The quiet, steady beep of a monitor pierces my subconscious, and the thick, black fog surrounding me slowly lifts. I open my eyes, but the light is too bright, and I squeeze them shut again.
“Shae.”
At the sound of Rex’s voice, I try again to open my eyes, but it’s no use. The light feels like daggers stabbing me in the head. “Too bright,” I murmur.
I can hear him moving around the room, and then he says, “There, try again.”
Peeking an eye open, I find the room bathed in darkness. The sharp pain is gone, so I try for the other eye. I blink them open, and Rex is smiling at me from a chair next to my bed.
I can’t bring myself to smile back. What is he doing here? All the hateful words he said to me come rushing forward, and the monitor on the wall goes crazy, making a loud, shrill sound as I shift in my bed, trying to get away from him.
“What are you doing here?”
Eyes wide, he reaches for me, but I flinch away.
“It’s okay, baby. I’m not gonna hurt you.”
More than anything, I want to believe him, but he chose his father. When it came down to it, he didn’t choose me.
“You shouldn’t be here. You need to leave, Rex.” I reach for the call button, but he beats me to it, his frantic eyes pleading with mine.
“You don’t remember what happened, do you?”
The last thing I remember was him turning the gun on me. Everything after that is a big, dark hole.
“You were going to kill me.” My chest heaves, my palms sweating with the fear I felt in that moment. “You pointed a gun at my head.”
“No, baby, that’s not how it ended.”
“I remember, Rex. I—” A sharp pain engulfs my head, my vision blurring, and I wince as more of the fog surrounding me lifts.
When Rex reaches for my hand again, I remember seeing him turn the gun on his father. “You weren’t going to kill me.”
Eyes glistening, he shakes his head. “I would never hurt you. I told you I’d protect my family at all costs, and I meant it. You’re my family, Shae.”
“You saved me.”
He shakes his head, stroking his fingers through my hair. “No, baby, Dante saved you. He took a bullet for you.”
Lifting a heavy arm, I rub my head as the other memories slowly filter in. Dante pushed me out of the way, and I heard two loud pops before everything went dark. I want to feel good that he chose me, but what if he was just trying to make up for something horrible he did to Cami so long ago? He saved my life, but can we ever have a normal relationship? Nothing can erase what he did.
“Is he okay?”
“Bullet grazed his arm. No damage. Just a flesh wound. He’ll be sore for a little while, but considering the circumstances, I’d say he’s pretty lucky. It could’ve been much worse.”
“He shouldn’t have done that. He could’ve been killed.”
“He was protecting you.”
I don’t have a response to that, so I just keep asking questions. “What about your father? Did he make it?”
Rex shakes his head. “No.”
“I’m sorry, Rex, about your father.”
He shakes his head. “Don’t be. He ripped your family apart, Shae. I don’t expect you to be sorry he’s gone.”
Taking a deep breath, I let the knowledge of Sal’s death settle in my heart and in my soul. But the relief I thought would come from knowing my father’s and sister’s murderer is gone doesn’t come. Instead, I’m left with an emptiness where the hate used to be.
“How’s your mother?” I ask. Questions are easier than all that’s swirling in my head.
“She’s okay. A little shaken up. She was here for a while, but Dante and I made her go home and get some rest.”
“She and Dante—are they okay?”
Rex shrugs. “I’m not sure Dante knows what to feel or think. They have a lot of things to discuss, that’s for sure. But for now, he just wants to make sure you’re okay.”
“I owe him my life,” I breathe. I wish I could rewind time and tell Dante and Rex everything about their mother and my father before running off and making a mess of things.
Rex’s hand tightens around mine. “So do I, because if he hadn’t shoved you out of the way, I don’t even want to think about what would’ve happened.” He leans forward to press a kiss to my knuckles.
Tears build in my eyes as I look at the man I love, the man I thought I’d lost for good. But I still can’t quite believe it. “You said you couldn’t forgive me. You said—”
“I said a lot of things I didn’t mean,” he says, cutting me off. “It wasn’t real. There’s no way I would let anyone harm a hair on your perfect little head.”
“I don’t understand. You were so mad. We both were.”
“Dante and I came after you when you left Vault. We knew my dad was going to be at the restaurant, and I have reason to believe he’d figured out who you are.”
“What? How?”
“Shae, he had eyes everywhere. He’s a powerful man with strong connections, and after the night we had dinner with my mom, he started asking questions. Anyway, Dante and I knew if he ran into you, he wasn’t going to let you go. There was no way I was going to let him hurt you.”
Rex scoots his chair as close the bed as he can get. “But I couldn’t just think about you. I had to think about Dante and myself and my mother. We had to make my father believe we were on his side. That was our plan, but when we walked in on you telling him about Dante, I knew the dynamics had shifted. I wasn’t sure where Dante was going to fall on the spectrum, so I continued the only way I knew how. I made my father believe I was on his side, and to do that, he needed to believe I would pick him over you. So yes, I said some awful things, but I swear to you, I didn’t mean them. You’re it for me, Shae.”
