Page 95 of The Broken Queen
“Gio!” I heard my dad yell as he came into the room. He dropped next to me, then Mom and Alex followed suit.
“We need someone to fly the chopper to get him to the hospital. Scotty’s men are gone,” Kingston explained.
My mom began tenderly pressing around my wound and trying to inspect it.
“Bullet is still in.”
“Where did it hit?” I coughed, which fucking hurt. I felt Presley’s fingers in my hair again while she tried to soothe me. Another tear fell from her nose.
“Your right side, under your arm.”
I tried to smile, but my mouth felt wet. “That’s not so bad.”
“We need to get him out of here!” my brother roared.
My dad pulled his phone out. “Where the fuck is your gang?”
A tear slipped from King’s dark lashes as he held my hand. “Guess they weren’t as loyal to us as we thought. Scotty bought off half of them, and the other half were loyal to Markos.”
I didn’t see what my dad was doing, but I heard him talking, seconds later.
“I know you’re retired, Hector. But,Primo, I need you. El Peligro has deserted my sons.”
There was some yelling on one end, and then Dad’s voice shook. “They took a blood oath, and if they won’t show up for my sons, then tell them I’m the one demanding their oath. I am the fucking one calling in their loyalty.”
My dad seethed. “Yes, I know they’ll demand I step back into that role.”
My brother made some sound, worry or anger. “Dad, no. Call Archer’s contacts. You were right to reach out to him. You knew the whole time that they wouldn’t pull through for us.”
He ignored him. “Yes. I am officially taking it back. You tell them that Juan Hernandez, Manny’s son, is back. You tell them they will wear their colors and arrive at my home to get my son to safety, and they will stay here, or I will personally hunt them down myself.”
My mom held my dad’s hand and squeezed it tightly while my father’s rage seemed to shake the room.
I didn’t know how long it was, but a rush of men came in and placed me on a flat board, which was carried to the chopper we had covered, near the armory. At one point, I felt like I was dreaming again, then I’d blink and see Presley’s blue eyes on mine.
“You’re going to be okay, Gio.” She kissed my knuckles as we took off.
I liked the reality better. Always the reality of her, not the dream.
“The sky is falling,” I whispered, and she leaned over me, pressing a kiss to my lips.
“I’ll hold it up, my love. I’ll hold it. I promise.”
I closed my eyes again, and this time I dreamt of her holding the sky at the age of eight, and it crashed all around her.
Chapter 35
Presley
SIX WEEKS LATER
Dawn had become an oddly familiar companion lately.
It seemed to gently pull me from a sleepless rest, where I was asleep but not. Then I’d rise and find my way outside.
I had started gathering new flowers for him. To place over his grave, because it had become the only way I knew how to communicate when words didn’t seem to come. It seemed I had said everything that needed to be said.
Now, as I checked the greenhouse for weeds and ensured the health of the plants, I knelt on green grass that was lush and full. I wiped off a few pieces of dirt and moss from his headstone and began talking like I always did.
