Page 11 of Taken By the Underboss

Alessandro straightened, giving me enough space that I finally felt like I could breathe but not enough that I could run. He scrubbed his hand across the back of his neck and let out a frustrated sigh.

"Let's go see Luca."

"But..." I started but I had no idea how to even finish that sentence.

His hand clamped down firmly on the back of my neck and I tensed as he guided me down the hall toward the back room.

He gave me a little push as we entered the suite, and I stumbled ungracefully toward Luca.

"Hey if it isn't sleeping beauty," Luca said playfully as we entered.

"Sleeping...?" Alessandro looked puzzled.

"Yeah, I guess I wasn't entertaining enough for her. Put her right to sleep."

"Sleeping while on duty?" Alessandro made a tisking sound and shook his head disapprovingly. "Check his vitals, doc."

Gone was the caring, soft-spoken side that he had shown me the night before. I couldn't tell if he was angry, disappointed, or something else entirely. The new side was cold and calloused.

I nervously approached Luca, glancing back and forth between him and Alessandro as they watched me. I pushed the thought of them out of my head and focused instead on being a doctor and helping my patient. I checked his pulse, temperature, and listened to his chest before examining the wound.

I was switching out the bandages when Alessandro spoke. "You had us worried there for a little while."

"What happened? I don't remember much after getting on the ship."

"You passed out from blood loss from yourscratchthere."

"Oh, yeah, that..."

"Next time you have a bullet wound, make sure you let someone know. Would you?"

"You say that like I'm planning on getting shot again," Luca chuckled and winced.

"You pull something like this again and I might just shoot you myself."

"What about..." Luca paused and motioned toward me with a nod of his head. "Should we be talking in front of her?"

Alessandro nodded, his expression suddenly turning serious. “She already knows too much.”

Luca glanced at me with an unreadable expression before giving a thoughtful nod and looking back at Alessandro.

“Does Teo know what happened?”

“I filled them in. He's sending a jet as soon as I let him know you're awake.”

“Well, let's get going. I'm ready to get home.”

“Me too.”

“What are we going to do about her?” Luca asked gravely and I tensed, not liking his tone.

Alessandro's jaw tightened and his fists clenched at his sides. “Not sure yet.”

Alessandro started to walk out of the room and turn back. "Keep an eye on her."

"You got it. So, Sleeping Beauty," Luca started. "How did you get roped into this?"

With Alessandro out of the room, I felt a bit lighter and there was something about Luca that made me relax instantly.

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