Page 40 of Deadly Intentions

This was something my therapist had been working on with me. She was trying to help me see I wasn’t what happened to me. That the rape was a terrible act I lived through and not something that defined me. I was trying and the mere fact I wanted intimacy told her I was nearing an emotional breakthrough. But Donny’s resistance always sent me into a tailspin.

“Maybe I need to admit he doesn’t want me like that.”

“Or maybe you just need to tell him you want sex.” Michael’s voice made me jerk my head up.

“Michael?” I stood and pressed my hands to his face. “You’re awake. Oh my God.”

“Where am I?” He glanced around the room, confusion clouding his eyes.

“Do you know who I am?” I panicked, concerned he didn’t have his memories. I grabbed the pin light from the drawer and Harley’s stethoscope from the bedside table. He winced as I flashed the light into his pupils, checking their reaction to light.

“Yeah. Catarina. I know who you are. Are you going to answer me?” He glanced around the room, then to his body. “He cut off my fingers.”

“Michael, you’ve been in a coma for months. We didn’t think you would survive, but you did. You’re home and you’re safe.”

“Dmitri?” he questioned.

“Dead.” I grabbed my phone and pressed the speaker button.

“Hey Catarina. We’re headed back now.”

“He’s awake.” My words were rushed.

“What did you say?” His voice dipped.

“She said I’m awake.” Michael leaned across the bed and spoke into my phone.

“Michael.” Antonio’s voice cracked. “We’ll be there in ten.”

Michael looked at me in confusion. “He hung up.”

“He’s probably in shock and needs to focus on driving. The last thing he needs is to wreck with Rachel in the car.”

Michael stared at me in confusion. “What’s wrong with Rachel?”

I smiled. “Nothing is wrong with her. But you have a surprise coming. And I’m going to let them give it to you.”

“Shit.” Michael sat up and adjusted his back against the bed. “Back to you. You need to tell Donny how you feel. If I had to guess, he’s afraid to take it to the next level.”

“Wait. You could hear me?”

“Your voice is all I’ve heard—well, until recently.” Michael rubbed his hand down his face.

He had lost a considerable amount of weight, making his face thinner than I’d remembered. His body had also suffered more than the trauma inflicted by Dmitri’s goons. His once muscular frame had shrunk to half what it once was. But despite all that, he looked good.

The sound of the door slamming alerted me Antonio and Rachel were home. The door burst open to reveal my brother, whose eyes were rimmed red. “Michael.” He moved around me and engulfed him in his arms. Both men crumbled in front of me, their sobs ricocheting through the bedroom.

I watched as they kissed and hugged one another. “Antonio,” I spoke, breaking their reunion apart. Rachel was standing in the hall, waiting to see him. Her face was tear stained as she watched their reunion. “I think you need to tell him. Rachel is waiting.” I nodded toward the hallway.

“Tell her to come in,” Michael said.

“There’s something you need to know first.” Antonio tugged his hands into his own. “Not too long after you went missing, we got some news that kept us moving forward—despite the pain we were feeling. We thought we’d lost you, Michael, and it nearly devastated us to a point of no return. Rachel,” he called out, beckoning her inside. “But then we learned she was pregnant." Antonio took a breath. "With your baby.”

Michael’s eyes widened as she crossed the room to his bedside. His hand reached out and pressed against the swollen bump as tears streamed down his face. “You’re having my baby?” Michael blinked, glancing between the two of them.

I felt like a voyeur who didn’t belong. Smiling at their tender moment, I eased out slowly and closed the door. As I turned around, I slammed into a wall of muscle.

“Shit.” I squeaked, finding the wall was Donny.

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