Like last time I was in the hospital, I woke up to the gentle beep of the monitor.

My eyes opened slightly, and I was immediately aware of the lack of pain. My shoulder had been killing me, but now I couldn’t feel anything. My eyes opened farther, and the white walls came into view, along with the TV that hung from the wall. The screen was black because it was off.

The blinds were partially open, and I could see the faint light making shadows across the floor. It seemed to be sunset, the light slowly disappearing from the world. The last thing I remembered was nightfall. I remembered executing fearless men and taking the life from their veins. I snapped a man’s neck, but that was the last thing I could remember.

I didn’t know how much time had passed.

I turned my head a little toward the doorway, expecting to see Max sitting in one of the chairs at my bedside. But he wasn’t there.

Crow Barsetti was.

I blinked my eyes a few times as I stared at him, taking in his muscular arms and chiseled jaw. His black wedding ring sat on his left hand. His elbows rested on his knees, and his hands came together as he stared straight ahead. He was deep in thought, his mind not in that hospital room with me.

“Conway alright?” My voice came out hoarse from not speaking for so long. It was husky and harsh, clawing against my throat as it emerged. Crow wouldn’t be sitting at my bedside if his son were clinging to life.

Crow slowly lifted his head and looked at me, the consternation in his eyes slowly fading away. He straightened in the chair, sitting back and pulling his elbows off his knees. His hands moved to his thighs, and his wide shoulders turned rigid with discomfort. “He’s fine. Some broken ribs and a broken nose, but nothing serious.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” The words were genuine because I didn’t want to have taken a bullet for no reason.

Crow looked forward again, unable to look at me.

It was the first time Crow had backed down. I hadn’t even thought that was possible. I’d seen strong men break down in fear once I challenged them. Crow Barsetti never showed any sign of intimidation when it came to the two of us, even though I was half his age and twice his strength. I’d seen him look straight down a barrel and wait for his enemy to pull the trigger. But now the power dynamic between the two of us had shifted.

Because I’d saved his entire family.

If it weren’t for me, he would be dead—along with his brother and son.

I knew it.

He knew it.

He rubbed his palms together and breathed a quiet sigh, full of frustration along with something else. When he gathered his bearings, he turned back to me. “We both know what I should say to you, but I’m having a hard time saying it.”

“I’ve got all day.”

The corner of his mouth rose slightly in a smile, appreciating my sarcasm.

I kept my head on the pillow with my arm beside me. The IV was in my hand, providing fluids to my body. The bed was small in comparison to my body. I was surprised it could even withstand my weight.

“For starters…thank you for saving my life.”

I watched him, watched him look me in the eye as he said it. I hung on to every word, knowing I deserved the gratitude. Most people would shrug it off and not make a big deal about it. But that wasn’t the case here. I wanted the recognition for my sacrifice. I wanted the respect I deserved. I wanted to clear my family’s legacy and begin a new one. “You’re welcome.”

“And thank you for saving my brother…” He cleared his throat, like the upcoming words were the most difficult for him to say. He rubbed his hands together again and closed his eyes for a brief moment, struggling to get the words out. “And for saving my son’s life.” As much as he wanted to look down, he didn’t. He held my gaze, giving me the respect he’d never granted me before.

“You’re welcome.”

“And for my daughter-in-law…and my future grandbaby…thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I said for the third time, appreciating the fact that I was honored for every single life I’d saved. If the guys hadn’t gotten there first, Sapphire would have been raped and killed. Even if Conway survived, he wouldn’t have been able to survive that revelation.

Crow crossed his arms over his chest and stared out the window, thinking for a long time. The silence continued, but the conversation obviously wasn’t over because he was still there. “Do you know why the Skull Kings put a hit on my son?”

“No.” I had no idea what he’d done to initiate their wrath. Conway seemed like a careful man, especially now that he had a wife he wanted to protect. “But I’m sure there’s a reason…and your son knows what that reason is.”

“I haven’t asked because we haven’t had a moment alone together.”

That meant his family was here. They were sitting at Conway’s bedside. Instantly, a dagger went straight into my heart at the thought of Vanessa being there. She was in the same hospital as me, but she wasn’t at my bedside. After everything I did for her family, I would have expected her to be holding my hand with tears streaming down her face.

“I haven’t told her.” Crow read my thoughts. “I will…but I just needed some time.”

After everything I’d done, he kept that secret from her? “You’re fucking kidding me.”

He raised his hand to silence me. “I wanted to talk to you first.”

“Why?” If I weren’t stuck in this bed, I would rise to my full height and look at him with all the power I could emit. “To see if I would agree to keep all this a secret?”

His eyes narrowed, like he was offended. “No.”

“Then why?”

“We obviously needed to talk first.”

I didn’t want to talk to him anymore. I wanted her. I wanted the woman I’d missed for the past three months of my life. “And what else is there to say, Crow?” I didn’t bother keeping the anger out of my voice. “That I’ll never be good enough for her?”

He rose from the chair, his dark eyes on me with the same aggression. “No.” He slowly came to my bedside, his boots tapping against the tile floor. He stood at the rail, looking down at me with his hands in his pockets. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough for what you did…especially after the way I treated you.”

“I didn’t do it for you.” Even though he loomed over me, I didn’t give him the upper hand. “She can live without me. She can’t live without you.”

It was the first time Crow’s eyes softened in front of me, that he showed me the same vulnerability he showed with his daughter. He looked at me differently, not with the look of disgust he used to wear. “You have my gratitude forever. If there’s ever anything I can do for you—”

“I want your daughter.” I barked it loud, aggressive, and quick like a dog. I gripped the rails on either side of my bed, needing something to keep me steady. My monitor was starting to beep quicker as my heart rate spiked. “I earned her. I want her. Give her to me.” I spoke of her like an object rather than a person, but that’s what she was to me—my baby.

“Your feelings haven’t changed, then.”

My eyes shifted back and forth as I stared into his gaze. “They’ll never change, Crow.”

He gave a nod so slight I wasn’t sure if I saw it. “She’s seeing someone.”

The words meant nothing to me. “She doesn’t love him. She loves me.”

He didn’t challenge me. “From the beginning, I could never look past my hate. Neither could my brother. Even my wife, brighter than the sun, struggled with it. I think I’ve always been looking for a reason to get rid of you. I promised my daughter I would try to accept you, but I didn’t try hard enough. I couldn’t look past our history, past what your father did to my family. But as I got to know you, I should have accepted you as your own man. When you said we’re the same…you were right. I was never any better than you. It was wrong for me to judge you. When it comes to my daughter, I can’t see straight. I had very specific expectations of how I wanted her life to be…and now I realize I can’t control it. I shouldn’t control it. I should trust her…trust her instincts.”

Every word he said was months too late, but hearing them now gave me a sense of peace. I was finally recognized for who I was. I was finally given the apology that was long overdue.

He paused as he stared at me. “Griffin, I hope you accept my apology.”

I could be bitter about what happened, but that would be pointless. I took a bullet for this man, and he’d finally dropped his pride and bitterness and owned up to his mistakes. That was the most I could ask for. “I accept it.”

He pulled his right hand out of his pocket and extended it to me, offering me a handshake.

When I’d first tried to shake his hand, he’d looked at my gesture as a threat. He’d seemed like he wanted to spit on my palm rather than greet me like a man. Now, I stared at his offering, unsure if I was really seeing it because it seemed so mythical.

“You’re a good man, Griffin.”

I finally moved my hand into his and shook his hand—shook the hand of Crow Barsetti.

“And my daughter is lucky to have you.”