Page 88 of Bound in Vengeance
Right behind them are Alessandro and Valerio. Alessandro is leaning heavily against the doorframe, his face pale from blood loss, but his dark eyes are pinned on me like a hawk watching its prey.
I want so badly to scream at the medical staff to turn around and check on him first. He's the one with a bullet hole in his shoulder, for God's sake. But looking at the tight, unyielding set of his jaw, I know better. The quicker I sit still and let them examine me, the quicker these doctors will be allowed to help him.
The lead physician gently presses his fingers against my right side, right where Luca's man kicked me. I wince slightly, the skin already turning a deep, angry purple.
"Does it hurt here, Mrs. Gallo?" the doctor asks, his voice trembling slightly.
"Are you fucking blind?!" Alessandro roars from the doorway, stepping forward and looming over the bed. "Of course it hurts! You're pressing on it like you're kneading dough! Look at her ribs—if you break anything else trying to find a fracture, I’ll take your hands off."
"Alessandro, please, let them work," I breathe, trying to catch his eye to calm him down.
"You’ll be the death of me, Sienna," he snaps, though his hand reaches out, his thumb rough but surprisingly gentle as it brushes against my cheek, checking for any hidden bruises. He turns back to the doctor, his voice a venomous hiss. "Is she bleeding internally? Does she need surgery? Give me an answer before I lose my patience."
"W-we need to do an ultrasound and an X-ray to be absolutely certain, Don," the doctor stammers, quickly pulling his hands back.
Am I a terrible person for completely liking his attitude right now?
He is being absolutely nasty, threatening the lives of highly trained medical professionals, but through all the terrifying bravado, I can see the raw, unfiltered fear swimming in his dark eyes. He isn't just angry because I disobeyed him. He’s scared for me. He is completely terrified of the thought of losing me.
His reaction... it proves he cares for me. Truly cares.
The realization makes me feel suddenly, strangely light, despite the throbbing ache in my ribs and the chaos surrounding us. Even though Alessandro is being completely terrifying with the doctors and nurses, I can't help but find the gesture incredibly sweet.
Even with a bullet in his body, his absolute, non-negotiable priority is making sure I am safe before he allows a single soul to treat him. I watch him bark another order at Valerio to speed up the radiology lab, my heart swelling with a deep, fierce warmth. My dark, brutal husband is completely wrapped around my finger, whether he wants to admit it or not.
Half an hour later, after a flurry of panicked ultrasounds, X-rays, and physical checks, the lead doctor finally turns to Alessandro with a visible sigh of relief. He certifies that I am completely fine. Aside from a nasty, deep bruise that will be sore for a few weeks, my ribs are perfectly intact, and there is absolutely no internal damage. They give me a dose of painkillers, but otherwise, I am cleared.
Only then does Alessandro finally let the medical team check him.
I watch him like a hawk as they cut away his bloody shirt. Thankfully, the wound isn’t as bad as it looked. The bullet isn't embedded in his shoulder; it was only a deep, violent graze that tore through the flesh but missed the bone and major arteries. It doesn't even require stitches. The doctors quickly clean the wound, apply a heavy layer of antiseptic, and wrap it securely in a clean, white bandage.
Once Valerio and the doctors are certain his wound is entirely non-life-threatening, Alessandro refuses to stay in the hospital a second longer. We leave the private wing and get right back into the SUV to return home.
The silence inside the car is heavy, thick with the lingering adrenaline of the night. Alessandro stares out the window for a long time, his jaw clenched tightly.
"I am still really mad at you, Sienna," he says suddenly, his voice low, rough, and scraping through the quiet cabin. "You put your life on the line. You broke your promise."
I shift closer to him on the leather seat, looking up at his sharp profile. "I’m sorry, Alessandro. I really am. But I only came in there because I heard the gunfire and I was terrified for you. I couldn't just sit in the dark and wait to find out if you were dead."
Alessandro lets out a long, ragged groan, the last of his furious defenses finally crumbling. He reaches out with his uninjured arm, wrapping it securely around my waist, and pulls me flush against his chest. He hugs me incredibly tight, as if trying tophysically ground himself in the fact that I'm still here, whole and breathing.
He tilts my chin up, his dark eyes burning with an intense, overwhelming emotion, and then he kisses me. It’s a deep, breathless, possessive kiss that tastes of relief, hunger, and a silent confession he isn't quite ready to put into words yet.
Alessandro holds me all the way home.
The moment we walk through the front door, the absolute last thing I expect to see is waiting for me in the grand foyer. My sisters are standing there, their faces pale with worry until they see me walk in.
A happy gasp tears from my throat, and I completely forget about my aching ribs as I launch myself forward, throwing my arms around them. I briefly wonder how on earth they managed to get here so quickly, but as I catch sight of Alessandro standing by the door with a faint, exhausted smirk playing on his lips, the truth hits me. He arranged this. He knew exactly what I needed after tonight. My heart swells so fast it aches. I am so incredibly happy.
Camilla, Daniela, Rosalia, and Eleonora surround me the absolute second I touch them. It becomes a frantic chaos of hands and voices as they instantly check my face, touch my ribs, and inspect my hands, demanding to know what happened and why I look like I just escaped a war zone.
"I'm fine, I swear! It's just a little scratch, a tiny bruise," I try to say, attempting to make the entire situation sound a hundred times smaller than it actually was.
But they know me far too well.
"A tiny bruise? Sienna, you look like you got run over by a sports car!" Camilla scolds, her eyes wide as she carefully avoids pressing too hard on my side.
"We almost had a heart attack when Valerio called," Daniela chimes in, her voice shaking slightly despite her stern expression.
