His Mafia Prince
Chapter 221: Bargain with Death

Chapter 221: Bargain with Death

(TYLER)

"...so it was Jericho who rained bullets on the Irish guy and finished him off." I wind up to Marco.

"The first gruesome thing Jericho has ever done in his life." Marco grunts. "Miles should have handled those people the minute you first learnt about them."

I ignore that. I can’t imagine Sasha would have said anything, wanting to keep the other side of the family out of Adonis’ business. We are in the hospital café and Marco is eating a salad and cheese sandwich because it is the only thing left available in self-serve. He says it tasted better than the plane food. It is in the middle of the night. The café is quiet, and only a few other miserable people are sitting around staring at their coffees and barely drinking them.

I know exactly how they feel.

Wesley is sitting with Sasha as I fill Marco in on the details that were making him shout in the ward. And the guard on duty is sitting a few tables away from me, pretending not to listen in.

"Then I got in the ambulance with Sasha." I continue. "And that’s when he told me―" my voice breaks, and I let the sudden urge to cry die down first.

I could barely hear Sasha even before we were huddled in the ambulance, and then they got an oxygen mask and put it on his face. He pushed it off weakly, and as one of the paramedics checked the IV, the other one was insisting that he stays with the mask on until I begged. "He is trying to say something, please. Let him." I had to lean so close that my ear was practically on his lips. His voice was harsh and faint.

"Love you, Ty."

I was forced to hold back a sob, because regardless of the pain he was in, he was still trying to speak. And still so faint.

Miles.

I sat upright and looked him in the face, and he blinked at me. Then he tried to take my hand. No. Not my hand, but to show me something on his. I saw the meaning, and when I drew the heavy Adonis ring on his finger, those clouded blue eyes closed in relief.

"You want me to give this to ..?" I said, to show him that I understood what he was trying to tell me.

He gives me a shallow nod and allows the paramedic to jam the mask back on his face. His hand went limp in mine then the medics pushed me away. I watched them battle to keep my husband alive as I sat there, numb. I felt another presence lean in. Something, someone interested in the fight, trying to get a better view.

I clutched on the Adonis ring in my hand. Sasha’s blood made the metal slippery. Then, I began to bargain with death.

Marco’s ornery complaints break my trance. "...for Sasha? And why the hell did Miles not have extra protection on you? And why the fuck―"

"Marco," I call wearily. "Believe me, Miles did his best, but Sasha..." I give an exhausted shrug, unable to explain myself.

But Marco gives me an understanding snort. "He went all Don about it huh? Said it will make him look weak if he lets the Irish disrespect him in his turf?"

I nod weakly. "All he wanted was to help Jericho. He said he wasn’t going to let the Irish or any other Italian family think that they had any power over him. I have always had extra protection when I was away from him. But when he was with me, Sasha... he always... he took care of me himself. Because, I think... he was scared."

Marco’s face scrunches. "Bullshit. Sasha has never been scared a day in his life."

"Not for himself. He was scared―"

"For his family, for you." Marco finishes the sentence for me. His voice is soft. "Alright. I get that. I’m fucking terrified for my family right now. And I know that they have the best protection. I picked the men myself." He reaches over and places his hand on mine. "But now I’m here. That’s the reason I came back. For you and for my nephew. Because I know that he’d want you protected."

I stare at his palm over my hand, and I try once again to not get teary. "I’m so glad that you’re here, Marco." I finally say. "So glad." I even force a smile, as much as I can. But I’m now protected." I gesture to the guard. "You don’t need to worry about me."

"You think I should worry about Sasha instead?" he squeezes my hand. "I can do both. I have enough space to worry about you both in this head."

We get back to the hallway that leads to Sasha’s room. I spot the familiar face of Giulio among other guards, and that tells me that Lucia is here. After a few greetings here and there, I push past everyone and go into Sasha’s room. I hate being away from him for long.

Inside, Lucia and Wesley are speaking in hushed voices. She turns and gives me a sad smile as I enter, then comes and puts her arm around me just like she’s been doing on the other days. It’s almost like she thinks I’ll break if she hugs any harder.

Maybe I will. I don’t know.

"How are you today, Tyler? Wesley says they got you a better mattress for the camp bed. To help you... you know, sleep well." She looks at me in a most pitiful way, something that rubs me wrong for reasons that I can barely understand. Maybe it is the guilt, or maybe it is because I’m anxious and jittery about everything. I can’t exactly place what it is. All I know is I don’t like being this pathetic.

Then again, Wesley is just trying to make sure that I’m okay. I can’t let out my frustration on him.

"I’m fine." I say into her hair. It has been a weird relief to have Lucia around. All my life, I grew up estranged and didn’t know what it was like to have family around in times like these. I never knew what I was missing. I’m as grateful for her as I am for Wesley, Miles and Jericho.

She then heads out to speak with her brother and in a few seconds, they are chatting and grinning like never before.

While they speak, Wesley comes to me. "The doctor just came in while you were out." He says. "She will soon come back to fill you in. But she said that Sasha is doing better. His pupils are responsive and he is still reacting to the needle."

Every so often, they stick a needle into him just to see if he flinches. This ward feels like a torture chamber. And when I look at my alpha lying there, I see no difference. He still has a pallor to his face. His lips are still colorless. His dark eyebrows and those long thick lashes of his are like ink stains on a paper. I really hope that this doctor isn’t keeping my hopes up just to keep the money coming in.

"Okay." I respond without really knowing what it means. Because Wesley seems to be expecting some kind of reply. I can’t think of anything because my head feels blank. I don’t know how else to process what is happening because everything seems to be happening so fast. And I have absolutely no control over it, all I can hope for is that Sasha gets up from this bed. He puts his hand over my shoulders.

You want to come with me to the chapel again?" he asks.

In the corner, the darkest corner of the room beyond Sasha’s bed, I can almost, if I stare hard enough, make my eyes blur just a little, I can almost make a shadow.,

A hungry shadow with a patient smile, waiting to take my husband.

"You go." I tell Wesley. I don’t want to miss the doctors again."

"We should let you get some rest anyway." He says, gesturing to the camp bed beside Sasha’s bed. I like the fact that they thought to move it there, it means that I can guard him from that lurking shadow in the corner. Like a guard dog lying across the doorway.

I’d be damned if I let death have its way here. Wesley, Lucia and Marco hug me a little more then they leave. I can hear Marco ask his sister the details of what happened in the warehouse, so that he can go find out where and how the Irish got ahead of us, and where Miles failed. His insistence on finding somebody to blame is so exhausting right now that I fall face first on the camp bed as soon as the door clicks behind them.

I wave a warning hand at the corner. "You better stay right fucking there." I mumble into the pillow then pass out.

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