21. Mae

21

MAE

T here was a screech of metal, a terrible sound that made it seem like the whole car was screaming. Then there was so much bright light that my eyeballs felt like they were on fire. Then I was falling down, down, down for what felt like forever.

I jumped awake, my heart pounding fiercely in my chest as if it were trying to escape. Light pressure on my face made me twist my head this way and that, jerking my body too as I expected to be still trapped within the car and drowning under that terrible sound.

Instead, I was in a room. A hospital room, judging by the machines to my left, displayed information I didn't understand. Tubes and wires stretched out from my arm, and plastic tubing across my face delivered oxygen. I knew that from when I'd given birth to Zack.

Zack!

Oh, my God, what happened? One minute, Jian and I had been driving, and the next, something came out of nowhere and smashed us right off the road. Replaying what events I could remember, I slowly tested each of my limbs. They were all moving and nothing was particularly painful. Confusion mixed with the swirl of anxiety in my chest over what the hell had happened.

Then the door opened and a sliver of light drifted across my bed. In walked a nurse, and beyond his shoulder, I glimpsed only a white corridor with another door at the opposite side of the hall.

"Miss Murphy?" The nurse approached with a kindly smile on his face. "How are you feeling?"

"What… what happened?"

"You were in a car accident. Do you remember that at all?"

A painful fog clouded my thoughts, snatching my memories away just as I tried to recall them. I nodded slowly, causing my hair to rustle on the pillow.

"You were brought here within the hour. Firefighters had to cut you out of the car, but don't you worry." He smiled warmly. "Your injuries are minimal. Your side of the car was relatively safe, so you have some minor cuts and bruises, although we're keeping a close eye on the head injury you sustained, so please let me know if you have any issues with your eyesight or speech, okay?"

He moved around me and ticked a few things off on the chart in his hands. That comforting smile never wavered to the point that it was almost unsettling.

"What about…" I paused and coughed as the dryness in my mouth caught my throat. "What about Jian? The man I was with?"

"I'm sorry." The nurse paused at the end of my bed. "Your friend's injuries are more severe, but I can't discuss them with you."

"But… but is he alright?"

"He's stable?—"

The door flung open so violently that it slammed into the wall and immediately bounced back on the two figures that stormed inside. Dino lifted his hand to stop the door from slamming into him while Rocco made a beeline to my bed.

"Mae!" He instantly grabbed my hand, his brows pinched deep with worry as he scanned me over. "Are you alright? Is she alright?" He turned to the nurse who stood in shock at the sudden intrusion.

Their appearance immediately sent acidic spirals of worry swirling in my gut and teasing at the base of my throat. If they were here, did that mean this was connected to the attack at the funeral? Was I once again being dragged into a painful, hellish situation?

Was this my punishment for giving in to the carnal desires these men raised in me?

"She's alright," the nurse assured Rocco. "A little banged up, and we're keeping an eye on her head wounds, but other than that, she's alright."

"Oh, thank God." Dino suddenly shoved Rocco out of the way and planted a deep, powerful kiss on my lips. The kiss was so strong that I didn't notice he'd opened the split on my lower lip until he pulled away and a sharp flare of pain crept across my face. "I have to find Jian."

With that, Dino was gone as abruptly as he arrived while Rocco perched on my bed, not looking away for even a second.

"I'll leave you two alone." The nurse smiled again, although more nervously this time, then he scurried from the room.

I turned my attention to Rocco, who didn't smile. His face didn't soften even as I smiled up at him. He reached out and gently swiped his thumb over my lightly bleeding lip, then he caressed my cheek.

"Fuck, I was so scared," he said softly.

"I'm alright."

"All I knew was that you were in an accident. Dino and I drove straight back from New York the moment we were informed. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm okay," I assured him quietly, moving one hand to grasp his thigh. "Is this… because of what happened at the funeral? Are they connected? Is that why you're here?"

Rocco's face finally softened as he lifted one brow. "No, Mae. We're here for you."

"What?"

"I don't know anything about what happened tonight, but I swear to you, I will find out. When I get my hands on whoever did this to you, I swear I will—" Rocco cut himself off and swallowed audibly.

My heart skipped a beat. Were they really here for me? Regardless of whether this was Mafia-related or not, they came all this way at the drop of a hat for me?

Fuck, they made it impossible to resist them.

"I've been struggling with my crumbling willpower to stay away from everything Mafia-related, to keep my son and me safe, and then it just smashed into me anyway." I laughed dryly, then groaned as a dull ache flared across my ribs.