“You were protecting me.”
“Always. I’m always protecting you.”
Tears drip down my face, a soft cry falling from my lips, and Rex crawls onto my bed, pulling me into his arms, being careful not to disturb my IV.
“Don’t cry. Please don’t cry.”
“So much has happened between us, Rex. Can we overcome everything we’ve put each other through? All the secrets we’ve kept?”
“We can overcome anything. When you’re home and feeling up to it, we’re going to talk about everything that’s happened, and we’re going to keep talking until all the anger is gone.”
“I’m running out of anger.”
“That’s good,” he says, brushing my hair from my forehead. “Then that’s where we’ll start.”
We sit with his arms around me for several minutes, until we hear a scuffling outside the door.
Rex releases me, wiping the remaining wetness from my face. “There are two men and a woman out there fighting over who gets to come in here next.”
I smile. “Did they release Dante already?”
“They didn’t really have a choice. He gave the nurses and doctors hell until they agreed to let him go. He’s been camped outside your room with me all night.”
That makes me happy.
“And what about JJ?” I ask.
“What about him?”
“What do I tell him? What will I tell Erin?”
“They think you fell and hit your head.”
“JJ saw me with the gun, Rex.”
Rex’s eyes widen. “He didn’t mention that.”
Of course he didn’t. “He won’t. He’s my family. He’ll protect me. But it doesn’t feel right to lie to him.”
“I know it doesn’t, but right now you have to think about his safety, and the less he knows, the better.”
I nod, knowing he’s right and that JJ won’t ask questions. He’ll take whatever I give him and let that be that.
“And what about your safety?” I look around, lowering my voice. “Your father is dead, Rex. What’s going to happen to you?”
“Don’t worry about me. It’s all being taken care of.”
“What does that even mean?”
“Shae—”
I place a hand on his cheek. “Please, Rex. You have to tell me. I need to know what happened.”
“The mafia runs on a tight set of rules, and when my father killed your father, he broke one of them. There’s a chain of command in place for a reason, and for a boss to kill a boss or put a hit out on another boss, it must go up in front of the commission. My father didn’t do that, which means your family was allowed to retaliate without question. As far as the commission is concerned, this feud is over.”
“Wow. So that’s it? No one is coming after me? I’m sorry, but I have a hard time believing they’re just going to let all of us walk away.”
“You’re right; it’s not quite that easy.” Rex runs the pad of his thumb over my knuckles. “You probably didn’t know this, but your Uncle Giovanni was the underboss when your father was murdered.”
“I had no idea.”
“I figured you didn’t. He took over as acting boss the day of your father’s funeral. Your family is still one of the most prominent mafia families in the country. We may not be an active part of their lifestyle, but we’re still protected.”
“I-I don’t know what to say.”
“I can’t imagine how overwhelming this must be for you.”
Nodding, I stare at our joined hands. Suddenly I remember the bank book in my name.
“It was him,” I whisper, looking up. “He’s the one who was putting money in an account for me.”
Rex shakes his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Rex, I don’t think I was in witness protection at all. I think it was a lie. I think Giovanni was trying to protect me, and the only way he knew how to do that was to send me away.”
“Why would you think that?”
“The Blacks hated me. They would never have willingly adopted me. Now that I look back, it’s obvious they were being forced.”
“Or threatened,” he adds.
“It’s possible. The day they left me, they also left a bank book on my bed. It was in my name, and there’s enough money in there for me to live out the rest of my life without working a day. It had to be him. He couldn’t keep me, so he was trying to support me the only way he knew how. I need to see him, Rex. I need to talk to him.”
Rex’s brows furrow. “No. Absolutely not. It’s too dangerous.”
“He’s my family.”
“I understand that, Shae, but it’s too dangerous. He’s had the go-ahead to kill my father since the day your father died, and he hasn’t. There’s much more going on here, and we’re not getting involved. We’re done, baby.”
I don’t like his answer, but I understand it. “Fine. We’re done. For now.”
“No, for good. We’re done for good. That life can’t touch us anymore. Got it?”
I breathe a sigh of relief, a sense of comfort settling in my chest. Rex killed his own father to save my life, and I know he’ll do whatever it takes to keep me safe. I press a lingering kiss to his lips and when we pull apart I ask, “How are you holding up?”
“I’m good now that you’re awake.”
“That’s not what I meant. How are you dealing with your father’s death? I know what that feels like, and I just need to know you’re okay. Or how I can help you be okay.”
Running a strand of my hair through his fingers, Rex smiles softly at me. “I’m okay.”
“Rex.”
He sighs, dropping the strand. “He was a horrible man, and we never had a good relationship. The world is a better place without him.”
