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She didn’t know what to do. All she could do was move close to his head and whisper in his ear as people bustled around him.
Aaron appeared. Thank God he hadn’t been killed by Emiliano’s men.
“We need to get him to a hospital,” Aaron ordered. “I can’t deal with this here. He’s lost too much blood.”
Please don’t die.
Please, Papi. I need you.
If she lost him, then her life would never be the same.
33
“Cat? Little Queen, look at me.”
She stared up at The Scot, who stood next to her.
“You look tired. You need to go home and get some rest. Let someone else take over for a while.”
She shook her head. No way.
She wasn’t leaving Alejandro. If she left him . . . he might slip away from her.
What if her being here was the only thing keeping him alive?
He’d been shot.
He could have died. He might still die.
Currently, he was in the ICU at the hospital. It had been touch and go for a while. The bullet had done quite a bit of damage internally and he’d lost a lot of blood.
But he would live. She knew that he would pull through if only she stayed and watched over him.
The Scot looked behind him to Rafael who was leaning against the wall.
Somehow, they’d reached an agreement with the hospital that more than two people could be in here with her husband at once.
She guessed Reuben had managed it with either threats or bribery.
Rafael just shrugged back at The Scot, not saying anything. He’d been quiet and vigilant ever since they’d arrived. He hadn’t once left her side, which she was grateful for.
Alejandro had been in surgery for two hours. Those two hours had been a blur of constantly talking to doctors and cops.
Fortunately, Reuben had swept in and kept her from being heavily grilled. He’d also given her a story to tell them about how they’d been involved in a drive-by shooting.
She’d told the cops them everything Reuben had fed to her. And she let him take care of everything else, shielding her from the worst of it.
Which he’d done. Reuben was a shark and he was well-connected. If he couldn’t get something done by legal means . . . well, she was better off not knowing what he did. But as long as it protected Alejandro, she didn’t care.
“Little Queen,” The Scot said cajolingly. “He won’t be happy if you wear yourself out.”
“I’m not leaving,” she told him fiercely. “Scot, I have to look after him. I’m staying here.”
The Scot sighed and nodded, stepping back.
Time ticked by and she just watched Alejandro breathe. The beating of the heart monitor was her reassurance.
He was going to live.
He had to.
“Cat?”
Her eyes were burning and her head was thumping.
But she kept her vigil by his bed.
“Cat?”
She didn’t look away from Alejandro. Why wasn’t he waking up? How long had they been here?
“Cat.” She glanced to the left as someone touched her shoulder.
“Reuben? What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” he soothed. He looked exhausted with big, dark circles under his eyes.
“How long . . . how long have we been here?” she asked in a croaky voice.
“Close to twenty hours. I came in here to give you some updates.”
“Okay.”
“Bernard is staying another night as the doctors were worried about his heart.”
“He’ll be all right, though?”
“The doctors think so. They’re just being cautious. He’ll be released in the morning, so Aaron will be able to watch him at home. He’s not happy about being in here and he’s making his opinion know. So they’ll want to kick him out as soon as they can.”
Her lips wanted to turn up in a smile, but lacked the energy.
“Nighthawk?”
Reuben sighed, running his hand over his face. “I sent men around to his place. They took care of Emiliano’s thugs, but Nighthawk has retreated into himself. He won’t talk to anyone.”
Oh no.
She knew how hard it must have been for him to have armed men invade his safe space.
“I wanted to move him to a safe house, but he’s refusing to go. For now, I’ve got two guys watching him.”
“I should call him. But I don’t know where my phone is.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll get it delivered here to you,” Reuben promised. “I’ve spoken to your friends. They want to come here, but I advised against it.”
She frowned. “Why?”
“Because I don’t know how many more of your father’s friends are in the city, and it might not be safe yet. I don’t have anyone to spare to watch them.”
“Don’t call him that,” she said fiercely. “He’s not my father.”
“No, Little one, you’re right. He’s not.” Reuben was staring at her strangely. She’d never seen him look like that. “Do you want to talk to them?”
Did she?
She loved them. And they would be so worried. But she just didn’t have the energy.
