Page 64 of King of Violence

I shake my head, my throat tightening. “Still in surgery. They won’t tell me anything else.”

Elijah exhales sharply and runs a hand through his hair. “Julian...he’s strong. He’ll pull through.”

I want to believe him, but the image of Julian bleeding out in my arms keeps flashing through my mind. “What if he doesn’t?” I whisper, the words tasting like ash. “What if?—”

“He will,” Elijah interrupts, his tone firm but not unkind. “He has to.”

I nod, but it’s more reflex than belief. Silence stretches between us again until Elijah leans back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the ceiling.

“You know,” he begins, his voice quieter now, “Julian’s done more for you than you probably realize.”

I glance at him, frowning. “What do you mean?”

Elijah tilts his head, meeting my eyes. “He’s kept you safe, Felix. From our family, from the Vitales, from anyone who’d think to use you as leverage against him.” His jaw tightens. “He’s put himself in danger more times than I care to count, all to protect you.”

The weight of his words sinks into me like a stone. I’ve always known Julian was shielding me from something, but I never realized the extent of it.

“Why?” I ask, my voice barely audible.

Elijah raises an eyebrow, his expression softening. “Why do you think? He loves you.”

I swallow hard, guilt twisting in my gut. “He never told me about any of this.”

“Because he didn’t want you to carry that weight,” Elijah says simply. “He knew the risks of being with you, but he took them anyway. And now...”

He doesn’t finish, but he doesn’t have to. The reality of it is suffocating.

“Elijah,” I say after a long pause, my voice shaking, “how do I help him? How do I get him out of this life?”

Elijah leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “That’s the question, isn’t it?” He sighs and rubs a hand over his face. “Getting out of the Greco family isn’t easy. Hell, it’s almost impossible. But if anyone can do it, it’s Julian.”

“How?” I press, desperation creeping into my voice.

Elijah looks at me, his expression grave. “We need leverage. Something that forces our father to let him go without retaliating. And we need to make sure Julian’s protected, because if our father sees this as a betrayal, he won’t hesitate to come after him. Or you.”

My stomach turns at the thought, but I nod. “Then we find leverage. Whatever it takes.”

Elijah studies me for a moment, his gaze sharp. “You really care about him, don’t you?”

I meet his eyes, my jaw tightening. “I love him. And I’m not going to let him sacrifice himself for me anymore.”

Elijah’s lips curve into the faintest of smiles. “Good. Because if we’re going to do this, we’ll need all the help we can get.”

The door to the waiting room opens and a nurse steps in, her expression neutral but professional. “Julian Greco’s family?”

I’m on my feet in an instant. “That’s us.”

She nods. “He’s out of surgery. The doctor will be out shortly to explain his condition, but he’s stable for now.”

Relief floods through me, so overwhelming that I almost collapse back into the chair. Elijah places a steadying hand on my shoulder, his grip firm.

“We’ll figure this out, Felix,” he says quietly. “For now, focus on him.”

???

The sterile beepingof the heart monitor is the only sound in the room, a metronome to the suffocating silence. I sit slumped in the chair next to Julian’s bed, my hand curled around his, too scared to let go. He looks impossibly small like this—hooked up to machines, his face pale against the stark white hospital sheets.

Elijah left hours ago, promising to handle the doctors and keep the cops from sniffing around. “Stay with him,” he said, and I didn’t need to be told twice. I haven’t left this chair, not even when the nurses came in to check his vitals.

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