Page 31 of His Broken Queen

He yelled out his favorite four-letter word a few times, and they had to stop the procedure so Romero could catch his breath and drink some more vodka.

Once the bullet was out, they laid him on his side so Brett could clean him up and stitch the opening. Romero’s eyes became heavy, but he tried to keep them open.

“Looks like the meds are finally kicking in,” Gio said.

“He should be groggy for a while, but that will help him heal.” Brett continued to work. “It was a clean entry. He’s going to be sore and he’ll have to wear a sling for a few days, which he’ll hate, but I want to keep that shoulder immobile. The less he uses it, the better for now.”

“He’s going to be okay?” When I took Romero’s hand, he relaxed and closed his eyes. “What do we need to do for him?”

“Let him rest. Make sure he drinks fluids, preferably not vodka. I’m going to prescribe antibiotics and pain medicine. There is a risk of infection, but the medication should help.”

Brett gave more instructions on how to care for him, but the only thing I could concentrate on was Romero. Someone tried to kill him today. They didn’t succeed, but that wouldn’t stop them from trying again. I could lose him next time. How was I supposed to deal with that?

“Lu.” Gio put his hand on my shoulder. “We’re going to move him upstairs now. I can sit with him until you get yourself situated.”

“I can stay with him.” I wiped my eyes. “I want to stay with him.”

“I think you might need a few minutes to compose yourself. This is upsetting. When I saw that he was hit, I thought…” Gio shook his head. “I could sit with him for a bit while you shower or do whatever you need to do, and you can have the night shift.”

“I’m okay, but I’ll grab some water and get changed.” I could see the relief on Gio’s face now that Romero was resting, but it must have been difficult to see his brother get shot. “You go upstairs with him.” I wanted to give him a few minutes with Romero. “I’ll be up soon.”

“Thanks.” He kissed my cheek. “He’s going to be fine. He knows how much we need him.”

I nodded as Joey and Salvi carried Romero up the stairs. Once they were out of sight, I went to the kitchen, and splashed some water on my face. The shock of seeing Stella shot in our house still hadn’t worn off. I didn’t know if it ever would. Now, I had to deal with the fact that someone wanted to kill Romero. It was always a possibility, but it was something I tried not to think about.

I put my hand over my mouth and tried to conceal the sobs that insisted on escaping from some place deep inside my chest. I shook uncontrollably as I slid down the wall, sat on the floor, and pulled my knees to my chest. How much more could I take?

I took some time to cry. I only needed a few minutes to get this out. Then I would be strong for Romero. He needed me now, and I would be there for him the way he was always there for me.

My heart ached when I thought about how easily this could have gone the other way. I could have lost him today. I could be mourning him the way I was Stella.

“Hey.” Jag came into the kitchen, and then sat down on the floor next to me. “He’s going to be alright.”

“I know.” I ran my hands over my face. “I just needed a minute.”

“I understand.” He started to get up. “I’ll leave you alone.”

“No.” I reached for him. “Stay.”

“Okay.”

“It’s been a rough few days.”

“I’m really sorry about Stella.” When he paused, I could see his expression change. “She was very nice to me, especially after, well, you know.”

“After Romero lost his shit on you?”

He shook his head because he didn’t think I knew about the beating he took the day Vincent kidnapped me.

“I saw your face and you had trouble walking for a few days after what happened with me and Vincent. Romero did that to you.” My husband could be brutal when the situation called for it. “I’m sorry about that.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“It was my fault.”

“No, it wasn’t. I should never have let you go into that restaurant alone. Romero was right to take his anger out on me. I had the most important job on the team, and I screwed up.”

“I thought I was meeting Sandro.”

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