Page 36 of Angel's Forever

A few moments later, Viktor’s guard came rushing in with his gun pulled, ready to fire at no one in particular. Viktor quickly got up from his seat and spoke to the man in Russian. Instantly, he put the gun down and left the room, closing the door behind him. I stood there shaking with rage at the thought of what Vincent could be doing to Gaby and our unborn child. Viktor walked over to me and threw his arms around me.

I had never been close to my parents before they died. I guessed that was another reason why I had left Detroit. Not wanting to be around them. My father only cared about two things: his business and money.

I didn’t want to be like him. Yes, I was committed to running the family business with my brother, and I liked the wealth that business brought me. However, there was more to life than just money. He had never once shown any interest in me, and he had scolded my mother when she showed me any form of affection. I’d never known a loving relationship until I found Nico. Just once, I had wanted my father to hug me like Viktor was right now.

I couldn’t hold back my fear any longer, the weight of what had happened today weighing on my mind. Like Viktor, the tears started to fall down my face, and Viktor just stood there and held me, allowing me to let the grief and anger out of my system without judgment or words. Just like a father with his son. We stood there in our embrace for a moment before I pulled away.

“I’m sorry. You have enough to worry about other than me. I will be fine.”

He smiled at me. “Hudson, I think you know my feelings about my malyshka, and now you know the reason why. As such, I see anyone she loves as my family as well, and that includes you. I know a lot about you believe it or not. I investigate all my associates, good or bad. I know about your parents and how your father treated you. I can never replace him, but I will always be here for you, Gabriella, Nico, and Gino, if you will all allow me.”

I looked at him wide-eyed. A Russian bratva boss offering me the relationship of a father that I never had. It was so surreal, especially considering he was only around fifteen years older than me.

“I do not expect an answer from you. Just know I will be there when you need me. Now I need to go back to my own office and find out how things are going. If I find out anything, I will let you know. I know Nico has my private number, but here it is if you need anything. I have left Aleksandr’s number as well so you can reach him. He is my second in command, and I trust him with my life, so you can trust him, along with his brother and cousin. Also, don’t worry about Gino’s medical bills. I will cover them. After all, it appears it was my man who put him there, so it is the least I can do.”

I went to answer him, but he raised his hand.

“You won’t convince me otherwise. Now I will say my goodbyes. Please try to get some rest, both you and Nico. You need to be healthy for when I bring Gabriella back to you.”

He stepped up to me and hugged me again before he walked over, opened the door to the office, and left with his guard.

I was alone again. It had been years since no one was here by my side. I sat back down at the small table and picked up the ultrasound picture of the precious life that was growing inside Gaby.

I prayed to God that Viktor would find her and Vincent, and that when he did, it wasn’t too late.

Chapter Twenty

GINO

EVERY PART OF MY body felt broken. I was so drowsy and it was difficult to open my eyes.

What the fuck had happened to me? I was waiting for Gaby to come out of the clinic, smoking a cigarette and talking to Nico. Then I went to put the packet of cigarettes back in the car and then…nothing.

I lay there for a moment going over everything in my head over again. Then I suddenly remembered: Gaby.

I tried to shoot up but the pain that went through my body caused me to groan.

“Gino you’re awake.”

I could hear Nico’s voice, but I couldn’t focus on where he was. It wasn’t until I felt him take my hand that I knew which side of the bed he was on.

“Where is Gabriella? Is Tesoro safe? Please tell me that nothing happened to her. Is she pregnant?”

So many questions left my mouth as the panic started to set in. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to her. I needed to get out of here, and I needed to do it quickly. I needed to see for myself that she was okay. Whether she was expecting a child by one of us. I needed to protect her.

The silence from Nico spoke volumes and made my anxiety rise as my heart started to beat faster in my chest and the incessant beeping of something next to me got faster, and then an alarm started to sound.

“Gino, you need to calm down. Please. You’re in the hospital. I’ll explain everything, but you need to calm down.”

There was a crash, and I assumed someone came into the room. I started to try to move again, desperate to get out of the bed and the pipes and wires that were holding me prisoner. As Nico desperately tried to calm me down, I saw a figure come next to me on the other side of the bed. From what I could make out, it was a woman – a nurse, I suspected.

“Mr. Russo, we need you to calm down or I will have to sedate you again. You have just had a very traumatic experience and were hurt badly.”

My heart was still beating in my chest, my breathing was on the point of hyperventilation, and the noise of the machine next to me was pounding through my head. However, the last thing I wanted was to be sedated again. I needed to know what had happened to Gaby. I felt Nico drawing circles on the back of my hand to try to calm me down, and it was starting to work.

I focused on my breathing, something that I had done for years when I meditated. I may have been a trained killer, but there were many times when meditation techniques had gotten me out of some very sticky situations. I slowed my breathing down as much as I could. I knew I could get my heart to almost flatline if I tried hard enough, but that wasn’t for today. I just needed to calm myself down enough for that fucking machine to shut up.

All at once, there was silence. My vision was coming back to me, and I looked over thinking that perhaps the nurse had turned the machine off, but it was still working and connected to me.