Chapter 14

14

"How old are you?" Wren quirks a brow at me, her baby blues stained with splotches of blood as she tears off another piece of bread and pops it in her mouth.

We've been trading questions between bites of takeout from Savor'd for the last twenty minutes. This isn't what I'd pictured when I thought of her sitting beside me at dinner, with no panties on beneath her dress. I swallow down my last spoonful of minestrone and answer, "Thirty-seven."

She nods her head as she chews, the bruises across her face already turning an angry shade of purple. My fingers twitch at the thought of Allen putting his hands on her. It's taking every last ounce of my self-control to keep the feral rage that prickles beneath my skin from reflecting on my face, but I bet she can probably sense it.

"What about family?" she asks timidly.

"My parents and little sister live out in Northbrook," I reply, replacing the lid on my empty container and putting it back in the bag. "What about you?"

"I don't know them," Wren replies, rolling her bottom lip between her teeth. "I was found outside a police station when I was three, in and out of foster homes, then lived in a group home until I went to college and met Drea." She yawns for what has to be the fourth time tonight. "And she became my family," she finishes, her tongue darting out to catch the fresh blood that's blossoming from the split in her lip.

"You should rest, Passerotta," I say softly, clearing the remnants of our dinner.

Humming in response, her lashes flutter against her swollen cheeks as she relaxes back against the pillow and pulls the blanket up over her chest. I swivel the tray to the side and push off the bed to stand, bending at the waist to capture her lips. The metallic taste of blood slides over my tongue as her mouth parts with a mewl and she deepens the kiss.

My dick stirs to life behind my zipper, and as much as it pains me not to sink into her right here and fuck away my aggression, she needs the rest and her body needs the chance to heal.

Leaning back, I hover over her, trailing two knuckles lightly down the curve of her cheek. "You're mine, Wren." My hand coasts slowly over the crest of her tits, her breath catching as my palm comes to rest on her flat stomach. She looks up at me with a hooded gaze as my thumb idly traces circles across the blanket. "And now this, makes us family."

Her throat bobs with a swallow, face splitting in a sated smile as her eyes slip shut and she whispers, "I like the sound of that," not yet understanding the full weight of what being with me means. But that's a conversation for another day.

I sink down into an uncomfortable navy upholstered chair, bringing my ankle up to rest on my opposite knee. Dragging a hand down my face, I prop my chin on my fist and watch as her chest rises and falls in a steady rhythm.

She looks surprisingly peaceful after the day's events; the exact opposite of how I feel. Allen fucked me over professionally, skimming tens of thousands of dollars over the last six months, and I thought I handled that well within the bounds of the law. But to come after Wren? That's fucking personal. No one touches what's mine.

He probably didn't know what she meant to me- hell, until Dallas called me, I myself didn't even realize it myself. I immediately decided I'd pull Allen's nails from his fingers and cauterize the wounds just to peel the scabs away and do it again to teach him to keep his hands to himself. And that was before I knew she was pregnant.

Cazzo. Guess my old man's getting his wish in spades.

My phone vibrates against my leg and I shift to pull it from my pocket, tilting it to see a text from Rocco on the screen.

Rocco

Here, the nurse won't let me in.

Straightening to my full height, I slip my phone back into my slacks and quietly place a chaste kiss on a sleeping Wren's forehead before heading towards reception.

Rocco has his foot propped up, leaning back on the wall near the Nurse's station. I slip the gal behind the desk my card and a C-note, asking her to call me if Wren wakes up while I'm out. She nods, nervously swiveling her head before discreetly tucking the bill and card into the front pocket of her light blue scrub top.

"Walk with me," I murmur to Rocco, lifting my chin towards the exit.

He kicks off from the wall, silently falling into step beside me until we pass through the automatic doors and find our way to a vacant bench outside.

Fishing a pack of smokes from his pocket, Rocco tilts them towards me, raising a brow in offering. I lean forward from the bench, taking one and rolling it between my fingers in debate. Smoking used to be a vice of mine, something that always seemed to take the edge off when I couldn't get to the gym, speed off in a fast car, or drink half a pint of whiskey. Lately, I've been smoking less because Wren's been around to dull the sharpness of my rage.

