Page 75 of Double Edged Hearts
Chapter Twenty-Two
Alex
Something soft runs over my cheek.
It reminds me of her touch.
My girl.My Cora.
When she touches me, it feels like a gentle caress with all that she feels for me in that small gesture.
Four years ago I wanted to ask her to marry me. That was the first time I thought I’d do it. I thought there was no way that I could feel the way I did about this woman and not have her forever.
“Cora…” I whisper, and the softness comes again, but it’s not her touch. It’s not even fingers. It’s a cloth.
My eyes flutter open slowly, and I find myself staring into Claudius’ unusual eyes. One blue, the other brown. Both eyes are focused on me in that way that freezes a person in place.
I turn my head to the side when movement catches my eye, and I see that they’re all here.
Dante, Gio, Donny, and even Gibbs.
Ava, Claudius’ wife, is here too. She’s holding a bowl of water, and Claudius places the cloth inside it.
“Cora…” I say again, like I’m programmed to say her name. It’s then I remember what happened, and I bolt up.
The pain that gets me slams me right back down, along with Claudius’ arm.
“Stand down Capo and stay there,” he orders.
The door opens, and our field doc walks in with a little bag.
I was shot twice.How am I alive?
“My girl,” I say.
“She was taken, Alex,” Claudius answers. “We found you in the river.”
My skin buzzes with rage. “I have to get her.”
“I have a team trying to locate her,” Gibbs says. “They’re working hard to find her.”
I look through the window and see it’s daylight. They’ve had her since last night. Anything could have happened to her. Is she still alive?
“I have to get her. I have to…” I insist. I need my body to move.
Claudius keeps his hand firm on me, holding me down.
“You need to rest,” Doc says. “You nearly died. I got the bullet out of the side of your waist. It lodged in the muscle. If it had been any higher, it would have been fatal. The other bullet grazed your shoulder. You need to rest and take the pain meds.”
“God…” I’m a pathetic shit.
“Leave us,” Claudius says. “Gibbs, take my wife to the hotel and head back here.”
“Sure,” Gibbs replies.
They all leave. Ava is the last to go, but not before giving Claudius a kiss on his forehead. She places her hand on her ever-growing bump, and worry clouds her eyes. It’s the look I’ve seen on her many times.
The door clicks shut, and I return my attention to Claudius, who’s already looking at me.
