Page 195 of Always: A Legacy Novel

Cross scrubbed a hand down his face, tired and over his already four-day stay at the hospital. “Where’s my walking papers?”

“You’re fine, Cross.”

“Cal, I want to go home.”

“You might have to fight your mother over that one,” Calisto said.

Cross’s brow furrowed. “What?”

“She thinks you should head to our place for a bit.”

Nope.

Fuck that.

“I have a home, that’s where I’m going,” Cross said. “That’s the end of it.”

“You could indulge your mother a bit.”

Right.

Indulge her.

“I indulged her enough when I apologized for what happened, let her baby me in here for the first two days, and almost had to fight to take a piss alone. I am going to my penthouse, and she can visit. Where’s my damn papers?”

Wolf chuckled. “Poor Emma. She’s always loved you a little too much, Cross. She’s the proper Italian mother. You’re never going to get rid of her.”

“I don’t want to get rid of my mother. I just want to go home,” he barked.

“Jesus, relax,” Calisto said, shooting a warning look across the room. “What is up with you?”

Where to start?

“My pain. I’m damn indecent in these hospital robes. Catherine left, so she isn’t here. I’m fucking starved; the food sucks. This bed is like rocks; the blankets are sandpaper made into fabric. I haven’t had sex in four days, and it’ll be another week before I can have sex because of that stupid doctor and his big mouth when Catherine was here. Oh, and I let two fools get away without killing them the other night, and got myself a nice stab wound to match. Take your pick.”

Cross rested back on the bed, finished his tirade.

Zeke laughed lowly. “I like how you had sex in your list.”

“Right,” Wolf said with a scoff, “he’s got priorities.”

“Emmy did tell me that Donati attitude was flaring up,” Calisto said to himself as he took a seat. “And a week without sex isn’t going to hurt you, so calm the hell down.”

“A week and four days. Get it right.”

His step-father nodded condescendingly. “My apologies, son. That’s fucking terrible.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re a shit,” Calisto muttered. “Some things never change.”

No, but some did. Cross figured that was what his step-father wasn’t saying as their gazes met. “I am fine.”

“Now,” his step-father agreed. “You ready to talk about what happened? Emma got part of the story from Catherine that first night you were in here during surgery, but I would like to hear it from you, too.”

“We went to the races,” Cross said. “Catherine wandered off. Two pricks dragged her into an alleyway. I went in, and came out with a stab wound and a ruined kidney.”

Sure, Cross left a bit out. Like how Catherine was dealing. That she wasn’t supposed to leave his sight. That he felt like someone ripped his goddamn heart out of his chest when he realized he couldn’t see her. It happened so fucking fast.