But it's been a goddamn day.

I take Rocco's Zippo, flicking back the gold lid and sparking a flame. With an inhale, the tip crinkles, glowing orange as the sweet bite of nicotine coats my tongue. I exhale with a sigh, the smoke swirling around me as I take a seat on the bench, instantly feeling some relief.

"How's married life?" I ask, morbid curiosity getting the best of me.

"Not to sound soft," Rocco shrugs, "But it's nice coming home to someone who lets you shed your skin without judgment."

Puffing on the filter, I shoot him a questioning look.

He tugs on his slacks and takes a seat beside me on the metal bench. "I come home and Isa's happy to see me, no matter what mood I'm in." He flicks the ash from the end of his own cigarette and takes another drag before continuing. "It doesn't matter if the day was piss poor or not, I don't have to wear a mask or check my feelings at the door. I can talk to her…" He shoots me a pointed look. "About some things, or just forget about it and enjoy the little slice of life that doesn't require me to be a hardass."

My head bobs, understanding what he means as I think about how light I felt this morning with Wren in my home.

"Why do you ask?"

I grind the half-smoked cigarette out against the heel of my shoe, tucking it behind my ear as I sling an arm over the back of the bench and twist to face my cousin. "Wren's pregnant."

Rocco's eyes round as he stares at me in bewilderment. His jaw hinges open as he pulls the cigarette from his lips and stabs it out on the edge of the bench.

"Merda," he hisses.

"Yeah."

Neither of us speaks, the sounds of cars zipping past and sirens fading in and out fills the void in the evening air.

Rocco fingers his gold chain. "Does this change things?"

I card a hand through my hair. "Of course it does. It changes everything."

"I'm sorry, cousin." He claps a hand down on my shoulder. "It seemed like you really liked the girl."

My face screws up in confusion. "Liked?"

"Yeah."

I shrug his hand off. "I still like her. If anything, I like her more."

He shifts back, brows drawing together. "You're telling me you're going to keep seeing her, even though she's pregnant with some stronzo's baby? That doesn't bother you?"

"Watch your tone, cousin," I warn as I shoot to my feet, stabbing a thumb at my chest. "That's my child."

Rocco's face goes slack, then his brows furrow together again as he waits for me to explain.

"It's a long story," I say with a wave of my hands before shoving them in my pockets and taking a few steps in front of the bench. "But I met her the night of your engagement party. We fucked, and it fits the doctor's timeline."

"So that's where you disappeared to..." He moves to stand beside me. "I'm sorry, I meant no disrespect, and I mean none now-"

"But?" I interject through clenched teeth.

"But, are you sure you can trust her? How well do you really know her, Bowie?"

I pause mid-pace, locking eyes with him as his words sink in.

He's right.

I had the same fleeting thoughts earlier. Sure, she passed a background check when she was hired at Vento, but could it be a coincidence that she was at the Monarch Club that night, then started working for me? Not to mention that douchebag ex of hers has made a habit of popping up at all of my businesses. I don't know her, not really. But she's also never pried into my personal life until tonight, and that was my idea.

I swallow roughly at the thought that Wren could have dubious intentions or that it might not be my child. I'm not ready to admit it yet, but the idea of being a father made my stomach swoop in excitement. And the thought of my child growing inside Wren… fuck, if it didn't make me hard imagining her petite frame with a swollen belly…

Cazzo.

"I'm going to move her in with me, have Doctor Marino do a paternity test to start and I'll take it from there." I hitch a few steps forward, adjusting my hardening dick to the side before turning to face Rocco. "Not a word of this to anyone in the family." Stepping closer, I level him with an ardent stare. "And that goes for blood and made."

He gives a curt nod, drawing in a deep breath and releasing it as his eyes dart around us. "If it's yours, we need to get a handle on business sooner rather than later," he says, his voice just above a whisper. "A girl and an heir are the perfect type of weakness Gabriel would like to get his hands on."

