Page 156 of Dangerous King
"Good," I exhale, slow and dangerous.
"We've got several injuries," Dante continues. "Mostly cuts and concussions. Nothing fatal. Mamma and your mother-in-law weren't close to the blast. Izzy is chomping at the bit to get to the hospital, but I told her to stay put until we know more."
"Good." Smart decision. The last thing I need is Izzy here right now. I'm barely keeping it together. One last question, not that I give a shit, but I'm sure Cat will ask when she wakes up. "And Shadow?"
Dante chuckles dryly. "Hasn't stopped howling since the blast. Julio had to sedate him. Swear to God, that dog's more loyal than half our crew."
My throat tightens again, different in a way I didn't expect—that damn mutt.
"How's Cat?"
I rub a hand over my jaw. "Won't know more until they're done with their scans."
Dante's quiet for a moment. Then, steady as stone, he says, "We've got everything under control. You stay with her."
I nod, knowing he can't see it. "Let me know the second Mattheo gets a lead."
"Of course."
I hang up and let the phone fall into my pocket.
Outside, sirens echo faintly in the distance, but inside, all I can hear is my blood roaring in my ears. Sabine's dead. My girl is behind a curtain surrounded by strangers. And someone out there still thinks they're untouchable.
They're not.
Not anymore.
Not after this.
The next morning…
I didn't expect to wake up in a hospital room the morning after my wedding night. But neither did I expect to spend my wedding night here, so there is that.
From the moment I wake up, I'm clearheaded, despite the dull ache inside. Everything comes back, not like a tidal wave, more like I haven't been asleep at all. I try to sit up, but a cutting pain in my side stops me. I hiss.
"Cat?" Enrico is instantly by my side.
"Hey," I look at him. "You look like shit. Did you get any sleep?"
"Fuck, Cat," he takes my hand and kisses the tips of my fingers. "How do you feel?"
"Like I got run over by a truck," I confess. My entire body feels like I had a workout from hell. I don't think there is one muscle on me that doesn't hurt. Even muscles I didn't even know existed, like the ones under my ribs that apparently exist solely to scream when I breathe too deeply or talk. I shift slightly and immediately regret it.
"Don't move," Enrico warns.
"I'm okay," I murmur, though I'm clearly not. "At least I'm not dead."
He brushes a knuckle down my cheek. "You scared the shit out of me, Piccolina."
There's something in his eyes, tired, raw, and razor-sharp. I don't think he has allowed himself to exhale since the blast.
"I remember everything," I say quietly. "The explosion. The cake. Sabine—" My throat catches. "God. Is she…?"
His silence answers for him. I close my eyes. The ache in my side suddenly feels small compared to the hollow in my chest.
Then, with an anguished sound, he presses out, "Don't ever do that again."
"Do what?"
