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The tension in the room ratchets up, and I turn to find Michael’s broad shoulders filling the doorway. He stalks inside, his tread measured, then glances over to where Massimo and Luca are huddled together. Something passes between the men, then Massimo and Luca walk over to the doorway and leave the room.
Michael prowls over to stand behind Karma.
I glance up at his features, and my heart stutters.He knows. Oh, my god. He knows.
Seb
The scent of antiseptic hurts my nostrils. I draw in a breath and my lungs rattle. I try to raise my eyelids, but they seem like they’re weighed down. My mouth is so dry, my tongue feels like it’s stuck to the roof. I try to raise my arm, but find I’m unable to move it.Cazzo!I flutter my eyelids open, and the brightness seems to pierce my brain.
"Porca miseria,"I growl, "what the fuck happened?" My heart slams into my ribcage. Shot. I have no doubt I was shot. And her? What happened to her? "Elsa?" I cough. "Where are you?"
"Seb." A woman’s voice reaches me.
"Elsa." I strain in the direction of the voice.
Cool fingers touch my hand. "It’s Aurora."
"Where’s Elsa?" I swallow down the ball of emotion that’s lodged in my throat. "Is she okay? Is she hurt?"
"She’s not hurt; she’s fine," Aurora reassures me.
The tension drains out of my muscles. "Where is she?" My throat hurts and my shoulder feels numb. I try to knit my thoughts together, but my brain cells feel like they’re coated in white fog. Everything in my body hurts, but as if from behind a curtain, a clear indication that there are enough drugs running through my body to keep the worst of the pain at bay.
"Elsa. I want to see her."
"Uh, I’m not sure that’s advisable," Aurora murmurs.
My pulse rate shoots up. "What do you mean? Is she okay? You said she was okay. So why isn’t she here with me?"
"Doc," the voice of one of my brothers interrupts, "why don’t you take a break?"
"I’ll be right outside." Aurora pats my hand, then I hear her step away.
"How are you doing,fratello?" Massimo’s face fills my line of sight.
"The fuck you doing here?" I try to sit up, but my body refuses to comply. "The fuck is wrong with me?" I pant.
"You got shot, bro. The bullet went right through. But you lost a lot of blood. It’s a good thing we got to you when we did. A few minutes more and—" He shakes his head. "You gave us a scare, Sebastian."
O-k-a-y, Massimo never calls me by my full name. Never. So, this must be really serious. I sink back against the pillows. "Where’s Elsa? If she’s not hurt, why isn’t she here with me?"
"It’s... complicated." Massimo pulls up a chair and sinks into it.
"She’s my wife; she needs to be by my side. What’s complicated about that?"
"How much do you know about Elsa?"
"What do you mean?" I scowl.
"You met her at a bar. Do you know how she came to be there?"
"She was there with Theresa." I raise my shoulder, or try to, but my body protests. "What the fuck is this all about? I married her, she’s my wife, and I need her here. End of discussion."
"Is it?"
Something in Massimo’s voice alerts me. A heaviness grips my chest and the hair on my forearms rises.
"The fuck is happening? You going to tell me, or are you playing games with me?"
