Page 25 of Unspoken Ties

Ettore

My eyes slowly fluttered open, revealing fuzzy surroundings. Where was I? My body ached and throbbed with pain, like I had been hit by a bus. Things came more in to focus, and it was clear I was in a hospital setting, but I struggled to remember how I ended up in this place.

“Nice of you to join the world of the living,” a voice said.

I tilted my head and saw Cesare, our doctor. The puzzle pieces began to slowly piece themselves back together. I had been with Liria; she had almost gotten kidnapped, I got shot, and now I was here. The full scene was still hazy, but I remembered the general sequence of events.

“As if that would kill me.” My voice was raspy, and I desperately needed water.

He frowned at me. “One day it will. I’m getting old; I won’t be here to do this forever!”

I had heard the speech time and time again. He wasn’t wrong; Cesare was our only doctor, and no mafioso was currently in med school.

“Yeah, yeah.” I would have lifted my hand to wave him off, but my body felt like lead. “Where is Liria?”

“In the waiting room. She’s been asking about you every fifteen minutes.”

“Yeah?” I said, the corner of my mouth lifting up in a smile. “Let her in, then.”

Cesare nodded, dismissing himself to the door. As he pulled it open, I could see a flash of dark hair and the sound of a sob stifled quickly. Liria rushed in, her eyes wide and bright as they took me in.

“You dummy,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes. “You could’ve died.”

“Almost did,” I replied. “But there was no way I’d let my cute little wife be kidnapped.”

“Not funny!”

She moved towards the bed, grasping my hand in hers. Her grip was tight, almost painfully so, but I didn’t complain. Instead, I squeezed back with as much strength as my weak body could muster.

Liria crumpled onto the bed, her face pressed into the sheets. I could feel the dampness of her tears seeping through the fabric. Her sobs shook her body, each one a sharp stab of pain. The room was filled with a heavy silence, broken only by Liria’s muffled cries.

“Come here,” I said, opening the crook of my left shoulder, which hadn’t been shot. She was awkwardly positioned on the middle of the bed and it couldn’t have been comfortable.

“But you’re hurt,” she said apprehensively.

“Not on this side.” It was a lie. It would probably hurt a little, but it hurt more to see Liria sad.

She hesitated for a moment, assessing me with puffy red eyes. Then she slowly crawled into the spot I had made for her, curlinginto me with careful precision. I winced as her body brushed against my chest, but quickly masked it with a half-smile.

“Don’t do it again,” she mumbled.

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t make promises that I wouldn’t do it again, because I likely would. Whether it be protecting her or executing a mission, I would most likely find myself in a situation like that again.

Liria’s tears wetted my shoulder for what felt like an eternity until she finally fell silent. Her breaths became shallow and steady, and I could tell she had drifted off to sleep.

Cesare reluctantly gave me permission to return home, with strict orders for bed rest. One of my men drove Liria and I back to our place, the car stained with remnants of the blood I had spilled earlier. Once we arrived, he set off again to work on cleaning the car. Scrubbing away any evidence of the violent event that occurred within its walls.

“Looks like I’ll be staying home for awhile,” I muttered to myself.

I had so much to do with taking over Leone’s businesses. But I wouldn’t be able to move much after getting shot in the chest. Hopefully, I could get a lot of office work done from home.

“Tch,” Liria said, her lips forming into a pout. “I’ll chain you to the sofa if you try to leave.”

“Kinky.”

She shot me an icy glare, clenching her jaw. I could tell I was walking a very thin line, but I couldn’t help but push it further.

“I’d rather chain you up in bed,” I smirked, cupping her jaw with my hand. “It would look much better.”

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