Page 220 of Stalking Ginevra

He chuckles. “Maybe not. We’ve got you on a lower dose of meds to avoid complications, but if the pain’s too much, just say the word.”

“Next time you run into a bullet, I’ll shoot you myself.” Roman appears from the other side of the room, his jaw tight.

“What happened with the Bossanova brothers?” I rasp.

“Filled with lead,” Cesare mutters, his glare flicking to our brother.

Roman shakes his head, his lips pinching. “He wanted them for his table.”

I laugh, setting off an explosion of agony that has me wincing. My big brother has snapped out of the depressed fuguethat’s plagued him since his wife left and now carries himself like a mafia boss.

On the subject of wives…

“Where’s Ginevra?” My voice scrapes out, each syllable coated in raw fire.

Roman’s features harden. “We left her in the hallway.”

My heart jolts, sending a sudden spike of adrenaline that shoots pain up my neck. I grit my teeth against the sharp throb.

“What?” I hiss.

“It’s her fault you got shot,” Cesare snaps. “We had a plan to subdue both Bossanova bastards and keep them in the basement, but Ginevra ruined it by stabbing Gianni.”

“Is she still out there?” I ask.

He glances toward the door. “Probably.”

“Bring her in.”

“Why?”

“I still love my wife,” I grind out.

Eyes widening, his mouth falls slack with disbelief. “The same wife who got herself kidnapped, cost you a hundred million, then nearly got you killed?”

I clench my teeth, ready with a reminder of how his own woman came to our home as an assassin. Before I can muster up a retort, Roman places a hand on Cesare’s shoulder.

“Let her in,” he rumbles.

Cesare’s features twist with fury, but I grab his wrist. “You have no idea the depths I sank to for Ginevra. What I did to her… how I broke her… makes what you put Rosalind through look like a first date.”

Curiosity gleams across his pale eyes, but he has the good sense not to ask for details. Instead, he nods and walks to the door.

Roman cups my cheek. “Don’t let her slip from your fingers.”

I swallow down a painful lump. “It’s no longer up to me.”

He nods. “Focus on getting better. Reaper and the boys are watching over the casino. Leroi, Seraphine, and Rosalind are following Bossanova’s trail to take out his accomplices.”

“Thanks.”

He ruffles my hair, something he hasn’t done since we were kids, then smooths it down when he realizes I’m about to see my wife. With a tight smile, he leaves the room.

Moments later, the door swings open, and my breath catches before I even see who’s about to enter. Ginevra walks in, still clad in the same safari jumpsuit as before, stained with my blood. Her auburn hair hangs limp around her pale features, shadowed by dark circles.

Our gazes lock, and a knot forms in my gut. The relentless pull toward her amplifies every beat of my heart, every raw throb in my throat. It’s as if her presence alone is a new kind of wound.

She stops, her chest rising and falling with rapid, shallow breaths. I hold mine, not knowing how she’ll react to my betrayal.

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