by Bethany-Kris
Evelina turned on her heel at the new person only to come face to face with a beautiful woman. For a brief second, her heart sank. Who was this woman? Why did she have a child with her that looked like Theo in a lot of ways, even if the boy did call Theo his uncle?
Damian stood out in the hallway behind the woman.
“Yes, Mamma,” Junior said.
The little boy didn’t seem like he’d actually heard anything his mother said as he practically flew into Theo’s waiting arms.
“I missed you,” Junior said, his voice muffled into Theo’s chest.
“Yeah, me too, J.” Theo held the boy out and ran his hand through the child’s hair. “I thought I told your mother to go get you a decent haircut.”
Junior grinned. “The girls at the park like my hair.”
“Screw the haircut,” Theo said, chuckling.
Lily had come to stand beside Evelina. She was silent as they watched the exchange.
“Thanks for coming, Karen,” Theo said, shooting the woman in the doorway a smile. “I know it was last minute, and it’s late.”
Karen.
Evelina remembered Theo telling her that the woman wasn’t important to him, not in a romantic way. The panic that had seized her heart in a smothering grip slowly began to subside.
Junior turned on his heel and stared at Lily with the curiosity only a child could have. “You have brown eyes like me.”
Lily nodded silently. “I do.”
“And you look like Daddy.”
Evelina’s hand ached when Lily grabbed it with her own and squeezed for all she was worth.
“That’s because she’s Daddy’s sister,” Theo said quietly.
Junior’s brow knitted when he looked back at Theo. “Like you have brown eyes like mine because you’re his brother?”
“Just like that.”
“Oh,” said the child.
This child belonged to Dino.
Karen stepped into the room and took a seat in the corner. Evelina held no animosity for the woman as she realized that Karen’s relationship had been with someone else, not Theo.
“So that makes her my aunt, right?” Junior asked.
“Yes,” Karen told her son.
“Zio.”
“Zia,” Theo corrected. “O’s on the end for a boy, J.”
“Zia,” the child mimicked.
“Zia Lily.”
Junior flashed a brilliant smile. “I like that name.”
Lily squeezed Evelina’s hand even harder.
Evelina let her.
“Mr. DeLuca—”
“I am perfectly fucking capable of having a shower without a babysitter,” Theo interrupted sharply. “I’ve been doing it for over twenty years without issue.”
Evelina walked into Theo’s private room only to find her lover in an intense staring contest with a nurse. A few days after waking up from his coma, Theo had finally been moved out of Intensive Care and into a more private section of the hospital with individual rooms that felt more like a hotel than a health care facility. He’d been in his new room for a couple of days. That made it two weeks in the hospital altogether.
Theo was over it. He was done with the hospital, the poking and prodding, the nurses, their demands and constant checking. He had started to refuse tests and request his release. Yes, Theo was ready to stop what he called madness and go back to his life.
Evelina was worried that he wasn’t ready. The IV tubes had been removed. Theo no longer needed to wear leads to track his vitals, and he’d been attending physical therapy once a day to keep his strength and energy up. The doctors and specialists had been stunned at how quickly Theo bounced back after waking from his coma. In all aspects, he was healthy and perfectly fine.
Even the doctors thought so.
At the same time, Theo had opened up his surgical stitches twice on his chest when he’d attempted to do more than he should have. He’d admitted to feeling dizzy when he was on his feet for too long. The bullet wounds to his back often ached, and he was still on a heavy dose of antibiotics to fight off any infection.
So while he was doing okay, he was also at a standstill. Theo didn’t give a damn. He wanted to go home.
“I can stand outside of the bathroom if you’re more comfortable, but for another few days, you have to be monitored. You have shown signs of dizziness among other things, Mr. DeLuca. If, by chance, you took a spell when you were alone, we’re liable.”
Theo glared at the woman. The young, pretty nurse put her hands on her hips and glared right back.
Something hard and hot twisted in Evelina’s gut. It wasn’t something she felt often, but it always seemed like whenever Theo had to have a procedure done, the prettiest, youngest nurses jumped at the chance to do it. It wasn’t like Evelina blamed them.
The man was sexy as fuck. He melted panties with a smirk. Theo could get a woman hot with a single word.
He was also hers.
“Excuse me,” Evelina said, forcing her tone to stay level.
Theo’s glower melted away and his smile grew at the sight of Evelina in the doorway. “Hey, babe.”
“Hey.”
The nurse sighed. “Thank God.”
Evelina cocked a brow. “Pardon?”
“You,” the woman said, pointing at Eve. “You can handle him, yes?”
“I usually do.”
Some of Evelina’s jealousy started to drift away. The nurse looked like she was entirely over the conversation she’d been having with Theo.
“Good.” Waving a hand at Theo, the nurse said, “He wants to shower. He needs a chaperone. His attitude is unbearable.”
“It is not,” Theo growled.
“Enough, Theo,” Evelina said.
Theo clamped his mouth shut, but he didn’t look happy about it.
“Are you fine with him?” the nurse asked.
“Perfect,” Evelina assured.
“There’s a buzzer in the bathroom if he takes a spell.”
