Page 393 of Under Her Skin
After failing to dissuade him, Enda sent the video over, and Raff had watched it. The first time, the shock of it had been ice in his veins. The pain on his beloved Inca’s face—the disbelief that this was happening to heragain.The knife slicing through the white cotton of her dress, the deep claret red of her blood spreading across it. The absolute cruelty of the man who was stabbingher.
He watched it again and again, trying to get used to the horror of it. When he realized that would never happen, he took himself out of the role of husband and tried to focus as an investigator. When the man spoke at the end, Raff heard the accent of the region. Good. That was something he had been right about—theywerelocal. In his old life, before Inca, Raff had opened nightclubs, and had enough underworld contacts that he could show this to them and hope against hope they would recognize someone. His contacts would know he wasn’t about to go to the police with that information. Raffaelo Winter had every intention of getting everything they knew about Jackson, and then, without hesitation, he would make them feel the pain they had inflicted on Incatenfold.
Inca knewsomething was wrong when she woke after napping all afternoon. Her body felt heavy, almost as if it was waterlogged. Her belly screamed with pain, and she felt hot. Too hot for this air-conditioned room. She leaned over, reaching for the call button, then felt herself slip and roll. She slammed onto the floor with a moan and then all wasdarkness.
Ama wokein Enda’s arms as the phone rang loudly. Enda groaned and rolled over to answer it as Ama glanced at the clock. No news is good at three a.m., she thought and sat up. Enda was rubbing hiseyes.
“Yeah? Oh, hey, Raff …what? Oh god …how? When? Jesus …what does the surgeonsay?”
Ama’s heart caught in her throat. It had to be Inca …Jesus. Ama closed her eyes. Jackson, you fucking bastard. Why didn’t you just killme?
She waited for him to finish the call. He looked shattered. “Inca was bleeding internally. They took her back into surgery four hours ago and they’re still operating. They can’t stop the bleeding. Raff is …well, you canguess.”
Ama dipped her head into her hands and gave a sob. “This is the end, Enda. I’ve had enough. We need to draw Jackson out. We need to endthis.”
“I agree.” Enda wrapped his arms around her. “Call me selfish or call me a terrible friend, but I never want to have to make that call about you, Ama. And I’m terrified that you’ll do something stupidly selfless and get yourselfkilled.”
Ama cried silent tears. “What if he does that to Selima? I cannot live with that,Enda.”
“We’ll figure something out,baby.”
“How?”
But he didn’t have an answer forher.
Raff was waiting in the relatives’room with Gajendra and Omar. His phone bleeped and he checked it, relieved at something to do. It was a message from one of hiscontacts.
Yes. I know these men. Call me back when you can. I hope your lovely Inca pullsthrough.
If Raff hadn’t been so gut-wrenchingly terrified right at that moment, he would have punched the air. Finally, alead.
The surgeon, exhausted and tired, pushed his way into the room, and Raff tried not to see the blood on his scrubs. Inca’s blood. The doctor nodded athim.
“She’s stable. We found the bleed; we had thought her spleen hadn’t been damaged initially, but that was where the bleedwas.”
“Will she be okay?” That was Omar; Raff was too relieved tospeak.
The doctor hesitated. “We’ve stabilized her. That’s as much information I can confirm. I’m hopeful. Let’s say that. You can see her in the morning, Mr. Winter. Until then, I suggest you go home and get somerest.”
Raff,of course, went straight to the home of his contact, where he found out the names of the men who had attacked Inca and could finally see a way to fight for the woman heloved.
Enda putdown the phone in frustration and Ama rubbed his back. “What isit?”
“I have to go to New York for the day. The business goes on, even if we’re out of action, and I can’t ask Raff to leave Inca’s bedside rightnow.”
Ama hugged him. “Of course you can’t. I have Trevor and Dustin, the silent twins. You go, baby. We can’t let this whole thing stop our livesentirely.”
Enda kissed her. “Have I told you I love youtoday?”
Ama grinned. “Well, no, but you certainlyshowedme. And, if you like, you can show me again before I go to work.” She lay back, still naked from the shower, and Enda grinned, covering her body with his and hitching her legs around hiswaist.
“Is that right,Bella?”
Ama grinned and sighed happily as she felt his cock begin to swell, pressing hard against her thigh. “Put that in me,Gallo.”
“Such a nag,” Enda chuckled and thrust his cock deep into her, making her gasp. In moments like these, Ama pretended that the rest of the world went away and that she and Enda were the only two peoplealive.
They made love slowly, until Enda brought her to a shattering orgasm. She was still glowing when she walked into her office an hour and a half later. Lena grinned ather.
