Page 101 of By Blade, I Love
“You didn’t want them to have an uncle before all this happened.”
“I know, I know. But…”
He continued to stare at me.
“When Warren took me from the vineyard, Leo snuck me that knife. When Icarus came, Leo stayed with me the whole time. When I asked him to help me get you out of that grave, he didn’t hesitate. He could have taken a bullet to the back while he dug you up, but he kept going anyway. And then he didn’t have to come with me to headquarters, but he did anyway. Icarus is a scary motherfucker, but Leo stayed with me. Most people don’t have a fraction of the courage he did.”
When my eyes started to well up, he massaged my thigh with his fingers.
“I got myself into that situation, and he took that bullet for me.”
He continued to listen.
“I—I just can’t be mad at him anymore.”
He gave a subtle nod.
“I’ll always resent him for what he did, but I’ll always love him too.”
“It’s okay to feel that way, Francesca.”
“But now, he’s probably going to die, and it’s just a fucking tragedy. All of this is a fucking tragedy.”
I’d fallen asleep with my head in his lap, his arm draped over me like a blanket for warmth. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed when I heard quiet conversation nearby.
“Baby.” Wolfe’s gentle voice coaxed me from sleep. “The doctor is here.”
I quickly sat up and looked at the woman in dark scrubs with her hair up in a surgical cap. Her badge showed her name and her specialty as a surgeon. “I’m here, I’m here,” I said automatically.
“Leonardo remains in critical condition,” she said without preamble. “The bullet perforated one of his lungs and caused extensive damage to his chest. He required several blood transfusions to make it through the surgery. I was able to close the hole, but he’s going to need to stay in the hospital for at least a couple of weeks before he’s released.”
“He’s—he’s going to live?”
“I think so,” she said. “But he has a long recovery. He’s going to need support until he’s back on his feet.”
I was still in shock that he got to live to see another day. “Oh…thank you.”
“They’re transferring him to a private room and will need some time to get him set up before he can have visitors. A nurse will come out and collect you.”
“Thank you, Dr. Messina,” Wolfe said.
She nodded then walked into the hallway behind the nurse’s station.
I sat there in disbelief.
His hand moved to my back, and he rubbed me gently, being supportive in a way that he’d never been taught. He’d never been in a serious relationship before, but he was the best husband I could have asked for. It felt like we’d been married for years rather than weeks. “It’s not just going to be you, Francesca.”
My eyes watered. “No. It’s not going to be just us.”
He continued to rub my back. “We’ll get him transferred to a closer hospital. That way, you can continue to see him and be close to the vineyard.”
“I don’t think I can work right now.”
“I can temporarily take over until you’re ready to come back—if that’s okay with you.”
“Of course, it is,” I said with a throat full of unshed tears. “What did Don Russo say about the Skull King?”
His hand stopped in the center of my back, and he withdrew his touch altogether. “To let it be, basically. If it becomes a problem, he’ll let me know. His wife went to her sister’s and gave him an ultimatum, so he’s going to leave Cosa Nostra.”