Theo blew out a heavy breath. “I’m not going to take a fucking spell.”
Evelina ignored her lover’s rant.
“We’ll be fine, I’m sure. Thank you.”
Once the nurse was out of sight, Evelina turned on her lover.
“You,” she said in a hiss.
Theo’s smirk melted away. “What?”
“You are acting like a spoiled man-child that had his favorite toy taken away, Theo, and I’ve had enough of it. Those nurses and the doctors are only trying to help you enough that you can leave this goddamn place. Don’t you get that?”
“I can shower by myself, Eve.”
“Maybe so, but they have policies they have to follow. Just because you demand something different doesn’t mean they’ll follow along, Theo. Jesus Christ.”
Theo cocked a brow, amusement dancing in his gaze. “Someone’s touchy today.”
“Says the man who can’t suck it up and follow the rules for a day just so he can get a release paper.”
“Point taken.”
“They are only trying to help,” Evelina said.
Theo nodded. “I know, but I didn’t think you’d appreciate it very much to find me soaping up my dick with a nurse just feet away. I mean, unless you’re into that kind of thing.”
Evelina’s mouth popped open. “I—”
“Because we can try that, Eve.”
“No!”
Theo laughed deeply. The sound rocked Evelina straight to her sex, making her wet and hot all at the same time. It had been far too long since she’d had this man, but she could wait a little while longer. Even if it fucking killed her.
“Stop it,” Evelina said, feeling breathless. “I know what you’re doing, Theo.”
“Distracting you.”
“Yes. So I’ll stop pestering you about the nurses.”
“I’ll try … being not so difficult.”
“We would all appreciate it.”
Theo crossed his arms. “I want to go home.”<
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“You will. Soon.”
“And I’m not a fucking man-child.”
“In a hospital, apparently you are.”
Theo scowled. “The doctor was here earlier before Lily left.”
“And?”
“I’ll be out by the weekend.”
That was just four days away.
A realization dawned on Evelina.
“You were telling the truth.”
“About not wanting to make you uncomfortable with the nurse? Yeah.” Theo shrugged and added, “Because hey, if that was you and I walked in on it, I’d skin the guy alive.”
Jesus.
Two people could play that game. Evelina figured if Theo was feeling up to being his usual cocky, easy-going, sexy self, then he was doing a hell of a lot better than people thought.
“And what if it was a woman in there with me?”
Theo’s cheek twitched. “I need a shower.”
“A cold one?”
“Stop it, Eve. The doctor said no sex for another two weeks.”
“You asked?”
“Twice.”
“I’m not even surprised.” Evelina laughed. “I guess I’m joining you for that shower, huh?”
“Unfair, Eve. Really, really un-fucking-fair. Joining and watching are not the same thing.”
“Give it as good as I get it.”
“Good thing.” Theo waved at the attached, private bathroom. Evelina followed his lead. As the door closed and his hand landed on her lower back, Theo said, “He didn’t say I couldn’t have a little fun when I got home.”
Goddamn.
His hand slid down to her ass over the skinny jeans she wore. Evelina batted his hand away before things got out of control. With Theo, it didn’t take very damned much for Evelina to lose all rational thought.
“Stop that, Theo.”
“You like it. Too many nurses here, though. The okay was for home, not to defile the hospital every which way I could. I just have to keep the heartrate down. Nothing too strenuous. He didn’t say I couldn’t have a little bit of easy fun.”
Evelina forced herself to breathe as Theo began undressing. “I bet he did.”
Theo didn’t break eye contact for a second. “I bet he didn’t.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“I heard you’re getting out today.”
Theo shot Tommas a smirk over his shoulder. “Appropriate that you’d put it like that seeing as how this place felt like my prison for three weeks.”
“You took three bullets in the back and spent a week comatose, Theo. You’re lucky it wasn’t longer.”
“We DeLucas heal fast.”
Tommas shrugged. “Or you pestered everyone enough until they let you go.”
“Clean bill of health,” Theo said, ignoring the ache in his chest and back.
Tommas took another step into the room and surveyed the bag Theo was packing. “How did your interviews go over with the detectives working the shooting?”
“I was shot and had no gun on me to be found in the club.”
“I’m aware.”
“They have to treat me like the victim in all this, Tommas. The victim who had to explain why one of his employees was found dead in his car, and burned beyond all recognition.”
“So?”
“They really hate treating a DeLuca like a victim. As far as Cole’s death, they’re investigating but I had flight tickets showing that I left the city that night. Damian was able to give me a viable alibi. My guess is they think I did it, but they have no real proof.”
“Nice.”
Theo brushed it all off. “It is what it is, man. I never played well with police as it is. They had to know what they were looking at when they came in here to question me. I pretended like I didn’t remember a thing from the moment I stepped inside the club. The doctor’s reports will back me up on that with the coma and all.”
A squeak on the floor made Theo turn around to face Tommas.
“Do you remember?” Tommas asked.
“Every last bit.”
“Good to know.”
Theo eyed Tommas, noting the man’s gaze seemed more tired than usual, and he wasn’t as well-dressed as he usually would be. Instead of the usual suit and tie apparel that Tommas was known for, the man wore a pair of dark wash jeans, a white shirt, and a leather jacket.
