by K E Osborn
Tony doesn’t reply as he leads Dash, Matteo, and me across the expanse toward the room where the sounds are coming from. “Money isn’t an issue,” Tony finally replies.
“I bet it’s not, you ol’ dog.”
I roll my eyes, and Tony says nothing more.
We approach a door, and Tony gently knocks on it.
“Come in,” a gentle voice chimes from the other side.
Tony opens the door, tilting his head for us to follow him. As we enter, I take in a beautiful blonde woman sitting on the pink laden bed, running her fingers over the bald head of a little girl. She must be six, maybe seven at the most.
Mia.
The blonde stands in the princess-themed bedroom, smiling wide at Matteo, but bypasses him straight for Tony. She slides into Tony’s arms, giving him a polite kiss on the lips. “Il mio amore.”
“How is she doing?” Tony asks as Matteo moves in, sitting on the edge of Mia’s bed. Matteo stares down at her lovingly.
It confuses me, the love Matteo obviously has for Mia because it’s pouring off him in waves as he sits back leaving her to sleep.
Dash and I stand by the door, letting the scene play out in front of us, not really knowing what to say or do.
“She’s doing better today. It’s a good day,” the blonde states, appearing happy.
“Excellent news, Amalia. Our family would be lost without you.”
Is Amalia Tony’s wife? Mia’s mom?
“We’d be lost without you, Antonio.” They lean in kissing again.
I widen my eyes at Dash, suddenly a little uncomfortable with the DeLucas’ public displays of affection.
Matteo groans.
Tony chuckles, pulling back from Amalia, who wipes her lips, moving over to me. “Sorry… my husband has a profound effect on me. You’ll understand it one day when you meet someone you can’t get enough of.”
My mind flashes instantly to Void.
The way my body reacts when he touches me.
The way I want to let all my inhibitions go when I’m around him.
I could get lost in him—if only he would let me.
Amalia smirks. “I know that look, you have someone. Someone you feel strongly about already.”
Dash turns to face me, his eyes lighting up.
Amalia tilts her head. “You do, too, prospect. Hmm… this is going to be a fun excursion for you both.”
“Hmm,” Mia mumbles under her breath making us all turn to look at her.
“Mia, principessa? Are you waking up?” Matteo whispers, his hand moving out to caress her pale cheek.
Her eyelashes flutter, her bright green eyes blinking leisurely. A slow smile lights her face as she sees Matteo sitting on the edge of her bed. Suddenly, with all the energy she can muster, Mia shoots up, throwing her arms around Matteo’s neck pulling him in for an embrace. “Uncle Matty, you’re here, you’re here!”
My stomach clenches as Amalia’s palm moves to her chest, her face drooping like she’s sad but happy at the same time. Matteo embraces Mia tightly, but there’s a little hesitation in him—he doesn’t want to hurt her. He adores her.
It’s only now I realize the blond hair of Matteo, the blonde hair of Amalia, the fact Mia called Matteo ‘uncle’ that I believe Amalia and Matteo are siblings. Matteo is Tony’s brother-in-law. The reason Matteo cares for Mia so much is because he’s actually Mia’s uncle. They are family.
I get it.
She’s his niece, and he wants to protect her.
“I’ll always be here for you, Mia-bear, you know that,” Matteo tells her pulling back, planting a tender kiss on her bald scalp.
“You’re showing your hand, Matteo,” Dash quips.
Elbowing Dash in the ribs as he snickers to himself, I widen my eyes when everyone turns to face us. Their eyes widen as well—it’s like they forgot we were here.
Matteo grunts, standing from Mia’s bed, straightening out his suit. “The thing is, prospect, the way you look at Ivy, you’ve played yours, too. Guess it makes us both vulnerable.”
I scrunch my brows, Dash flaring his nostrils as he lashes out, “You don’t know shit!”
“Enough with the pissing contest, we’re here to introduce Ivy to Mia. Nothing more,” Tony interrupts Matteo and Dash in whatever the hell that little display was all about.
