Page 3 of Kings & Carnage

Please.

Neo hesitated, then took my hand in both of his big ones.

It was such a tender gesture, so out of character from his usual roughness, that the drumbeat of fear beat even louder, threatening to block out everything as my head filled with a strange buzzing sound.

“Rock has a head injury,” Neo finally said. “He hasn’t regained consciousness.”

Chapter2

Neo

She was bruised and battered and the most beautiful thing I’d ever fucking seen.

There had been a team of people around me when I’d woken up in the trauma unit but all I could think about was her. I’d fought the doctors and nurses investigating my chest wound. I’d wanted to get up, to find Willa, because I’d known — I’d fucking known — my father hadn’t just sent men to kill Drago and me.

The real fun for Roberto was taking the people who mattered most to me.

My mother.

My brothers in all but name.

And most of all, Willa.

After that, they’d given me something to make me sleep and I’d woken up in recovery from the surgery that had saved my life.

It had taken a while for the drugs to wear off, but when they had, finding her was priority number one once I’d found out she was alive.

Now she was looking up at me with tears in her big green eyes, fear written all over her face.

“I need to see them,” she said.

I nodded and got to my feet, because I was making it my personal mission to give Willa Russo everything she needed as long as she’d fucking let me.

“You can’t get up until you see the doctor,” the nurse said to Willa.

The two security guards who’d tried to keep me from her still hovered near the doorway.

Like they could stop me.

“I need to see my friend,” Willa said. She licked her lips and straightened her spine. When she lifted her chin, she looked straight into the nurse’s eyes. “I’m going to see my friend.”

There was something new in her voice, an undercurrent of steel that had only been hinted at before.

The nurse sighed and grabbed a blood pressure cuff. “Let me check your vitals at least.”

Three minutes later we were shuffling past the security guards. They glared as we made our way out of the room and I resisted the urge to give them the finger.

My chest fucking hurt. The doctor told me in recovery that the bullet had missed my heart by less than half an inch and I was now the proud owner of twelve stitches across my left pec.

“You okay?” I asked Willa, holding on to her as we made our way down the hall. “I can get you a wheelchair.”

“I’m fine,” she said. “You’re the one I’m worried about. I feel like there’s more under that hospital gown than you’re willing to admit.”

I tried for a grin, just to ease her mind. “There’s more all right, but you might want to rest before you start thinking about that.”

She rolled her eyes and a smile teased the corners of her mouth. Even now I wanted to press her against the wall, kiss her until she couldn’t breathe.

“You’re going to have to tell me the truth eventually,” she said. “I’ll find out anyway.”

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