HIS: Luca: The Sabatini Family

by Fiona Murphy

  He runs a finger along my cheek. “I mean we’re leaving Vegas. You want to be here. I want to be here. I’ll take over from Pop and Sandro will take over Vegas for me. That all right with you?”

  I nod, fighting not to throw my arms around him. “I love you and I would go anywhere you wanted, but I’m glad this is where we will be together.”

  His grin is devilish. “So does this get me the reward of you crawling on top of me and—”

  I press my lips against him, then very carefully press against his chest. Holy crap, he is so drugged up he doesn’t even flinch. “Does Pop have more painkillers for when you’re paying for me climbing on top of you?”

  He nods at the bedside table, it’s a big bottle. “Now come here and let me into heaven, mi amore. This is what got me through two hours of torture, knowing at the end of it you and our baby were waiting for me.”

  Carefully, very carefully, I do as he demands. My body is ready and as greedy as he is. It only takes minutes before we’re both exploding with pleasure. Looking down at him, his beautiful face soft with love, I finally understand what he means by heaven. As his eyes close and he slips into sleep, I say a prayer of thanks he’s here with me again, safe and if not completely whole, he’s completely mine, and that’s enough for me.

  22

  Luca

  The pain hits me, yanking my ass out of sleep. Well, the pain pills and shot the family doctor gave me have worn off. I move to sit up and fight not to throw up from the pain. Fuck. Bella is asleep beside me; I move to grab the pain pills, but I miss and the bottle falls on the floor. Damn it. I don’t want to wake her, except I need something now.

  There’s a soft knock on the door. “Luca?” It’s Pop. “You need some help?” I pull the blankets over Bella.

  “Yeah, please,” I mutter.

  The door opens, he looks me over. “Pain?”

  I nod.

  “I’m going to grab something for you to eat. You take the oxy on an empty stomach and you’ll throw it up.” He disappears for less than three minutes; I feel every second he’s gone though. Then he hands me a Ziploc of Cheerios. “Santino won’t mind you eating his Cheerios.”

  I shake my head as I swallow the bag of cereal and he goes and fills the empty glass with water. I drink the water, then swallow the two pills he hands me, then hold out my hand for more. Even though he sighs, he gives me two more. “Thanks,” I mutter. I look over to Bella. “I didn’t want to wake her up. What time is it?”

  “She needs her sleep. It’s a little after one in the morning. I was up with Christy. She thought she was going to have me sleep on the couch.” He chuckles.

  Glancing through the open door, it’s quiet in their room. “She was mad?”

  He shrugs. “Yeah, more upset I didn’t tell her first. But really it was about the fear more than anything else.”

  “So you think if you tell her you’re retiring she’ll be happier?” I ask.

  An eyebrow lifts. “Why would I retire?”

  “Well, if I take over for you like you’ve been asking the last two years, why would you need to work? You can keep the bookstore if you want. It will let me focus on just the bookmaking and loan business. I’ll probably expand the loans, to stay busy.”

  His smile is wide as he shakes his head. “You’re giving up Vegas for Chicago?” Like he needs me to spell it out.

  “I’m giving up Vegas for Bella and our family. Twins.” I exhale a shaky laugh as I look at Bella, still in awe of the news. “While Augusto was working me over, I made it through the pain by focusing on what was waiting for me. Imagining Bella happy with me and the kids, I saw us here with you and the family she always wanted, not in Vegas with her in a big house and me at work at all hours of the night, fitting her in when I could then feeling guilty for the time I spent away. Then on the flight back, trying to figure out how to make all this shit up to her. I knew what she would want. It’s the same thing I want: to be here all the time, not just a week or two at a time.”

  He doesn’t say anything, just smiles so wide I’m wondering if his face is hurting. “That okay with you?” I ask.

  “Yeah, that’s okay with me.” He laughs.

  “I’m going to need your help with something else though. It’s a surprise for Bella.” I run a finger over her cheek, checking if she’s really awake or not. She doesn’t react. “It’s a good surprise, something that can’t wait for me to heal to do myself.”

  Pop looks at Bella. “What is it?”

  “I need you to go get her mom.”

