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Chapter Fifty-Six
Ava
It’s only as I’m cuddling with Alessandro in bed, the light fading outside, that I notice the bandage on his ear.
“What happened there?” I ask, pointing to it.
He flinches, as though worried I’m going to touch it. “It’s nothing.”
“Doesn’t seem like nothing.”
“Just a scratch.”
“Just a scratch? Can I see it?”
He sighs, then sits up. “I guess I’m going to need to change the dressing anyway.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Yeah, I guess you are. Did you bring first-aid stuff?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, sit on the edge of the bed. I’ll help.”
Alessandro chuckles. “Yes, ma’am.”
He moves to the edge of the bed, and I sit behind him. When I go to unwrap his ear, he flinches again.
“Can you stay still? I’m just going to unwrap it. I’ll be gentle.”
“Yeah. Just… be careful.”
There’s a vulnerability in his tone that I suspect previously, he would have tried to hide. I kiss the back of his head, then slowly, carefully, I remove the bandage.
My jaw drops. “Oh my god. What happened?”
“Do you really want to know?”
“Yes, goddammit, I really do. We’re going to tell each other things now, okay?”
I lean around him so we can look each other in the eyes. I need him to know that this matters to me. No more walls between us.
He nods. “Colin Maroney shot that hole in my ear on the Ferris wheel at the Bover City Carnival.”
Instantly, I feel protective of my husband, and furious on his behalf. “How? Why?”
“Well, I knocked his gun barrel out of my mouth before he could shoot me in the brain. All things considered, I’d say it was an improvement.”
I take a deep breath, feeling slightly sick. “I’m glad he didn’t shoot you in the brain. More details. Why were you riding the Ferris wheel with Colin Maroney?”
He actually laughs. “I fucked up. Got cocky, figured it was safe. We had a meeting. I wanted to know if he planted the car bomb. He pulled a gun on me.”
“I guess that answers that question.”
“And quite clearly.”
“I assume he’s dead?”
“Along with several of his men, and his brother, who was his second in command.”