“But someone will take his place. Someone else will be there to take over where he left off just like Giovanni took over for my father.”
“You’re right.” Rex nods. “And there’s nothing we can do about it. That’s what this life is about, Shae.”
“I don’t want this life.”
“I don’t want it either. The only life I want is the one I have with you.”
“That sounds really good.”
“Yeah?”
I nod. “As long as you’re in it. Only if you’re in it.”
His eyes close, and when they open, they’re shining bright with relief and happiness.
“It’s me and you, baby. From here on out. Me and you.” Cupping my face in his hands, Rex pulls me in close. “I’m going to kiss you now, Shae.”
“Please,” I whisper, tilting my head.
Rex’s lips press against mine, and my bottom lip trembles because I thought we were over. I never thought I would feel this sort of happiness and love again.
The door to my room creaks open and Dante walks in. Hands buried in his pockets, he lingers just inside.
Rex presses his lips to my ear. “I’m going to give you two a couple of minutes.”
I nod, watching him walk out of the room. When the door shuts, Dante sits in a chair next to my bed.
“I know I’m the last person you probably want to see right now, but there’s something you need to know,” he says.
Swallowing, I nod.
Dante rubs his hands together and blows out a deep breath. “When I was growing up, all I wanted was to be like my father. He was my hero. Even after I was old enough to understand the life he lived, I still wanted it. More than anything, I wanted to be made…until that day outside your house. I watched Sal shoot your father—our father—and I felt that bullet in the marrow of my bones. I saw the look in Luca’s eyes. Rex and I watched the life drain out of him, and when we saw you and Cami running across the yard, we saw your pain. In that moment, everything changed for me. I didn’t want to be the cause of something so horrific. I knew my dad was into some bad things, but I hadn’t known it involved murder.”
Dante looks out the window, and I wait patiently for him to continue. “As soon as you and Cami took off running, he ordered me to kill her. I was just a kid, and my fucking father ordered me to kill someone.” He pauses, shaking his head. “But when I caught her, I froze. I didn’t know what to do, but I knew I couldn’t take her life.”
“What happened?”
“I let her go,” he says, turning toward me.
My heart floods with relief, and I close my eyes. If he’d delivered Cami to Sal, I’m not sure I’d be able to move past it, but knowing he didn’t gives me hope.
“I let her go, and she ran straight back to Sal. She was going to kill him that day, or die trying, and she put up one hell of a fight.”
Opening my eyes, I shake my head. “That doesn’t make sense. If you let her go, why did she run back to him? Why didn’t she come to me?”
“She was trying to protect you, Shae, and the only way she knew to do that was to kill Sal. When she shot him the first time, she hit his knee—enough to drop him to the ground, but nothing that would kill him. Sal was a smart man. He was waiting for me to bring her back, but he wasn’t expecting her to ambush him. Still, he got to the trigger before she did.”
Tears build behind my eyes and fall over my lashes. “She died protecting me.”
“She was a brave girl. I wish I would’ve gotten the chance to know her.” Dante blinks, and a tear rolls down his cheek. “I was weak, Shae. Stupid, naïve, and weak, and I’m so sorry.”
“It wasn’t weakness; it was humanity. You were a kid, Dante, and you ultimately did the right thing. You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m the one who’s sorry. I’m sorry for the hurtful things I said. I wish I would’ve given you the chance to explain what happened with Cami at Vault when you tried. It could’ve saved us a lot of pain. But most of all, I’m sorry I revealed your mom’s secret the way I did. That wasn’t fair to you.”
“Don’t apologize. I’m glad I found out the way I did. As for what happened with Cami, I’d say considering the circumstances, your reaction was fairly mild.”
“I wanted to kill you,” I say, grinning.
“Good thing you didn’t, because we have quite a few years to make up for.”
His eyes fall to my hands folded in my lap, and I wait for him to reach out and take one, but he doesn’t.
So I do.
Placing my hand over his, I squeeze gently. “I’m not sure where we’re supposed to go from here, but I’d really like to get to know you.”
“I’ve never had a sister before.”
“No? We’re great for all sorts of things. And I’ve never had a brother before.”
“We’re great for all sorts of things too. Which reminds me, I need to lay down some ground rules with Rex. I might have to kick my own brother’s ass for dating my sister.”
We stare at each other before bursting out in laughter.
The tears of sadness mix with the tears of joy, and before I know it, I’m a blubbering mess—splotchy face, snotty nose, and sobs I can’t seem to control. Dante pulls me into his arms. I know we have so far to go, and I’m sure he hasn’t even scratched the surface of his emotions—considering his entire life has been essentially ripped out from under him—but I’m happy knowing he’s going to be part of my life.
“It’s okay,” he soothes. “We’re going to get through this together, because we’re family.”
“Family.”