  “Her mom? I thought she was dead.” He frowns as he straightens.

  “Mundo’s parting gift to Bella is the news she didn’t die. But she was injured pretty badly in a car accident. A spinal injury left her paralyzed from the waist down. When Bella was freed and went to live in Dallas, Mundo tried to talk the mom into letting Bella know. She wouldn’t have it, didn’t want to be a burden and all that bullshit. That shit doesn’t work for me. Bella deserves her mom. I need you to go get her.”

  He nods. “Where is she?”

  “Mundo has her stashed in Merida under a new name. The carriage house I was going to turn into an office for me is going to be hers, I’ll have it turned into an apartment or whatever that will be made for her to live in a wheelchair, but it still needs a lot of work to renovate it from the woodworking space it is now. That’s for when we take over the house. I considered waiting, but if I do I’m sure Bella will never forgive me. I’m not sure what to do with her until we’re ready to move in. You got any ideas?”

  It’s the one thing I’ve been worried about. Pop has the room for her here, but with her in a wheelchair it will be rough on her.

  “I have a house for her. The owner was in a wheelchair and after an accident about ten years ago they had the place updated to accommodate him. We just closed two weeks ago on it. It’s been cleaned up. It needed a new roof and windows, so the focus has been the exterior, but I can have it ready by the time I get back with her. It’s in Uptown, so it’s a few miles away but close enough until your house is ready,” Pop assures me.

  Christy appears in the hallway, a robe wrapped tight around her. Her concern clear. “Is everything okay?”

  Pop chuckles. “Everything is more than okay. Come on, let’s go back to bed.”

  When Pop closes the door I let out a sigh. The oxy is nice, but the fentanyl IV I got while the family doctor cleaned up what used to be my eye was much better. Even though I wanted Bella the minute I got off the plane, I’m now glad she wasn’t here to see me as messed as I was.

  Hell, I will never forget Pop blinking back tears as he cleaned and stitched me up on my chest and back. Mundo had given me something for the pain while we were waiting for Pop and Dominic, which allowed me to handle them working on me. My eye, though, Pop and Dominic were afraid to touch, deciding it was best for the family doctor to take care of.

  Looking down at Bella, my heart is thumping like crazy against the wall of my chest. Twins. She has given me everything I never knew I wanted. I really wanted to tell her about her mom as soon as I saw her, but she likes surprises. So I’m going to make her mom’s reappearance the first of many surprises in our future.

  ***

  Bella

  When I wake up Luca is still sleeping. For a long time I study him, taking in every inch of him. My chest aches at the pain he went through, will still go through in the coming weeks as he heals. Luca losing his eye doesn’t bother me; it’s the pain he must have felt at the time that has me fighting back tears. The urge to touch him, kiss him is strong only I don’t dare, afraid to wake him. He needs as much rest as he can get. I’m careful to get out of bed without disturbing him.

  I take a quick shower but when I brush my teeth I get nauseous at the taste of the toothpaste. All over again I’m reminded—two babies. Running my hand over my stomach, happiness floods me. Two beautiful baby boys. I can’t wait.

  Dressed, I come out of the walk-in closet to find Luca awake
. His face is tight with pain. “What can I do?” I ask.

  “Pop said without food in my stomach the pain pills will make me sick. Can you grab me some crackers or something and orange juice?”

  I nod and move to go downstairs. “Hey.” He stops me.

  “What?” I freeze, getting close to him, worried he needs something else.

  He catches my hand and pulls me close. “I need a kiss.”

  Giving in, I lean down. Luca catches me behind my neck and oh lord, his kiss is fire, so hot my toes curl. When he lets me go I sway. His smug grin has me shaking my head as I leave.

  Downstairs I find that Pop and Christy have left for Vegas to pick up Georgia and some more of my things. I’m a little confused but Cora only shrugs at my question, saying the only thing else she knew was they would be back tonight or tomorrow, she wasn’t sure which. Marsha would be coming in later today.

  I grab several packets of crackers and peanut butter and a glass of orange juice and go back upstairs.

  Luca takes the packet and fumbles to open it. I bite my lip and promise myself to open them for him the next time. Once he eats two he pops several pills. He pats the bed beside him and I sit.

