Page 19 of Tainted Blood

“And he did. Fuck, if we knew she wanted to flee, I would have helped and put a bullet in his head. No fucking questions necessary,” I say, adjusting my bed to sit the fuck up. I want out of this place now. I think my revenge is mostly for me, but now it has my mother at the top of the list. She had given him more than he ever deserved, and he destroyed everything wonderful about her.

“We would have as well,” Jack says, while Connor nods in agreement.

“No doubt,” Connor adds.

“So about that little nurse. She gave me a strange vibe, like she’s hiding something besides knowing the governor.”

“She’s a med student, asshole. Besides, she’s not hiding anything other than she doesn’t want anything to do with me. Calista made it clear that she didn’t want to be with a mobster. I need to get the fuck out of here, and she needs to stay away or we’re taking her.” My brothers chuckle. Okay, maybe staying away won’t help her, but I’ll at least give her the impression that I will. The thought of never seeing her again infuriates me.

“We can call our doctor and have him at the house,” Jack says. He looks at the door and back at us. “Frankly, I don’t trust that doctor that was in here. He ”

“Me either.” Connor nods.

“We’ll get you out of here right now.”

There’s a knock at the door. “Hey, we’ve been waiting out here,” Claudia says, entering with a box in her hands.

“Sorry about that, trouble,” Connors says, pulling his wife to his side.

“It’s fine, but we were getting worried.”

“Yeah, the little woman that left was fighting tears, and then the doctor pulled her into another room,” Nora adds.

“We’re snatching her up and putting his head on a fucking platter,” I snarl, losing my composure.

“She’s probably getting reamed for having a relationship with you,” Connor says.

“It’s none of his fucking business. I already warned his ass once.”

“A relationship?” Nora asks, while she and Claudia share smiles with each other.

“She’s going to be my wife if she doesn’t hide from my ass,” I snarl.

“Oh Lord, she has no chance, does she?” Nora asks.

Claudia looks nervously around before she says, “There’s something you should know. I recognized her. She used to live next door to my dad with her grandparents, but her father lives in New York and he’s…in the mafia.”

“What else do you know?” I ask.

She twists her lips and then adds, “Her mother died when she was little, so she stayed with her grandparents while her dad ran the organization.”

Chapter Nine

Calista

I practically ran from his room before I made a bigger fool of myself. I can’t believe what Ian said in front of my boss. I could chalk it up to the meds, but I should know better. He carried himself with pure confidence and power. I knew it that night at the club and after knowing who he is, there is no doubt in my mind that he meant what he said, so I’m going to take his words seriously.

“Run,” he uttered with those beautiful eyes full of warning and hunger.

If he finds me, then I’m his. Why is it both tempting and terrifying? The idea of him chasing and catching me has so much merit, I want to take off already in the hopes he’ll give chase.

Still, there are other things to be concerned about; like I’m not sure how my father will feel about another mafia family trying to claim me.

I shake my head, trying to stop myself from crying. My emotions are flying all over the place. Seeing Ian after all this time has been a rush, but seeing him injured like that made it hard to keep my emotions in check.

When he pulled me to him, I didn’t want him to let me go. I nearly caved to the temptation, but I remembered what came with the lifestyle, and I don’t want to marry a mobster.

“Ms. Vitale.” I clamp my eyes and lips shut tightly, freezing in place as Dr. Fisher coldly calls my name. Spinning on my heel, I face him. “We need to speak,” he says.

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