Chapter 28: Chapter 28

I’ve just spent the last few hours impatiently waiting for the doctor to do all kinds of tests on Eden. His biggest worry was the blows she took to her head.

He wants to keep her overnight for observation because she has a concussion. She was allowed to take a warm shower, and dressed in a hospital gown, she’s finally in bed with warm blankets covering her.

Sitting on the side of the bed, I keep staring at the bruises on her face. She has a busted lip, a purple shadow over her jaw, and a cut above her eye that’s all the colors of the rainbow.

She looks at me with confusion in her eyes, but she hasn’t asked any questions.

“Renzo went to get Tyrone. They’ll be here soon,” I mention.

“Thanks,” she whispers, her gaze not leaving my face.

She takes a deep breath then chuckles. “So, what are you? A spy or some CIA agent?”

I shake my head. “The opposite.”

Her eyebrows start to lift, but she stops when it tugs at the cut on her forehead.

“The opposite?” Her gaze darts over my face again. “A criminal?”

I brace myself for the worst before I nod. “The Cosa Nostra.”

This time, the cut doesn’t stop her eyebrows from flying into her hairline as she gasps, “Mafia?”

“He’s one of the heads of the Cosa Nostra,” Damiano suddenly says from behind me. “And because of it, he was able to save your life.”

“I’ve got this,” I mutter. I don’t think Eden can handle Damiano right now.

“I’m his boss,” the fucker says as he comes to take a seat on a chair. “I have questions.”

Fucking robot.

“This can wait,” I snap at him.

He only flicks his eyes in my direction before looking at Eden again.

When she begins to sit up, I shake my head, very unhappy. “You need to rest.”

“I can answer a few questions,” she argues. Folding her legs beneath her, she looks Damiano dead in the eye. “What do you want to know?”

“Who did you see, and what names did you hear?”

“I think there were four or five men when I was grabbed from the lobby.”

“They’re all dead,” I mutter.

Surprise flashes over her face. “Oh.” After she takes a deep breath, she continues, “I was out of it for a while, and when I came to, I was on a boat with different men. Obviously, seeing as you just said you killed the first lot.”

She’s quiet for a while, staring at a spot on my chest, then she shakes her head lightly as if she’s coming out of a daze.

“I was transferred to a bigger boat and held in a room. There were armed men. When they tore off my dress, I killed one with my shoe.”

The fuck?

“You took out an armed man with a shoe?” Damiano asks, actually sounding impressed.

“It’s all I had. I buried the heel in his eye,” she mumbles, her fingers twisting in the fabric of the covers.

“She can be your bodyguard, Dario,” the fucker says. “Continue, Eden.”

“I never heard any names. We were kept on the boat for a day before being moved to the house.”

“Did you see tattoos?” Damiano shoots another question her way.

She thinks for a moment, then answers, “They wore warm clothes, but one of the men had a leaf on his neck with an M.”

Damiano rises to his feet and surprises the fuck out of me when he comes to give Eden’s shoulder a squeeze.

“You did good, Eden. Get some rest.” Turning his attention to me, he says, “I’ll give you a day to be with her, then you have to get to work. I want Miguel found.”

“Got it,” I reply and watch as he leaves the room.

“Miguel?” Eden asks, her tone soft.

“The drug dealers who took you work for him,” I explain.

She nods, her eyes locking on my chest. Her features tighten, giving me the impression she’s nervous.

“You okay?”

She nods again. “So…” Her tongue peeks out and brushes over the cut on her lip. “You’re in the mafia.”

“Yes.” Needing to be open with her, I explain, “I take care of all the hacking and tracking jobs. I’m also a sniper for the family.”

My body tenses as I wait for her to say something else.

When she remains quiet, I murmur, “Say something.”

Her eyes lift to my face, and I watch as they shine with a look of wonder.

“A while back, when I asked if you have a dark side, this didn’t cross my mind.” She lets out an awkward-sounding chuckle. “When you came into the house all guns blazing I was shocked.”

I’m surprised when Eden climbs onto my lap, and I quickly wrap my arms around her just happy she’s not telling me to take a hike.

She tilts her head as she stares into my eyes again. “You were totally badass. It was hot.”

My eyebrows draw together. “You’re not angry that I kept it from you?”

She shrugs. “We both had our secrets. Besides, I’ve just been through hell. If you hadn’t come for me, I’d still be there.” She places her palms against my jaw and presses a soft kiss to my mouth. “And I’ve always had a thing for bad boys.”

