Page 96 of Possessive Mafia Bodyguard

“Her body will still be active,” the nurse says. “Her vital signs are all good.” She offers me a smile like a consolation prize. Sorry your sister didn’t wake up, but here’s a smile to keep you going. “I’ll come back and check on her again in a little while.”

Finn thanks her before she leaves.

I watch my sister closely, willing her to wake up and tell me she’s alright.

“Don’t give up, Tamara.” Finn makes a circle pattern on the back of my hand with his thumb. “You know your sister. If she’s going to wake up for anyone, it’s you.”

“But she isn’t going to wake up, is she?”

“You don’t know that.” Finn smiles. “And from experience, hope can be more powerful than medicine.”

“From experience?”

“Do you trust me?” He holds my gaze.

The last time he asked me the same question, I said no. But nothing is the same as it was then.

“Yes.”

“Then don’t give up on her. Hold her hand. Talk to her. Tell her what an amazing lover I am if you think it will have the desired effect.”

I can’t help smiling. “If your head gets any bigger, you’ll fall off the chair.”

“Took your mind off it though, just for a moment.”

I nod. It feels wrong to be smiling and joking when that asshole tried to kill my sister but…

My thought process trails away when I feel it again. A flicker of movement.

I lean closer to the bed, studying Ivana’s pale face, waiting for her to open her eyes.

“She moved her finger,” I tell Finn without taking my eyes off her. “I’m not hoping for a miracle, am I?”

“Miracles happen every day,” he says softly. “We have some right here in this room. Ivana, Katya, you…”

“Me?”

“Yes, you.” His eyes see straight through me, and I know that he isn’t only talking about me. He’s talking about the new life I’m carrying inside me too.

The raspy breath from the bed sends a shudder hurtling down my spine and raises goose bumps all over my body. It’s like the last bubble of oxygen trapped inside Ivana’s body finally being expelled.

I squeeze her hand tightly, raise it to my cheek, and kiss her forehead. “My beautiful sister. Don’t be afraid.”

Her eyelids flicker, and I watch them, mesmerized, praying for her to open her eyes one last time and look at me.

“Tamara?” Her lips move while her eyes remain closed.

“Ivana?” Did she speak? She’s motionless again, and I don’t know if my heart can handle this emotional roller coaster for much longer. “I’m here.”

Her eyes open a fraction, barely enough to reveal the hazel pattern beneath, and she whispers, “I like Finn already.”

EPILOGUE

TAMARA

Four months later

The golf resort is suspiciously empty when Ivana and I arrive.