.

20

VIKTOR

Iwake up slowly, the beeping in the background an annoyance. I just want to go back to sleep. But my mind tells me to wake up. With great reluctance, my eyelids flutter open and I see white walls and half-open blinds—it’s a hospital room.

“He’s waking up,” I hear a voice say, and a moment later I see Bane, his eyes wide, a bruise on his jaw. “Oh, thank God. We were so worried.”

“Wh—” I begin, but my voice is hoarse, almost too low. It doesn’t sound like me. I feel something in my nose and realize I’m wearing oxygen. Suddenly, it all comes filtering back to me, the wooden shack, the eerie inside, the lab equipment. And the knock to the head. I don’t remember anything after that. I swallow, my throat clicking as Bane lifts a cup to my lips. I sip water from the straw, feeling instant relief.

“Where were you? You disappeared,” I rasp and then blink slowly, trying to remember what happened. What happened to me?

“Oh, I was around and doing…things.”

I stare at him and he thrusts something in my hand. “A wedding gift.”

“What?”

“A gift. For your wedding.”

I stare down at it. A toe as a pendant.

“Thank you,” I say, wondering if perhaps I’ve died and gone to Heaven. What the fuck is Bane talking about? Wedding?

“Bane, you’re smothering him,” Tatum says, shooing him away and touching my arm gently. “How are you? We were so worried.”

“Luca,” I say, suddenly remembering that he was right behind me when I rushed into the building. Oh god. No.

The fire.

Luca.

Tatum’s eyes flash, something I can’t quite identify moving through.

“Yes, Luca. He’ll be back soon.” He winks at me, and I’m left in a state of confusion, slightly numb as I try to recall the details of what happened. I can’t remember much, just that something hit me on the head and then everything went black. I stare down at my hands and see both of my arms are wrapped with bandages, and I wonder if the fire got me.

“You were burned. They aren’t as bad as Luca’s, but you will need to take care of them for a while,” Anthony says, walking through the doorway. He looks impeccable as always and he touches my leg over the blanket covering it. “I’m glad you’re okay.” His voice breaks slightly and he clears it. “I’m really fucking glad.”

“What happened? Where is he?” I ask, almost frantic now.

“Just being taken care of. He’ll be back shortly.”

My heart rate spikes and I feel sweat bead on my forehead. I feel like I’m going to pass out. “He…he got burned?”

“Yes. He went into the fire, looking for you.”

I can’t breathe, my chest aching. “Why?”

“To save you.”

“He shouldn’t have done that.”

“He wouldn’t have had it any other way. And neither would I.”

Just as he says that, Jax enters, pushing Luca in a wheelchair. Jax looks a bit haggard but whole, as he winks and smiles at me. My eyes slide down to Luca. He’s wearing a hospital gown, his arms, hands, and legs wrapped in white bandages, but his face is just as perfect as before, untouched, unscarred. He looks like himself, like home.

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