Page 59 of Fragile Union

The doctor nods. “She is, she’s going to be in pain for a while. Both bullets were through and throughs, whoever bandaged her leg, saved her life.”

Fucking bastards.

“She’s got a few broken bones along with a lot of swelling and bruising, but she’s awake, alert, and asking for her husband and father.”

My legs wobble as relief washes through me. She’s alive. She’s awake. Thank fuck.

“Take me to her,” I demand, needing to see her. The doctor nods and instructs Denis and I to follow her.

It doesn’t take us long before we’re at Holly’s room, the doctor pushes the door open, and I reach out for the wall as my knees almost buckle beneath me. She’s sitting up, her eyes wide and puffy from the swelling, her nose covered in a bandaged, but my beautiful wife has a small smile on her face. That fucking smile is almost my undoing.

“Doll face,” I whisper as I push off the wall, needing that extra boost to get to her.

“Hon,” she replies, her voice soft and croaky. “I’m okay,” she assures me. “I’m okay.” Her hands reach out for me, and I pull her gently into my embrace, burying my face into her neck, breathing her in. “I’m okay,” she says once again as a tremor runs through her tiny body.

“I’ve got you, babe.” I promise her, “I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”

Her body begins to shake, and I draw her even closer, “I’ll be okay with that,” she tells me as her tears soak my shirt.

“Baby-girl,” Denis says, I release Holly with a kiss to her head and step away from the bed, I don’t look at her dad.

I fucking can’t. My eyes are stinging with tears and I know by the deepness of his voice he’s either crying or close to it. I’ll let him have his moment with her. Let him see that she’s alive and safe.

When he’s done, I’m pulling her into me again. I can’t let her go. Frightened that she’ll be gone if I don’t. I’m a fucking Underboss. We don’t get scared of anything. Yet, losing my wife terrifies me.

I finally realize Dante was right. Loving Holly isn’t a weakness, it’s my ultimate strength. It gives me the power to wipe out gangs and families if need be. I’d do whatever the fuck I have to, gut whoever the hell I have to, as long as she’s safe and in my bed.

Twenty-Two

HOLLY

The pain throbbing in my head isn’t as bad as the excruciating pain coming from both my shoulder and leg. Fuck. I never thought about what it would be like to be shot before, but they don’t tell you it hurts like hell.

I see the way Romero and Da are close to losing it. Their eyes, they’re filled with darkness, pain and devastation etched on both of their faces.

“I’m okay,” I tell them, hoping to ease some of the tension that’s in their bodies.

“Doll face,” Rome begins, his voice hoarse as though he’s close to crying. “You’re alive. You’re far from fucking okay.”

Da nods, “You took years off me, Baby-girl. Years. I thought you were dead sitting in that fucking chair.”

“Is Granda okay?” I whisper, as the image of him lying on the ground with a gunshot wound at the back of his head rolls through my mind.

Romero’s hand tightens around mine and from that small gesture I already know what the answer will be.

“No, baby-girl, he’s not. He didn’t make it,” Da’s gravelly voice tells me how close to the edge he is.

Tears fall from my eyes. It’s not fair. We’ve only just found him, we finally got him in our lives and now he’s gone.

“What about Finn?” I ask through the lump in my throat.

“He’s hanging in there,” Rome says, and I know what he’s not saying. Finn may not make it.

“Jade?”

Da pats my hand. “She’s okay; she’s out of surgery and will be fine.”

I’m too afraid to find out about the men that were with us, but I have to know. “What about Malachy, Boz, and Reilly?”

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