My eyes meet Mia’s, which are practically glowing in happiness, even though her weakened body doesn’t show the same light. “It’s nice to meet you, Ivy.”
I give a little wave. “Nice to meet you, too, Mia. I’m going to help you with some… um, stuff,” I say, not really sure what they’ve told her about me or what I’m allowed to tell Mia.
“You’re the one with the golden blood?”
With wide eyes, my head spins to Tony. “Matteo likes to tell her stories of a fair maiden who will come save her, she has golden blood, and, well, Mia loves a good fairy tale.”
“Uncle Matty tells the best ones.” Mia shines with such excitement as Matteo winks at her.
“So, are you her? The fair maiden?” Mia asks, bouncing up and down on the edge of her bed, excitedly.
“Mia, don’t waste your energy, principessa,” Tony warns.
She instantly stops bouncing as her big doe eyes stare up at mine.
She’s so freaking adorable, I can’t deny her. “Yes. I’m the maiden Uncle Matty told you about.” I shift my eyes to Matteo, and he grimaces—pretty sure nobody else calls him Matty.
Oh well, he can deal with it.
“I’m gonna try to make you feel better, Mia.”
Her face lights up as if I’ve just told her I’m the fricking Tooth Fairy, or like all her Christmases have come at once. “Thank you, Ivy. Can you stay and play dress-ups?”
My eyes shift to Dash. “Only if Dash can play, too.”
Matteo snorts out a laugh as Dash cracks his fingers with his cocky smirk. “I dunno, I mean, really? I’ve never played dress-ups before and not sure I want to start now.”
Matteo purses his lips like he’s unimpressed by Dash’s less-than-enthusiastic attitude.
“Oh! Can I put makeup on you?” Mia gushes.
Matteo glares at Dash, almost snarling at him. “Dash, I’m sure you don’t want to let the little principessa down, now do you?”
Dash rolls his shoulders, his eyes meeting mine pleadingly.
I grimace as Tony grips my bicep. “Ivy, I need you to come with me. We have a technician in a room across the hall who’s ready to start,” Tony states.
Taking in a deep breath, I bob my head. “Okay, yep. Sure.”
“It will take some time. Dash will stay in here with Mia. There’s no need for him to come, we are literally across the hall. I need Mia occupied, and I need your full attention,” Tony talks directly to me.
I turn to Dash, who’s preoccupied with having an Elsa costume held up to his torso. “Dash, I’m gonna be across the hall getting this done.”
“Right, I’ll come with.” He’s desperate.
“No, you stay here. Entertain Mia. Get made up all pretty, but make sure you keep it all on to show me when I’m done.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want you out of my sight. The VP would kill me if anything happened to you.”
“I’m going to ensure Ivy is well cared for, Dash. Thank you for playing with Mia, I appreciate it.”
Dash somberly slams his ass down on a tiny little plastic pink chair as Mia pulls out her children’s kit of makeup. Matteo steps in beside him, leaning against the wall with his arms folded over his huge chest with a slight upturn of his lips—I can tell Matteo’s going to enjoy this.
The DeLucas lead me out of Mia’s room and across the hall.
“Without your blood…” Amalia’s eyes flood with tears, “… I just don’t know what will happen to Mia or how much longer she will have.”
Exhaling, I reach for her hand, squeezing it. “Everything’s going to be just fine.”
Amalia quickly wipes a stray tear
from her eye. Her tough Mafia queen exterior falls firmly back in place as Tony opens the door to the room. Laughter from Mia’s room echoes across the hall, making me smile as I take in the sterility of the room I’m walking into—it’s like doctor’s surgery in here. A patient bed sits in the middle of a linoleum floor, the color scheme a stark white, with medical equipment lining the walls at every turn. A bench with surgical tools and instruments sits off to one side as a couple of people stand out of the way dressed in scrubs with gloves and surgical masks covering their faces.
“Mr. DeLuca, we’re ready to go whenever you are?” the female suggests.
Tony nods, ushering me inside. I have to admit, seeing all this medical shit is making me second- guess my decision.