I gnash my molars together, the vein in my neck pulsing as blood rushes through my ears. "I know this. But first, we need to deal with the fucker who put her here-"

Soft feminine giggles interrupt us as two young nurses follow the same path we did, taking up the bench across from the one we'd occupied moments earlier.

My lips flatten into a thin line as I tip my head in the opposite direction and we walk off further down the path, to another outdoor seating area. Once I'm sure there's no one else in earshot, I fill Rocco in on Allen. He usually has no reason to be involved in Vento's business matters, but now that it's bled into family dealings, I want him fully up to speed. I go into all the details of how Wren came to work for me and her part in bringing Allen down. He listens intently, forehead creasing when I recap what Dallas witnessed today. Even without the mention of attacking her, I know my cousin's loyalty would've easily been extended to Wren because I've deemed her trustworthy.

"I have Dallas sitting on his house now with more guys on the lookout. O'Ryan gave us his plates, and flagged his license and passport under a classified case if he tries to leave the state. I want this one, though. I want to be the one to deliver his punishment before he takes his last breath."

My phone vibrates repeatedly in my pocket with an incoming call and I pull it out, expecting to see Dallas' name on the screen. Instead, it's an unknown number. I slide to answer, and a ripple of panic rolls through me as the nurse from the desk's tepid voice fills my ear, telling me I need to get inside immediately.

Ending the call, I sprint toward the Emergency Room entrance. Rocco's close on my tail as I weave through the halls and turn the corner to Wren's room. A sheen of sweat covers my skin as I slow my pace and compose myself when I don't hear any alarms or shouts of urgency coming from the room, but as I step through the doorway, Doctor Katz is dabbing blood from his nose and Wren is hunched in the bed, body shaking with silent sobs.

My expression must be murderous, because all the color on the nurse's face drains the moment our gazes collide. "Doctor came in to check her vitals and he must've scared her when he woke her, because she punched him," she rushes to explain.

I do my best to suppress a laugh at the thought of that scene unfolding, but the relief I feel is short-lived when I hear Wren sniffle, my heart clenching tightly in my chest. Moving towards the bed, I reach my hand out to lay it on her shoulder, and she flinches the second I make contact. "Hey Passerotta," I coo. "Are you okay?"

She lifts her head, glossy blue eyes rimmed red. "I- you weren't here, and Allen-" she sucks in a sharp breath and it comes out in a ragged sigh before she continues. "It felt like… I thought I was still there…"

My spine goes rigid, hand curling into a fist and flexing open at my side as I try to release the inward-facing disgust I have for leaving her and not even thinking about the possibility of a trauma response to the attack.

I trace the curve of her spine with the tips of my fingers and she starts to relax under my touch. "I should have been here. Forgive me?"

Nodding, she shifts in the bed, tear-soaked lashes fluttering as she moves aside to make space for me. Her voice trembles slightly as she asks, "Lay with me?"

Warmth seeps from the inside out, lips tugging up in a smile as I toe off my Tom Ford loafers and slide an arm around her shoulders to position myself beside her.

"You aren't supposed to-" Doctor Katz starts.

My head snaps around, pinning him a callous glare, and he's quick to swallow the rest of his condemning words, instead excusing himself from the room.

From the corner of my eye, I clock the look of intrigue on Rocco's face as he stands with his arms folded across his chest beside the door.

"Wren," I say, tucking a loose tendril of hair behind her ear and tipping my chin to Rocco. "This is Rocco, my cousin. Though he's really more like a brother."

Her mouth splits into a weak smile, offering him a polite greeting as she molds her body to mine, fitting perfectly beside me.

"Go home to Isa, we'll handle business tomorrow," I say, pulling my phone and wallet from my pocket and placing them on the table. "I'll text you when she's being released."

With a nod of confirmation, he says his goodbyes and pulls the door shut as he slips into the hall.

"Now rest, Passerotta. I won't leave," I murmur as I press my lips to Wren's temple and tuck her against my chest.

"You'd better not," she whispers, the heat of her palm splayed on my chest seeping through my shirt. "Or I'll deck you next."