Luca's pov
The woman was crying, tears staining her cheeks, her eyes red and puffy. "Luca!" She called.
Cara.
I tried to call back but my lips refused to move as if sealed together with tape.
"Luca!" Cara called again.
I'm right here, baby. I wanted to tell her, I wanted to wipe her tears but my lips weren't the only thing frozen in place.
"His eyes are fluttering, he is about to wake up?" A new voice said, sounding far off.
I ignored focusing only on-
"Please wake up. Please don't die." Cara said, pleadingly.
I'm not going to–
"Boss! Are you awake?"
My eyes slowly open to the blurry faces of Dominic and Santino, loaming over me.
"He's awake! Alfonso! The Don is awake." Santino-or was it Dominic?- was yelling.
Alfonso came into the frame, something very similar to a stethoscope dangling from his neck. He began asking questions but everything was starting to tip over once more and the only words I caught before slipping back into darkness were painkillers and stitches.
***
Cara came to me again and this time she sounded angry.
"Why Luca, why did you let yourself get hurt?!"
To protect you, I wanted to say but my lips were still sealed together.
"You shouldn't have." She said as if she could hear my thoughts. "You should have let me protect you."
***
Someone was crying by my side. It sounded like Gina. She'd always had this distinct and funny way of crying and I used to tease her because of it until I knew better.
It angered me that I couldn't comfort her that I was stuck in this otherworldly place, unable to reconnect with my physical body.
"Please be okay," she was saying. "I can't lose you too."
I would wonder what she meant by that but I was given no time because just like last time, I began drifting away.
***
The third time I woke up, it was to voices speaking in hushed grim tones and when my eyes fluttered open, I was met with the fuzzy outlines of three men with their backs to me. Dominic, Santino and Dante were standing at the foot of my bed, looking like they where arguing about something.
"We need to act now," Santino was saying.
"No, we've lost too much. What we need is to lay low and take the time we need to recover and regroup." Dominic countered. "Help me out here, Dante."
"I'm sorry but I'm with Santino." My brother-in-law said. "Alexei has almost no men moving with him right now and he's still in our territory. He's at his most vulnerable, now is the time to take him out."
Dominic cursed, turning away from them and that's when he spotted me.
"Luca!" He exclaimed, alerting the other two and they hurried to my side.
I tried to sit up and regretted it immediately. My head felt like it was decapitated from my shoulders and floating in space, all woozy and disorienting. It was as if the room tipped over. "What happened?"
The three of them shared a look. "You were shot," Dominic answered. "You don't remember?"
I definitely didn't and when I tried to, it just made my head hurt all the more. "Help me up." I ordered no one in particular.
Dante hurried over to my other side and he and Santino pulled me to a sitting position.
And that's when I felt it. A sharp, piercing pain in my left side.
"Fuck!" I groaned.
"Yeah that's your gunshot wound." Santino said unnecessarily.
The pain was obvious enough and it started to bring back memories and slowly, it was all coming back to me.
The fight.
My father…
A stab of pain burned through my heart. He'd been shot in the head and was now lying somewhere, lifeless and cold. All because I'd failed to protect him. Deep regret washed over me and I despised myself for not breaking my own promise. What has set out as a rescue mission turned out to be a bloodbath. I didn't save my father and there was Cara…
Cara…
My eyes snapped up immediately, "Where's Cara?"
Silence.
My pulse, it thumped faster. "Where's Cara?!" I repeated.
Again, all three men shared a look.
"I need to go check on my wife." Dante said and a second later, he disappeared.
"Eh…" Santino was scratching his temple. "I probably should go get Alfonso. Have him check you and all."
Dominic and I were left in the room.
I fixed my gaze on him.
"You need to rest," he said, dropping down on the bed. For the first time, I noticed the cast on his left arm.
"You were shot, too?"
He rubbed the cast mindlessly, "Something else." A pause. "You've been out for three days."
Three days?
I tried to get up but I just fell back. Plus, Dominic instantly grabbed my wobbly legs.
"You're on strict bed rest for at least a week according to Alfonso."
I rested against the bedrest, panting like I just ran a marathon. Dio, I was weak. "I need to see Cara." I said, hating that I was being overcome with sleep once more.
"You'll see her later, now rest." Was Dominic's words before I lost to sleep.
***
When I woke up again it was to Dominic sitting on a chair at my bedside, one leg thrown over the other and his bandaged arm propped on it.
"You're finally back." He said.
It was a struggle to sit up on my own. "Don't tell me I missed another three days."
He smiled wryly. "Just one."
That's four days in total. "Fuck," I groaned and just as automatic, my lips went, "Where's Cara"
Dominic uncrossed his legs, "you need to rest."
"Fuck that, why isn't she here? Is she…" my heart lurched. "Is she also lying somewhere unconscious?"
"The woman is alive and well, Luca."
So why isn't she here? I thought, staring at Dominic. He was averting my gaze.
"Dominic!"
He sighed heavily. "Fine. She left."
A frown took over my features. "Don't fuck with me."
"I'm not, she did."
It didn't make sense. He was wasn't making sense. "Dominic, where's Cara?"
He threw his good arm upbin exasperation "I don't know, okay? She just upped and left."
I shook my head as confusion and trepidation swirled around. Why? Why would she do that she has no reason to?
I didn't realize I'd asked the questions out loud until Dominic said, "Maybe she was overwhelmed by everything, maybe she got fed up."
"She wouldn't," I declared even as my pulse was running a hundred miles per hour.
"She did," Dominic insisted, thrusting a folded piece of paper to me, "and she left you this."
I glared at him hard then snatched the paper. And I unfolded it. With my heart caught in my throat, I began to read.
Dear Luca,
I really hope you're not too hurt, I'm sorry I couldn't be there to cheer you on the way to recovery but this is something I should have done a long time ago.
Everyone was right, I was wrong for you and you were wrong for me. The incident with Alexei only further confirmed it and cleared my doubts.
Your father was right, you need someone as powerful to deal with the life you live. I'm not that woman and I'm sorry it took him dying to realize it. I'd forever cherish the memories we had together. Please don't look for me, it is for the best. I'm done with you.
Cara.
"Dominic?"
"What?"
I looked up at him, "Get me Grigori."
He frowned, confused. "Why?"
I scoffed and looked back at the poor excuse of a letter. Even via written words, Cara was a terrible liar. I inspected the tear stains at the bottom left of the paper, yeah she was done with me alright.
Returning my gaze to Dominic, I answered his question. "I need him to find my woman."
That was first and foremost on my what-to-do-now-I'm-back-from-coma list. After that, I wasn't going to rest until I have avenged my father.