Amalia comes into my line of sight, but her kind eyes soothe me somehow. “This must look daunting, Ivy. But I swear, it’s only because we want everything to be as sterile and as precise as possible. We have the best team working on this, so nothing will go wrong.”
Inhaling quickly, my breathing has become fast and shallow, while my muscles clench in nerves. “Okay. What do I need to do?”
The nurse—doctor? I have no idea what she is, comes over carrying a clipboard. “Ivy, I’m Larah. I have just a couple of questions to ask before we get underway. Okay?”
“Sure.”
“Have you had any aspirin in the last forty-eight hours?”
I shake my head. “No.”
She ticks something on her clipboard. “Excellent.”
“Did Mr. DeLuca have you drink fluid on the way up here?”
“Yes, I was told to drink half a gallon of water before I arrived. It’s why we had to stop to pee so much.”
Larah chuckles, but ticks whatever the hell she’s ticking off on her paperwork. “Now, I have to ask the following questions, Ivy, so bear with me…”
I nod my head.
“Do you have high or low blood pressure?”
“Not that I’m aware.”
“Do you have, or have you, come into contact with HIV, Hepatitis, or viruses of the like?”
I widen my eyes. “No. God, no!”
“I know these questions are invasive, Ivy, but you’re doing great. Almost there…” She smiles. “Are you, or is there a chance you could be pregnant?”
Heat flushes over my face as I sink in on myself. I’ve never been ashamed of my virtue, but for some reason hearing it out loud in this setting is making me realize how much I’ve been missing out on. There’s no real reason I haven’t had sex, I just haven’t found the right guy to give myself over to. I haven’t found anyone worthy enough to give them my body. Maybe by doing that, I’m holding myself back from experiencing life, from experiencing all the things a twenty-one-year-old should be experiencing.
“Ivy?”
I snap my head back to the woman. “Shit, sorry! I got distracted. No. No chance I could be pregnant.”
Tony inhales deeply like this fills him with immense pleasure, even though he already knows this fact.
The woman’s kind eyes meet mine. “Then, we’re good to go. The process we’re about to do is called a red blood cell extraction. Basically, red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to every part of the body. A substance in the red blood cells called hemoglobin does this.” I follow along understanding what she’s saying from the small amount of medical training I had before I was taken from Cuba. “The red blood cell transfusions are used for anemia in people who have low numbers of red blood cells. This entire process takes around an hour or so. You may experience some mild side effects like chills or tingling. So, please inform me right away if you feel anything like that?”
I expel a long breath through my mouth as I let it all sink in.
Tony steps up to my side, reaching out for my hand. “Ivy, thank you for coming here of your own volition. I will never be sorry that I purchased you and had you taken from your home because I need that blood in your veins. However, you are a decent woman, and I will give you one chance to walk away before I change my mind.”
My eyes widen as I let out a gasp. “You’ll let me leave? Even though it’s detrimental to Mia?”
Amalia scowls, folding her arms over her chest. “Antonio, what are you doing?”
Tony exhales. “There is a caveat, but I won’t tell you what it is before you make your decision. Stay of your own free will, or you can leave.”
“I don’t know what your so-called caveat is, Tony, and I am sure it’s not good. But I’m not walking away from Mia. I am doing this.”
Tony smiles, then signals to the medical team.
They start fluttering around, setting everything up.
“Excellent. I know you and Eva suffered a nightmare when you were taken, but you both seem to have found your feet in Tampa.”
When I think about the bunker-style clubhouse, and the brothers, the club girls, everyone there who makes it my home, warmth floods through me. I have never felt like I belong somewhere more in my life.
“The clubhouse is my home. I can’t imagine being anywhere else than at the bunker with my sister.”
Tony gestures to the bed.
With anxious steps, I walk over and sit, as a cocky expression lights his face.
“It’s a good thing you chose to stay then because my caveat would have been to take your sister instead.”
Chapter Six
IVY
Sucking on my straw, the tang of the orange juice hits my tastebuds, refreshing my dry mouth. I have to admit I’m a little dizzy, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.
“Are you feeling all right?” Tony asks.
