Page 120 of Ruthless Vengeance
Andre’s alive.
He’s lying in a hospital bed, pale but breathing.
A thin sheen of sweat coats his brow, and there’s a nasty bruise around his temple, which has darkened to a deep purple. His arm is hooked up to an IV, and another monitor is clipped to his finger, blinking softly.
It’s scary seeing Andre like this, but not as scary as holding my hands over a bullet wound as he slowly bleeds out.
Marco steps in ahead of me, carrying Zoe on his hip. His shoulders are taut, as if he’s bracing himself for the worst, but the moment he sees Andre open his eyes, the shift in his body is clear as he lets out a sigh of relief.
Andre tries to smile. “Well, shit. You two look like hell.”
I let out a strangled laugh, the sound catching in my throat at the sound of his voice.
“We could say the same.” Marco pulls a chair closer to the bed and takes a seat beside his brother. “But at least we weren’t the ones who got shot this time.”
Andre smirks. “Thought I’d take one for the team. You know, keep things interesting.”
Lila is already seated at his other side, holding his hand in a death grip. She wipes her cheeks with the other before pressing a kiss to his knuckles. “You scared the hell out of me.”
Andre turns his head slightly, his smile softening as he looks at his wife. “I know, I’m sorry, sweetheart. But I told you, it’s going to take a lot more than a bullet to take me from my girls.”
Lila’s lower lip trembles as she tries to hold back tears.
His thumb caresses her hand. “I’m not going anywhere.”
She nods.
I can’t even imagine how she’s feeling.
If Marco was the one in a hospital bed with a bullet wound in his chest, I would be a sobbing mess on the floor.
It hits me all at once just how lucky we are.
This could have gone a hundred different ways, but somehow, we’re all still standing.
Rosa slips into the chair in the corner, parking the stroller with a sleeping Holly inside beside her.
I glance over. She’s looking at her brother with wide eyes and a nervous smile.
“Hey, trouble,” Andre says when he notices her.
Rosa snorts. “Please. I’m the calm one in this family now.” Her tone comes off nonchalant, but the emotion is written all over her face.
Andre raises an eyebrow. “That’s terrifying.”
“I’m just glad you’re okay.” She smiles. “Because I swear to God, if you had died, Marco would have gone full Batman and taken out the entire city looking for revenge.”
I laugh as I look over at Marco, who is grinning at his older brother.
He shrugs. “Still might. Besides, I look sexy as hell in black.”
Everyone laughs and for a moment, it feels like we’re not in a hospital, all broken and bleeding in our own ways.
For a moment, it feels like home.
Marco places a hand on Andre’s shoulder. “So… Clara and I have a couple updates.”
Andre’s eyes flick between us, picking up on the shift in tone. “Good or bad?”
