Page 5 of The Mafia's Omega Queen

Hunter stirs as I sit down on the side of the bed at Haylee’s side, softly dragging my knuckles across the smooth skin of her cheek. She’s still battered and bruised, the bruises constantly changing colors as she heals, giving me hope that she’s only sleeping as long as she has been so she can heal.

“I miss you, baby girl. We all miss you, but you take as long as you need, okay? We’ll all be here when you wake up,” I whisper, dropping a lingering kiss on her forehead.

“Speak for yourself,” Hunter murmurs through a sleepy rasp. “Little killer, think of all the orgasms you’re missing out on. That’s reason enough to wake up.” A chuckle leaves me at his words, the first since everything went down two weeks ago. An all too brief smile tilts Hunter’s lips, but it disappears so quickly I think I’m imagining it. He slides down the edge of the bed, climbing over the footboard and slipping his pants back on. “Let me know if anything changes.” He departs after that, his blond mohawk as deflated as his tone.

Laying down, I slide over until I’m pressed against her still form and bury my nose in the crook of her neck, breathing in her buttercream and vanilla scent. Her smell alone soothes my jagged edges, and every day it gets stronger, headier even, and that alone gives me hope that she’s close to waking up. If she were backsliding, I would think her scent would dissipate, growing weaker the longer she’s down. I can’t think like that, though. If I fall down that rabbit hole, there’s a good chance I may not make it back out.

The cry of my phone’s ringtone breaks the peaceful silence of our bedroom, not bothered at all by the piercing sound in the hope Haylee will maybe wake up and throw it across the room because it annoys her. She doesn’t so much as twitch as it continues to ring, so I fish it out of my pocket, and seeing Rebecca’s name flashing on the screen, I answer with it on speakerphone.

“Hey, Rebecca. You’re up super early. Is everything okay?” Worry licks my words as the early hour of her phone call is out of character for her.

“I know I’m pretty, but I don’t think I look anything like my wife,” Thane chuckles, his voice sounding stronger as days go by.

“Shit, Mr. Storm, I’m sorry. Rebecca is always the one to call, so I didn’t expect it to be anyone other than her.”

“What have I told you about that Mr. Storm shit?”

Ahh, fuck. “Sorry, Thane. Old habits die hard, I guess.”

Thane makes a weird buzzing noise with his mouth, then chuckles. “Try again.”

Huh? What the hell else is there to call him? Mr. Storm, Thane, Boss, Sir? It finally clicks, and my eyes widen as I stare down at the phone in my hand. Does he want me to call him that? God, I hope he doesn’t rip my head off for this one.

“Dad?” Yep, totally phrased that as a question, and it doesn’t escape Thane’s notice.

“Jeez, son, took you long enough. You act like I’m going to kill you for calling me that. Am I going to have to do that, Gavin? Am I going to have to kill you?” He laughs again, this time deep and menacing. It’s so at odds with how he’s sounded before. But when he talks again, his tone changes back to his usual teasing. “Don’t answer that. How’s our girl? Rebecca has been giving me updates daily, but I couldn’t sleep and was thinking about my little girl and wanted to check on her.”

This is the one time I wish I had good news to share. They are both healing and could use the encouragement, but nothing has changed. Shifting back a bit, I set the phone on the pillow between us, hoping that maybe hearing her dad’s voice would help bring her back to us.

“She’s still the same, but we’re holding onto hope that she’ll wake up soon since her vitals are getting better every day. I have you on speakerphone, and she is next to me if you’d like to talk to her.” I cross my fingers. This would be good for both of them.

“I appreciate that, son.” Thane sniffles. “Hey, sweetheart. It’s Dad. You know, the dad you’re mad at cause he drugged you to send you away? Yeah, that dad.” A scratching sound echoes from the receiver, and I barely make out Thane’s muttered next words. “God, I sound like a fucking idiot. Of course she knows who I am. But how the hell do I do this?” He coughs as the scratching sound happens again, and his voice comes back louder and clearer this time. “I miss you, sweetheart. We’re all waiting for you to wake up and come back to us. I’ve already received word from one of your mates—and yes, sweetheart, we are going to talk about this plural status—and I’ve accepted them coming into the fold of the Storm empire.”

That’s news to me. I didn’t know anyone had asked them about it, figuring they would just go through Haylee for permission, which she would give in a heartbeat. She loves Hunter and Arden as much as she loves me. She may not voice it, but with every word, every touch, every coy smile, she conveys her feelings, and they reciprocate ten-fold. We still haven’t discussed when we’re going to make the return to the Storm compound, but knowing Haylee and the guys, they will want to get out of here as soon as possible.

I don’t know where that will leave Vinny, though. But there’s time to figure all that out since it’ll probably be a while before she’s cleared for travel. She has a lot of healing to do, and we will be here with her every step of the way.

“Gavin? Son?” Thane’s voice brings me back to the here and now.

“Yeah, Dad?” My eyes widen. Wow, that slipped out a lot easier this time.

He chuckles, obviously thinking the same thing. “Thank you for being there with her. And know it’s not your fault this happened.” I try to protest, but he stops me. “I’m serious. It’s not your fault, son. But we will make the ones who did this pay. Take care of my little girl, and let me know if anything changes.” I blow out a breath. How the hell did he know I was blaming myself for this?

“Alright, Dad. I’ll keep you and Rebecca updated every day. The moment something changes, you both will be the first to know. And if you need anything, please call me.”

“We will. Thanks, Gavin. Bye.” Before he hangs up, I hear Rebecca murmuring in the background that I better start calling her mom, or she’s going to kick my ass. A startled laugh bursts from me at the seriousness of her tone, but she’s a badass, just like her daughter, and I know she could do it too.

Silence engulfs the room again, only broken by the breaths coming from Haylee’s mouth. It’s a beautiful sound. One telling me that she’s still here, still hanging on. And I will continue to hold out hope as long as she keeps breathing.

Moving my phone to the nightstand, I tuck back into her neck, our hearts beating as one the longer we lay together. After I lost Jess, I never thought I would find myself here again, in the arms of another woman, but here I am. My love for Jess didn’t diminish when I finally accepted my love for Haylee, but I’d like to hope she’s here with us now, helping me keep Haylee’s soul tethered to her body because she knows how much I need her. We need her even if Vinny doesn’t deserve her.

At some point, I must have fallen asleep because I startle awake as Andre slips into the room with a tray of food in his hands, the smell of fried chicken awakening my senses. He makes the best food, and the crispiness on the outside of his chicken is his own personal recipe. Colonel Sanders better watch out cause Andre is coming for the title of best fried chicken.

Softly I drop a kiss on Haylee’s forehead and sit up, resting my back against the headboard. Andre sets the tray on my lap, then leans over me, laying his own kiss on her forehead. Andre sees Haylee like a daughter to him, and the guilt he feels over not protecting her better is palpable. We’ve told him numerous times over the last two weeks that it wasn’t his fault and there was nothing he could have done to prevent it, but he swears up and down that when she wakes up, he’ll do better.

Haylee would kick his ass for talking like that.

“Thank you,” I croak, my voice rough with sleep.

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