“Accomplished. I really hope this helps, Tony.”
Amalia wipes under her eyes again. I smile at her as Tony helps me up from the inclined bed. “Honestly, I can’t thank you enough, Ivy. Now, we have to get the blood cells into Mia and see how it works.”
“When will you do the transfer?”
“Probably tomorrow, when you’re on your way back. Larah needs to do the testing on the blood to make sure it’s viable before it goes into Mia. Everything must be perfect.”
“I hope it works out for you, and that my blood is good enough.”
Tony squeezes my shoulder. “Me, too, bella
I bring the juice to my lips, sucking on the straw as Tony walks with me back to Mia’s room, where laughter is bellowing on the other side of the door. When we enter, Matteo’s sitting in the corner, holding a fairy wand, the biggest scowl on his face. His eyes widen as he places the wand on the bed, standing tall and puffing out his chest, while Mia blurts out the chorus to ‘Let it Go’ from Frozen. Dash spins as if he’s pretending to shoot ice from his hands, his face is covered in the brightest blush I’ve ever seen. His eyelids are an almost neon blue eye shadow, there’s lipstick smeared all over his lips, and there’s even a little on his five o’clock shadow. And don’t forget the long, blonde, Elsa wig he’s sporting or the blue ice queen dress.
He looks spectacular.
Dash spots me, smiles cockily, then keeps playing with Mia, completely unashamed as he rushes around the bed with her.
I think he’s actually having fun.
Matteo glances over at us, folding his arms over his chest. “If Mia wants you to dress like a princess, you dress like a fucking princess. Mia asked politely if Dash would dress up with her. He was hesitant, so I pointed a gun to his head, and now, he’s Elsa... just like that.”
I raise my brow as Mia flops down on the mattress in a fit of giggles. “This is the best! Uncle Matty, can you and Dash come play every day?”
Dash leans against the wall letting out a long breath, which lets me know he’s exhausted. I try to hold in my laugh as Matteo walks over, sitting on the bed next to Mia. “Dash can’t be here every day, princip
essa. Plus, you need to rest, especially after that.”
Mia’s happy expression weakens, and she sighs. “Dash?”
“Yeah, kiddo?” He’s puffing like he’s still trying to inhale a lungful of air.
“Will you come see me again?”
Dash lights up like a damn neon sign. “You better fucking believe it.”
“Prospect! Stop swearing in front of my daughter. I let you get away with it once, but that’s enough.” Tony grunts.
“Shit, sorry! Shit! Fuck!” Dash raises his hands in the air in surrender as I let out a snicker. Dash’s eyes flick to mine. “How did you do? You okay?” Dash asks me, trying to change the subject.
I nod my head, which causes it to spin. Grabbing hold of the wall, I reach out to stabilize myself making Dash scurry over to me. He wraps his arms around me tightly to hold me up. “Hey, I got you. What did you do to her?”
I groan. “Stop, Dash, I’m fine. I just need to sit down for a little while. They took my blood, remember?”
Dash places the back of his hand to my forehead. “You’re all clammy. You sure you did it right, Tony?”
Tony rolls his shoulders. “Let’s get you to bed. You can rest. We will bring you something to eat.”
“Not sure I’m up for food right now, Tony,” I admit.
“I am. Shit my stomach’s been growling for hours,” Dash quips.
“That’s true.”
“It’s getting late. We’ll set up your room… so you can both get settled,” Amalia offers.
“We’re in the same room?” Dash’s ears pick up.
“Separate beds, cowboy.” Amalia laughs.
Dash nods matter-of-factly. “Good. Then I can keep an eye on her. Make sure she’s okay through the night.”
Tony’s eyes shift to Amalia. “We thought you’d want to do that.”
My muscles tense. If Void knew I was sharing a room with Dash, I don’t know how he would feel about this. We’re in separate beds, and Void wanted Dash to watch over me.
But it’s only one night, and I like that he’s right there for protection if I need it.
“Okay, Ivy looks like she’s about to pass out. Let’s get her to bed,” Dash instructs. “Night, Anna.”