A grin forms on my face, and lifting a hand, I gently tuck some of her damp strands behind her ear.

“So we’re good?” I ask.

She nods before snuggling into my chest, then I hear her whisper, “I just want you to hold me. The past two days were horrible.”

I move us into a more comfortable position and lie down on the bed with my woman sprawled half over me. Keeping my arms wrapped around her, I drop kisses to her hair.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask.

She shakes her head and holds tighter onto me.

Just as some of the tension starts to leave my body, I hear hurried footsteps. The next second, Tyrone bursts into the room.

“Is she okay?!” he asks, his eyes locking on Eden.

We sit up again, and I move out of the way so he can get to her.

The mountain of a man swallows Eden in a hug, then a sob escapes him as he groans, “Jesus, baby girl. What they do to you?” He looks at the bruises on her face, then snaps, “The motherfuckers.” Rubbing his hand up and down her back, he mutters, “Tyrone’s here. It’s gonna be okay.”

“I was so scared I’d never see you again,” she whimpers.

“Me too, baby girl.” He lets out a heavy sigh. “Me too.”

They hold each other for a while, and when the heavy emotion begins to subside, Tyrone looks at me and whispers, “Thank you.”

I nod, and shoving my hands into my pockets, I watch as they hold each other for a little longer.

Eden is the first to pull back. She tries to smile, but her busted lip stops her.

“I’m okay. Just a couple of bumps and bruises,” she says to put Tyrone at ease.

“The doctor’s just keeping her overnight because she has a concussion. We can take her home tomorrow morning,” I mention, seeing as I have to discuss something important with them.

“You’ll need to bring me some clothes,” Eden tells Tyrone.

“Okay.”

“Actually, you need to pack enough clothes for a couple of weeks,” I drop the bomb while locking eyes with Tyrone. “Eden’s coming home with me, and because I know she’ll be worried about you, I think it would be best if you stayed in one of my guestrooms.”

“Why would I be worried?” Eden asks. “Do you think the drug dealers will come after me again and try to hurt Tyrone?”

I shake my head. “No. But we’re going to war against Miguel’s group, and I can’t have you out there.”

“Who’s Miguel?” Tyrone asks.

“The fucker responsible for the drugs flooding Brownsville and the rest of New York,” I answer.

Eden places her hand on Tyrone’s forearm. “Will you come with me? Please?”

He inhales a deep breath before letting it out slowly. “Yeah. Anything for my baby girl.”

She leans her head against his shoulder. “Thank you.”

Happy that the conversation went well, I say, “Eden should get some sleep.”

“I’ll go pack our stuff. Want me to meet you here tomorrow?” Tyrone asks.

Digging my SUV’s keys out of my pocket, I hand them to him. “There’s an SUV parked out front. Take it. I’ll text you my address. Once you’re done packing, head over to my place. I’ll notify my housekeeper that you’re coming.”

“Okay,” he agrees. “I haven’t driven in a while.”

“It’s okay.” A smile curves the corners of my mouth. “The SUV is insured.”

“I’ll be careful,” he assures me before nodding toward the doorway. “Can we talk alone?”

“Sure.” I glance at Eden, who’s crawling beneath the covers again. “I’ll be right outside the door.”

“Okay.”

I follow Tyrone into the hallway, and when he turns to face me, there’s a worried expression tightening his features.

“With you being in the mafia, will Eden be in danger?”

I shake my head. “No. I’ll keep her safe.” Knowing he needs to hear the words, I place my hand on his shoulder and say, “Eden is mine, and no one will dare lay a finger on her now that the word is out there. She has the full force of the Cosa Nostra protecting her.”

He nods, then gives me a relieved smile. “Thanks for finding her and bringing her home.”

Aware of the tight bond between Eden and Tyrone, I murmur, “I would’ve done the same if you were the one they took. You’re important to Eden, which means you’re important to me.”

He lets out a chuckle. “Never thought I’d have a mafia boss say that to me.”

Returning his smile, I mutter, “Yeah.” I nod in the direction of the exit. “Get going, and don’t take too long at the apartment. Grab what you need and get out of there.”

Tyrone nods, but before he can walk away, I add, “Take my number so you can call me if something happens.”

We quickly exchange numbers, and I send him my address.

He hesitates for a moment, then says, “Thanks for watching over us. You’re good people, Dario.”

I give him a chin lift, then watch as my future father-in-law walks down the hallway.