"I… If this is… I'm sorry," Rocco said tightly. He leaned over me and pressed his lips to my forehead, then he lingered there for a few long seconds. "I'm so, so sorry."

The door to my room opened once more, and two police officers strolled in with tight, grim expressions. Rocco's thigh underneath my hand tensed immediately, and I was struck with a moment of curiosity. If Rocco was in the Mafia, what was his relationship with the police like?"

"Miss Murphy?" The taller police officer moved to my bedside, just a foot away from Rocco, while the other remained near the door .

"Yes?"

"My name is Kane. I was the first on the scene of your accident."

"Uh… nice to meet you?"

"Do you know who did this?" Rocco cut in. In just a few seconds, he had tensed so completely that one wrong move and he would surely snap apart.

"Yes, we have the driver in custody. He survived the crash, and his blood alcohol level was… let's just say it was insane."

"What?" My stomach clenched.

"You were hit by a drunk driver, Miss Murphy. When you're well enough, we will require a statement from you, but I just wanted to let you know that he's been arrested, and once he's cleared, he'll be taken to the station."

"That's… thank you, Officer."

Kane smiled at me, then he dipped his head at Rocco and left the room. His companion followed.

A drunk driver.

"Asshole," Rocco spat out bitterly. "I ought to go see?—"

"No." I moved my hand from his thigh to his forearm. "Don't you dare. I don't know how you deal with things in your world, but it sounds like the police have it under control."

"He could have killed you," Rocco snarled, and he rose sharply, like a rod snapping free of restraint.

Despite his angry stature and clear fury, I couldn't stop the bubbles of tired laughter that crept up as the reality of the situation hit me.

"Mae?" Rocco turned to face me, and his anger was briefly replaced by open confusion .

Once I'd started laughing, I couldn't stop. "It's just… I'm sorry, it's just so funny, don't you think?"

"What do you mean?" Rocco frowned. "Should I get the doctor?"

"Well… I spent all this time trying to stay away from you because your world and your life are dangerous, and I—" I giggled harder. "And I nearly get killed by a drunk driver because the world is fucking dangerous anyway!"

Was this a punishment or a wake-up call? I couldn't decide, and that only made the entire thing even funnier. It had to be shock, right? After a few long seconds of giggling, Rocco finally cracked a smile and returned to my side. He kissed my forehead and caressed one hand slowly through my hair.

"Being in my world does bring its own strain of unique dangers," Rocco said carefully. "But you're right. The entire world is dangerous."

"Fuck." I calmed down after a few minutes and sank back into my pillow. As silence fell, my thoughts turned back to Jian and what condition he was in. His side of the car had definitely taken the brunt of the impact, and the longer Dino was away, the more worried I grew.

A soft tinkle of music filled the air, and Rocco moved off the bed while pressing his phone to his ear.

"Hello?" His face hardened immediately, and a spew of angry Italian exploded from him. He spoke so fast that even if I had a minimal grasp of the language, I was certain I wouldn't be able to keep up. He paced back and forth at the bottom of my bed, and I watched him closely, using his movements as a distraction from the worry in my chest.

"No," he snapped, switching back to English. "I have important things to deal with here, Vito, so you will handle it. "

He fell silent, listening once more, and then he stopped and straightened up like a board. Slowly, his eyes moved to me and stayed there. He watched me and I watched him, trying to get any hint of what the call was about, until Rocco sighed deeply and set his mouth in a firm line.

"My father used to rule from the outskirts and you never had a problem with it. I can do the same. But let me make one thing very clear. No one, and I mean no one, makes a move without my say-so, do you understand?"

A sudden, unexpected thrill shot through me at seeing such power pour from Rocco. And the way he spoke? I wanted to hear that deep, demanding voice whispering things in my ear, knowing my body would melt just to please him.

I couldn't tell if the person on the other end even had time to respond because Rocco hung up quickly and grimaced. "Family."

"The worst," I murmured.

Dino stepped through the door, his shoulders slanted down and his head low. His face was grim, but when he looked at me, warmth flooded through his eyes and he smiled.

"How is Jian?" I asked.

My words seemed to catch Rocco's attention and he glanced up to see Dino. "How is he?"

"He's alright," Dino breathed out, and a sense of relief flooded the room. "He's got some broken ribs and a pretty serious head injury, but all in all, he was really fucking lucky."

"Oh, thank God." I pressed my head back into the pillow with a small groan and closed my eyes. "Thank God."

When I opened them, Rocco and Dino were seated by my bed, and my heart swelled with affection .

Rocco really meant it when he said they'd come here for me.

And they were clearly not leaving.