“Speaking of which, the car and Cole, I mean …”
“What about it?” Tommas asked.
“I’m going to give Cole’s father the okay to go after Belli. It’s his right after what happened.”
“I’m sure no one will disagree with that.”
Tommas seemed far too flippant for Theo’s liking.
“What do you want, Tommas?” Theo asked.
“Not a lot, Theo. To talk, maybe.”
“So talk.”
“Who has handled your streets?” Tommas asked.
“Adriano. His territory borders mine. The guys know him. I suspect word about Evelina being with me, or the rumors of it, have passed around enough for it to be considered fact which makes Adriano good enough to be family. That gives the kid a little more clout. I didn’t mind when he mentioned it to me. I took it as a peace offering.”
“He’s a good Capo. Young, but—”
“Being young doesn’t have a damned thing to do with it. Adriano is good at his job. Let him be good at it and lose the judgment about his age. He deserves that, Tommas.”
Tommas chuckled. “You’re right. My head isn’t in the right place lately, I guess.”
“Women will do that to you.”
The man didn’t respond to that. Theo didn’t need him to. He knew enough about Tommas now to suspect that Abriella Trentini had a lot to do with everything Tommas Rossi did.
“How long before Joel finds out that you’ve been fucking his little sister for years and goes batshit?” Theo asked.
Tommas lifted a single shoulder like he didn’t give a damn. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the man already knew and was trying to figure out a way to use it.”
“Seriously?”
“As a heart attack. I don’t believe he knows, but anything is possible. I’ve been terribly careful with Abriella for her sake, not mine. Joel doesn’t frighten me. It doesn’t matter. As of now, Joel isn’t coming at me because of Abriella. He’s coming at me for what I’ve been doing lately. And he wants the seat, you know.”
“Do you want it, too?”
Tommas didn’t even blink. “I want what’s mine.”
That answered nothing.
“What else did you come here today for?” Theo asked.
“You always were a perceptive fucker. Nonetheless, I’ve come for nothing more than you’re willing to give me, Theo. I think with me, I’ve done enough where you’re concerned.”
“I’d say so.”
“But you understand, don’t you?”
“That you allowed blame to be casted on me even though you were really looking for it to go to Joel on the off-chance that Riley might take the man out once and for all? Or how about the fact that instead of seeing Riley for what he really was, you gave the man enough blind faith and completely missed the fact he was fucking with you and Joel, too? And when you did decide to give a damn, it was too late.”
Tommas cleared his throat, looking entirely uncomfortable. “It was a bit more complicated than that.”
“Yeah, well, I simplified shit down a bit.” Theo sighed and rubbed at his forehead. “Listen, I get what you were doing. I could have handled myself, and in fact, I did several times. I appreciate that once you learned that there might have been something going on between Evelina and me, you tried to correct shit, and couldn’t help that it all backfired. I know that your plans had little to do with me, and everything to do with Joel. I get it, Tommas, honestly.”
“But? I can hear it in there somewhere.”
“But once bitten, twice shy.” Theo offered Tommas a grin. “We’re not going to do this again, that’s all.
I refuse to be anyone else’s pawn in this war, all right. I’ve worked my whole life to leave behind the kind of men I don’t want to be. I’ve got more important things to worry about and keep safe than families who don’t give a good goddamn about me, Tommas.”
“I can’t say that I blame you.”
“Yeah. So hey, if you’re here looking for an ally against Joel when I get out of here, look elsewhere.”
Tommas’ lips drew thin. “But you’re not working for Joel’s side of things, either.”
“No, I’m working for me. I’ve got an entire territory to keep safe and a crew to run. I’ve got a man to bury and his father to apologize to. I have a woman with friends and family on your side of things and Joel’s. La famiglia isn’t war, Tommas. I refuse to put myself in the middle of it. I’m out.”
“Out.”
“Done. Gone. Out.”
“It doesn’t work that way, Theo. There is no out.”
Theo nodded, knowing that all too well. “You’re right, there isn’t. But I’m taking one. I’m still a made man. I’m still mafia and DeLuca born and bred, but I won’t feed the violence and the hatred any more than it already has been by everyone else. Why should I do that, huh? I have no part in it, and nothing to gain. I will not work for the benefit of another man’s agenda, and put my family, my lover, and myself at risk like I have before. I have no chips in this game, Tommas. You’re on your own.”
“You might be surprised, Theo, but being alone doesn’t bother me all that much. I’ve been this way for a long time.”
“Lonely men are dangerous ones.”
“They can be,” Tommas agreed. “Especially when they’re tired of being alone.”
Theo went about packing the last bit of clothes and items he had into the small duffle bag. Evelina had gone downstairs earlier with Lily to warm up the car. After signing a dozen and one forms, Theo would be allowed to walk out of the hospital free and clear.
He was itching to go.
Soon.
“Where are you going, to your place or somewhere else?” Tommas asked.
“Trying to find out if I plan on shacking up with Eve?”
“Curious. She’s still got a man heading her house even with her father dead.”