20. Ezra

Chapter twenty

Ezra

I exhale heavily as I adjust in the chair in my study and stare at the reports in front of me. Like it’s been lately, the weight of everything presses against me like a suffocating blanket. I rub my temples with my free fingers before closing my eyes.

My eyes flick to the IV bag, its contents dwindling, swaying gently from the pole beside me. The rollers underneath make it easy to move around, and with Raven's watchful eyes on me, there's no skipping the dosage—just like there’s no stopping the work.

The door suddenly swings open, and Raven steps in without so much as a knock. I raise my brows, surprised by her abruptness.

“I told you that you couldn’t be out of bed until you’re well rested and your dose is finished,” she says, hands firmly planted on her hips.

I blink at her, taken aback, before composing myself. “And I told you that I don’t have the time to lie around when I have work to do.” I start sifting through the papers on my desk, trying to ignore the inevitable confrontation.

“There’s only one day left—”

“You know what?” I begin, cutting her off and choosing my next words carefully. “I’ve been thinking…maybe it’s time for you to… see the outside world.”

My brain replays what she said. She wanted to know things, things I wasn’t ready to share.

My gut twisted initially, unsure whether she was just curious or looking for a crack in my armor. But as the conversation continued, I felt the yearning in her voice for freedom.

It was the first time since our recent interactions that she’d asked to leave with so much…brokenness. I’d always known it… that she didn’t belong here, but that conversation reiterated the fact in a different kind of way.

And maybe that’s why I’m being foolish. Maybe that’s why I’m trusting –half trusting– her with freedom beyond the mansion.

Her eyes light up. “Really?”

I exhale slowly, relieved that the conversation has shifted away from the IV. “Yes,” I say.

“Guards!” I raise my voice to call out to the men outside my office who no doubt escorted Raven here.

The two guards step in, standing tall and alert. Raven’s smile falters. It would be irrational to send her out without protection… and provision for if she decides to pull any shenanigans.

“ Porta Raven a Bay Ridge per due ore. Proteggila con la tua vita. (Take Raven to Bay Ridge for two hours. Protect her with your life).” Bay Ridge is a shopping district.

“Sì, Don,” they respond in sync.

I grab my black card from the drawer and extend it before she rethinks the dose again. “Two hours, nothing more.”

The feisty young woman snatches the card from my hold and squints at me. She gestures by pointing to her eyes, then back at me—a clear sign that she’s keeping an eye on me. A small smile graces my lips as she turns to leave, the men hot on her heels.

I chuckle softly as the door clicks shut. Events of the last two days– after the operation– playing in my mind. Raven—never one to sit still—hasn’t left my side since she stitched me up. She’s been supervising my meals, drawing my baths, and is always there. It feels strange, comforting even, to have someone care like that.

Did she treat all her patients the same way? An uncomfortable knot twists inside me at the thought.

The silence in the room presses against my skull, thick and heavy, but my mind isn’t quiet. It’s never quiet. I think back to a specific question from two days ago.

“Are you truly happy?”

Che cazzo (What the fuck) —happiness. I lost it when I lost Vittoria. However, I also can’t deny that I’ve felt a tiny sense of happiness the past few days. Raven’s gorgeous smile lingers in my head. I can no longer deny that she’s creating a space in my life—no, in my heart. And that terrifies me more than any enemy I’ve ever faced.

That fear isn't something I’m ready to address so I file the thought away, burying it under the weight of everything else I need to deal with. Now that Paterson is out of the way, my focus needs to shift. Russo is still out there, and so is Tsvetok Smerti.

But more pressing than anything is Raven’s safety.

I clench my fist, the burning sensation in my arm reminding me of the time that bastard tried to put his hands on her. My jaw tightens as I recall the scene—her terrified eyes, the panic in her voice. The thought of her in danger makes my skin crawl.

A knock sounds on the door, shattering my thoughts. “ Sono Elio, Capo (It’s Elio, Boss).”

I let out a small sigh. “ Entra (Enter).”

The door creaks open, and Elio steps in, his face set in his usual deadpan expression.

“Elio,” I say, nodding toward the chair in front of the desk. “ Cosa hai per me (What do you have for me)?”

“Don,” he says, with a nod, taking a seat across from me, eyes flitting to the IV pole before landing on me. “How are you holding up?”

I give a small shrug, the movement putting a slight strain on my injured arm. “Good.” I nod at him. “ Cosa hai per me (What do you have for me)?”

He hesitates for a second. “You did good, Boss. Business seems to be seamless.”

I smile, recalling the sensation of the gun in my hand when I squeezed the trigger. Paterson’s face—his surprise—flashes in my mind. He didn’t expect it to end that way. “ Ci assicureremo che rimanga così (We’ll make sure it stays that way).”

Elio nods and shifts in his seat. “ Riguardo all'intruso che ha attaccato Raven… (Regarding the intruder that attacked Raven)...”

“Sì …?” My eyebrows lift in anticipation that’s soon killed by Elio’s next words.

“We have nothing yet, we’re still looking.”

My grip tightens around the papers on my desk, anger creeping up my gut. I snap my fingers at Elio. “Get me everything we have on Russo, Tsvetok Smerti, and bring them to me. I need them now.”

A terrible migraine sets in, and I rest my head on my good arm.

“ Capo, stai bene? (Boss, are you okay?)” I hear him ask. “Shall I get Raven?”

I barely shake my head. “Elio, the documents.” My eyebrows furrow as I speak through gritted teeth.

He nods and exits the study. As he does so, Raven’s question claws at me once again. Happiness isn’t a luxury I can afford, not when every moment could be my last.