Page 41 of Ruthless Sinner
“It’s bullshit, is what it is. I told him I was feeling a little hot and the incision site was a little sore. Next thing I know, he’s calling you to say I have an infection and I need antibiotics. I figure the whole thing is a scam to get more money out of you,” Enzo replies defiantly.
“Or it’s because you had an infection.” It’s my turn to roll my eyes. “He said you had a fever, the incision was inflamed, and there was pus.”
Enzo turns away from me to stare at the window. “Whatever. I’m fine,” he mutters, clenching his fists at his sides.
I have to be careful with Enzo sometimes. He’s a tough guy, the kind who prides himself on being too big and too strong to fuck with. But when someone inevitably fucks with guys like Enzo, they take it hard. “When you get out of here tomorrow, we’ve got some planning to do.” The best way to tackle a bruised ego is to get Enzo thinking about something else.
“Planning?” He tilts his head ever so slightly, a subtle gesture that hints at his interest. “What kind of planning? I’ll be laid up for a while,” he grumbles.
I’ve dealt with men more stubborn than my bodyguard and best friend. The key to getting through to them is slowly planting an idea in their minds and allowing them to believe they are in control and can make the final decision. It’s a delicate dance, but one that I have mastered over time. “We’ve got to make Tommaso pay for what he did. I have some ideas, but I don’t want to do anything without you by my side.”
Enzo slowly turns to look at me. “I want to kill the bastard.”
I don’t have the heart to tell him that I haven’t gotten confirmation from Adalina that we can do that. I don’t want him to think she’s more important than him. She’s been through so much, and all I want is to protect her from any further pain. If I push too hard, I fear I might break the beautiful, resilient woman who has captured my heart. “I promise you he’ll be dealt with.”
“I want him to suffer,” Enzo stipulates.
That’s a request that will be easy to fulfill. Tommaso will end up in one of two places when I’m through with him. He will either rot in the dungeon beneath the mansion, his screams echoing through the corridors as we torment him for the rest of his life, or he will be buried alive, his body left to suffocate and decompose in the cold earth. Either way, he will not escape the punishment to come.
Chapter 43
Adalina
Silas comes to the house a few days later to check on Dante, Enzo, and me. The security around the Terlizzi compound has increased exponentially. He is stopped at the gate by armed guards who thoroughly search him before allowing him to proceed. When he arrives at the front door, Salvatore frisks him. Then, he’s brought to the kitchen to undergo a third pat down by Dante.
“I don’t mean to offend you,” he shrugs, “but you can’t be too careful.”
The doctor’s demeanor remains unfazed, but a hint of sass creeps into his response. “Do what you gotta do. It’s only your health and wellness check you’re delaying.”
Dante snorts impatiently as he clears Silas to check on Enzo. “I’m healthy, wealthy, and wise, doc. You’re here mainly for these two.”
I straighten my posture, feeling every vertebrae aligning as I draw my shoulders back and lift my chin. I mimic Dante’s confident stance, trying to exude the same aura of put-togetherness. “I’m perfectly fine,” I clarify.
Silas lifts Enzo’s shirt and begins to change the bandage over the gunshot wound the bodyguard took to the stomach. “And how’s your wrist?”
My eyes flicker everywhere but towards my wrist, which is hidden under my long-sleeved shirt. “Perfectly fine.”
“Don’t listen to her.” Dante sits beside me, reaching across the table to grab my casted arm. “She’s complained of some recent throbbing. Do you think you could prescribe more pain meds?”
With a sharp tug, I snatch my arm back, wrenching it from his grasp. My eyes flash with anger as I glare at him for betraying my trust and revealing to the doctor what I had only confided to him in private. “Tylenol works just fine. I don’t need anything stronger.”
“You sure?” Silas tosses a look over his shoulder, his eyebrow raised in suspicion. “Pain is normal in the first few days of wearing a cast, but ongoing and throbbing pain is concerning. I can prescribe something if it’s serious.”
The last time he gave me pain medication, I felt like I was floating on a cloud. My memories from the night of the break-in are blurred, but I do recall taking a shower and then stumbling into bed with Dante. The rest of the evening is a foggy jumble in my mind. “I don’t want pain meds. I don’t like the way they make me feel.”
“The wound is healing great,” Silas returns his attention to Enzo. “You’re doing a good job keeping the surgical site clean, too.”
Dante leans over and whispers, “If it keeps you out of pain for a few hours, isn’t it worth it?”
For the last few days, Dante has been the epitome of celibacy and gentlemanly behavior. It makes me angry. Every night, we sleep side by side, our bodies barely touching. When I wake up from a nightmare, he holds me and comforts me. But he doesn’t touch me with passion or desire. He treats me like glass that’s about to break. “The pain is a reminder that the man who did this to me is still alive and plotting another attack.”
“Not for long,” Enzo growls through clenched teeth, his eyes narrowing with determination. “We’re going to get that bastard.”
“Enzo,” Dante snaps harshly at the bodyguard. “Not in front of Silas.”
Silas’ lips curl upwards into a patient smile as he stands tall, drawing himself to his full height. “While I’d prefer not to hear anything I might have to testify to in court, your secrets are safe with me, Dante. God knows your family pays me enough to put my neck on the line for you.”
I wonder what the going rate is to have a doctor on the payroll in this line of work. I never thought about it before, but I remember my father had someone like Dr. Stone on call. He only ever came to check on me when I’d been severely beaten. His touch was rough and impersonal, his words callous and dismissive. Instead of providing proper medication, he would simply tell me to toughen up and ice my injuries. It was clear he saw me as nothing more than a nuisance, an inconvenience to his time.