Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 76846 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76846 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
“Okay,” I agreed, nodding.
“My head hurts,” Islah said, as if we didn’t all see how small her eyes were, how much she was struggling against the stark fluorescent lights in the office.
“Yeah, I’m sure it does, honey. We can get you some acetaminophen for it, but NSAIDs are off the table, and I don’t really feel comfortable prescribing any pain meds until we see how you do through the night. I’m sorry I can’t do more,” he said.
To that, Islah made a little whimpering sound that made my heart ache for her, knowing that this shit never should have been able to happen.
I should have had more guards around.
Sent the girls out of state where no one could get to them.
“Okay,” Dr. Conti said. “We’re just going to get you numbed up, and then I will just put a few staples in.”
“Are you going to have to shave my head?” Islah asked, sounding both horrified and resigned at the same time.
“Just a small spot. No one will know if you pull your hair back after the staples are out,” Dr. Conti told her, giving her a soft smile.
As the doctor concentrated on Islah, her hand squeezing mine, Dav finally wrestled Cinna out of her jacket to check out her arm.
She was right. It had been a flesh wound at the area just under her shoulder in the fatty part of her arm. Still, I was sure it hurt like a bitch.
Dav pulled her in closer, pressing a kiss to her temple.
“The boys are freaking out,” Dav said, meaning the teens they’d all but adopted.
“You shouldn’t have told them,” Cinna insisted.
“They’re not little kids. They knew something was up. I’ll text them.”
“Elian?” Islah called, bringing my attention back to her.
“Yeah?”
“Where’s Elizabeth?” she asked.
“She’s at the condo,” I told her, giving her hand a squeeze.
“Is she okay?” she asked. “She… saved us,” Islah said, making my heart squeeze in my chest.
I hadn’t pestered Cinna with questions on the short drive to urgent care. I didn’t want to upset Islah if she had a bad head wound.
And I couldn’t exactly ask questions with Dr. Conti in the room with us.
“She’s okay,” I told Islah. “She’s with Serano.”
“And Rico,” Cinna said. “I let him know.”
Which meant that, at the very least, Saff and Renzo were also descending on my condo as we stood here.
There was a Bratva enforcer dead on my floor after all.
“Okay,” Dr. Conti said. “Let me go just grab you that acetaminophen.”
“Okay,” Cinna said as soon as the door was closed. “The short of it is, we were expecting pizza.”
“And I opened the door before even thinking,” Islah said.
“It’s not your fault,” Cinna insisted. “He came in hot, knocked Islah back into the wall, then came at me as I reached for the gun. From there, it got bad fast. I got shot. Islah jumped on him. I went for the eyes. Islah tried to strangle him. That’s when he slammed her into the wall over and over. I was knocked into the coffee table. He was coming at me with the gun. It was almost over…”
“That’s when Elizabeth got Cinna’s gun,” Islah piped in.
“She shot him, I dunno, three or four times,” Cinna told me. “I took the gun and… finished it. Honestly, her last shot would have done it. But… I didn’t want that on her,” she said, shrugging.
Christ.
I felt like even more of a dick for leaving her alone after that. She’d saved my sister and a fellow capo that I thought of like a sister. She’d shot a man.
And she was alone with strangers, Serano aside. And, well, the fucker wasn’t exactly a comforting guy.
I needed to get back to her.
Seeming to read my mind, Cinna caught my eye. “Why don’t you take Islah home?” she suggested. “Dav is here now. I’m good.”
There was a knock at the door before Dr. Conti came back in. “Cinna, right?” he asked, looking at her.
“Yeah.”
“There are two young men creating a bit of a scene in the waiting room,” he said.
“I’ll bring them back,” Dav said, pressing another kiss to Cinna’s temple before heading out.
The doctor gave Islah the meds and a small bottle of water to take them.
“Anything else?” I asked him.
“Just keep a close eye on her. If anything feels off, take her right to the hospital. Otherwise, you can bring her back in for a check-up in a few days. Then in ten days to remove the staples. Keep them dry for forty-eight hours, then they can tolerate soap and water, just no scrubbing. If the wound looks puffy, pink, or has a discharge, bring her back in.”
“Okay, thanks, Doc,” I said as Dav came in with his and Cinna’s boys, allowing Islah and me to slip away.
“You don’t need to hold onto me like I’m a fragile old lady with a fall risk,” she insisted as I held her forearm as I led her back out of the building, looking both ways before rushing her into the car.