  I catch his hand. “Why did Pop and Christy go to Vegas to get Georgia? Couldn’t someone have brought her?”

  “Pop isn’t just going to get Georgia. He’s helping Sandro clean up the mess of a dozen dead bodies and half a dozen bullet-riddled cars. I believe this time it will go down as a training exercise through Valdez’s company. My men who didn’t make it, their families need to be compensated and their funerals planned with the respect they are due. I am surprised it’s Pop and Christy instead of Dominic though.” He shrugs. “Maybe it’s Pop’s way of apologizing to Christy. Apparently she wasn’t happy with him.”

  “That’s a bit of an understatement. So did you tell Sandro already about us staying here?” I wonder as I run my finger over the back of his hand.

  “Not yet. I will or Pop will. Pop was happy with the news we’ll be living here from now on.” He smiles.

  “I can imagine. I’m getting hungry. Are you up for food? I’m not the best cook but I can scramble some eggs and make toast.”

  A small frown and a shake of his head is his answer. “Okay, give me twenty minutes and I’ll be right back.”

  The rest of the day is quiet. Rosie and I spend time with Luca, who sleeps on and off throughout the day. In the evening Dominic comes by. Luca is sleeping so I go down to the kitchen to talk to him.

  “How is he?” Dominic asks.

  “Okay, I’m worried he doesn’t really want to eat. Should I push him to eat more?”

  “Today, I wouldn’t push it. The pain isn’t worth it for him to eat. Pop will be back and he’ll be the bad guy.” Dominic hands me two cell phones, one silver and one black. “One for you and one for him. The black is his and silver is yours. Pop wanted to tell you he’ll be back tomorrow. I’m grabbing Rosie. She’s going to stay with Alicia and Che until they get back.”

  “Oh, I don’t mind watching her and Santino. With Cora here it’s no big deal.” I’m disappointed at the idea of Rosie leaving.

  Dominic shrugs. “Alicia offered. Christy thinks it’s a good idea so you can focus on Luca. I think Alicia wanted both of them but Christy didn’t want her overwhelmed.”

  I don’t dare argue, instead I tell Rosie, then go up and help her pack a bag. Luca wakes up and hears us. When I tell him Dominic is here he tells me to let Dominic know he’s awake and he’s good to talk. I go downstairs and let Dominic know.

  “Just a few minutes, kiddo. I’m going to talk to Luca then we’ll go, okay?” Dominic runs his hand through Rosie’s hair. She nods.

  ***

  Luca

  Dominic knocks and I tell him to come in. I try sitting up but it’s harder than I thought it would be, and I give up.

  “You still look like shit. I know it’s hard but try and swallow something more than crackers and pills. I’ll call in an order of kung pao chicken at that place you like for delivery. I also have some good news. Richie called, said Nicolette is good to marry Manuel.”

  He’s right but I shake my head, it doesn’t appeal. “That’s a relief. What did Manuel say?”

  “He’s good. He doesn’t care who it is as long as his kid’s get the mother they need. Said that Jesus isn’t happy but he’ll handle his father. Manuel isn’t okay with pride delaying finding a mother. If nothing else, the guy cares about his kids which is surprising—all things considered.”

  I shake my head. “Poor kid. I’ll make sure to set her up with the million I would have paid for Bella. Let me know how much I need to pay whoever gets what. Pop isn’t back yet? Did he say how it went with Bella’s mom? And why did Christy go?”

  “Christy wasn’t happy about him trying to turn on the charm to get a woman to leave her home and come with him.” We both laugh. “Regina said she agreed with Christy. Bella’s mom is a trip, apparently, and is adamant Bella is better off without her. Pop thinks she still feels guilty about her not doing more to prevent Bella getting married off so young. He’s giving her the night to think about it, then he’s going to throw her ass on the plane whether she wants to come or not.”

  Huh, I hadn’t thought Pop would need to go that far and wonder if it’s a good idea after all.

  “Pop said you told him you’re staying in Chicago for good.”

