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“There were some casualties. Sokolov hired about fifty armed men to guard the warehouse. We lost about five capos, the De Luca’s lost some too. But all in all, the casualty rate was low. I was so scared, Katerina. When we found out you were gone, Xander got to work on tracking you immediately. It was difficult because your location kept changing. And then it started to look like something was jamming the signal. But he managed to work around it all. He was so focused on finding you. That man loves you so much, sorella.”
“I know,” I whisper.
“After we got your location, everyone practically raced out of the mansion. Even Papa. I stayed behind but Tony already told me everything that happened. As soon as they arrived, the fighting started and it was a mess. He thinks Xander got hit when he was trying to get in. According to Tony, he’s never seen anyone fight that hard before. Are you sure he’s never had any combat training?”
I smile. “Positive.”
“Well, he’s great at it. And a good shot. He took down three of the men outside before rushing inside the warehouse. He must have gotten shot in the middle of it all. Thank God, the bullet wasn’t too deep.”
“Yeah,” I breathe. “Soph, I need to see him. I need to see him and confirm he’s okay.”
My sister nods in understanding. She helps me out of the bed, leading me to Xander’s room. At the door, I run into the last person I was expecting to see leaving his hospital room, Jessica Steele. She stills when she notices my approach.
I brace myself for whatever she has to say. I’m sure she blames me for what happened. And rightly so. It’s all my fault. Instead of yelling at me though, Jessica sighs.
“I know you think of me as a horrible mother,” she begins. “And maybe I am. But you need to understand, child. That I did what I thought was best for him.”
“We all think we’re doing what’s best. Most of the time we’re wrong,” I tell her.
“I love my son,” Jessica says. “And I know you don’t believe me. He probably doesn’t believe it either. But I’m going to do my best to work towards getting him to do so. After what happened, almost losing him,” her voice cracks on the last word.
“I understand, Jessica,” I say gently. “And I’m sure Xander will forgive you eventually.”
She offers me a small smile. “His brother and sister are in there with him,” she informs me before walking away.
I ask Sophia to leave while I enter the hospital room. I find Mikayla and Graham on opposite sides of Xander’s bed, seated with worry on their faces. They get to their feet as soon as they notice me.
“Katerina,” Mikayla says softly, moving to hug me. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“Thanks, Kay.”
My gaze moves to the silent man in the room. He clears his throat, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Hey, Katerina,” he greets.
Despite everything I’m glad he’s here. At his brother’s side when he needs him the most. Xander was right. There might be hope for him yet.
“Kay and I are going to leave now,” he says, nodding at his sister.
“Wait. Can you ask your parents to bring Nate here?” I question.
They assure me that they will and then they leave. I take a seat beside Xander’s bed to wait for him to wake up.
When his eyes finally open, the first thing I do is call his doctor and nurses into the room. After they confirm that he’ll be okay, we’re left alone once again. I stare at him for a couple of seconds, trying to memorize every inch of his face.
“I love you, Xander,” I say softly, the words leaving my lips as easy as breathing.
His green eyes land on me and the sight of it is like a punch to the stomach. “I love you and I’m so sorry that it took me so long to be able to say it. But I’m saying it now and I’ll say it every single day for as long as you continue to find me worthy of your love. Thank you so much for taking care of me. For saving me, for always being there, even when we were apart.”
I’m crying by the time I’m done. Xander doesn’t say anything for a few seconds. Then he’s trying to sit up.
“You probably shouldn’t,” I start, trying to stop him.
He raises an eyebrow. “Just help me, woman.”
So I do, placing his back against the wall. “You know the first thing I want to do?” he asks and I shake my head.
“I want to hug you and Nate for as long as it takes to convince me we’re all safe. Then I want to kiss you for as long as I want.”