  I nod. “It’s the right thing for us. Bella is happier here. I’m happier here. I don’t know, I don’t feel like I have anything to prove anymore. For almost twenty years I did it. I ran Vegas and did it well. The place runs like a well-oiled machine. We’re respected, the money is phenomenal, and the casino is one of the best on the strip. Now I just want to enjoy all I worked for. I want to come home to my wife and kids. The number of people I have to kill or have killed on a weekly basis is too damn high. I’m aware there’s still business that needs to be dealt with here, but it’s a lot less and it’s not all on me.”

  He sighs. “Yeah, it’s better when all you have to worry about is a few blocks instead of an entire city. Then again, the casino was more than a few blocks all on its own. I brought by a cell phone for you and one for Bella on Pop’s orders. And the place for her mom is ready. We got all new appliances put in today. Regina went shopping and it has everything she needs from towels, to toilet paper to groceries. Now that I know we have tomorrow still, I’m going to send our landscaping guy. They mowed it today but it’s bare, so I’ll have him add in some extras.”

  “Sounds good, thanks. How pissed do you think Bella’s going to be if Pop has to throw her mom on a plane? I’m wondering if I should have just waited until I was up to it and taken Bella to meet her in Merida. I wanted it to be a surprise, she loves surprises and it’s a good surprise but... I don’t know.”

  Dominic laughs. “Bella will love it. She’ll forgive you and Pop fast. The mom will too eventually.” He shakes his head. “The only time Bella ever looked sad was when she talked about her mom. We’re her family now and I know she’s content with that, but having your mom is something special—well, when you actually like her the way Bella did with her mom.”

  Relief hits me. He’s right.

  “And with the babies coming.... It doesn’t matter how many kids you’ve held and played with, when it’s your own full time, having someone looking over your shoulder and helping is a lifeline. For Bella to have her mom be that person will mean a lot, to the both of them.”

  “That’s what I was thinking. I didn’t think for a minute her mom would fight anyone to stay away from Bella.” I’m still confused by it.

  “One thing I’ve learned is women don’t make sense. They do to them but not us. I’m grabbing Rosie and taking her to Alicia’s for the night. The family is worried about you and the minute Pop gives the okay they’ll be here to see for themselves you’re good. Right now Pop is firm no one comes in until you feel better.” His phone goes off with a text. “That’s Alicia. I need to get g
oing. I’m calling in that order, I’m not joking. You need to eat.”

  Sighing, I nod.

  When he leaves Bella comes upstairs. She refuses to let me hold her, concerned about hurting me, but lays her head in my lap. It’s close enough.

  “If you eat the food Dominic ordered for you, I’ll give you a special treat,” she whispers.

  Her meaning is clear. Okay, I can be bribed. We talk about our plans for the house, she’s excited about being able to see the progress every day. When the food comes she runs downstairs to get it.

  Even though I’m not really hungry I begin eating, then before I know it I’ve eaten almost the whole thing. Bella eats her chicken-fried rice with relish and feeds me the rest of what she can’t eat. I actually feel almost human when I’m done, and after Bella sucks my cock like a good girl, I fall asleep happy and content.

  23

  Bella

  Luca is grumpy, he tried to take less pain pills this morning but the pain was more than he could stand and he had to take more. He did better on eating breakfast, which is a huge relief. Once he’s back in bed from using the restroom, he admits he wants to take a shower but isn’t sure if he’ll be able to stand the whole time and wonders about using the shower in Pop and Christy’s bedroom. While the shower in our room is large, it doesn’t have the bench that is in theirs.

  I’m worried about him getting his stitches wet. It hits me, and oh lord, I’m so wet at the thought. Luca sees the change in me; he tilts his head. “What?”

  I smile. “How about I give you a sponge bath? I promise I’ll be careful—”

  His hand goes into my hair and he yanks me down to him. Oh, his kiss is commanding, almost brutal, and I can’t get enough. We’re both breathing hard when he lets me go.

  “I take it that’s a yes?” I whisper against his lips. He nods, I lick his lips and he moans my name, and I’m trying to remember he’s in a lot of pain right now. Pushing off the bed, I run downstairs. I grab two large bowls, one for the soapy water and the other clean to rinse him with. On my way back to our room I go into the Rosie and Santino’s bathroom and grab two sponges used to give Santino his baths.