We run and keep running until we come to an opening to the road.

  “What the fuck is going on?” Serenity shouts her question as she starts pacing back and forth on the gravel sidewalk.

  “That wasn’t my father, Dante! And Vance… he wanted to…” She pulls me against her and starts crying.

  “I know you’re upset, Serenity, and I will explain this all to you, but not now-”

  Out of nowhere, Serenity spins me around as a shot rings out. We both go down, and I see Finn behind her. I take a shot and hit him between the eyes. Cian comes up behind him and, with rage in his eyes, points the gun at me. A bullet is shot, but not from Cian. Rico appears as Cian’s body falls to the ground.

  That’s when I look at Serenity, and red starts to bleed around the right side of her chest.

  “Serenity!” I yell in horror, then take off my jacket, putting pressure on the wound.

  Rico comes up and calls someone.

  “They’re coming,” he says, but I don’t know what he’s talking about.

  Fear has taken me over, and all I see is the love of my life bleeding on the ground.

  “You won’t take her,” I say to… God maybe.

  “Serenity.” I try to wake her up, but her eyes are closed, and her skin is so pale.

  Fuck. She was trying to save my life. Why? How could she do that to herself? I know it’s not her fault, but I can’t help but be angry.

  A car pulls up, and I look up long enough to see it’s Massimo.

  “Boss. We have to get her to a doctor.”

  He puts a hand on my shoulder, and I look up to calm and understanding eyes.

  “Please. Let’s get her in the car. We can save her, but we have to move. Everything will be taken care of.”

  I nod. Lifting up Serenity, we take her into the back seat, where Rico gets into the driver's seat. Massimo stays behind, probably to clean up this mess.

  “You’re going to be okay, Bambola,” I mutter into her hair. I keep her close to me and pray to everyone and everything. Praying that she’ll be okay.

  Chapter 19

  Dante

  I pace back and forth in the hall, waiting for someone to tell me fucking something. Anything. Serenity has been in surgery for almost two hours, and I can feel my hair start going gray.

  I hear footsteps behind me, and I turn to see the surgeon. We’re not at a public hospital, but rather a building we bought and turned into a hospital, so we wouldn’t have to worry about explaining bullet wounds and shit like that.

  “Mr. Salvatore—” He reaches his hand out to shake mine, but I still have them shoved in my pockets.

  “How is she?” I interrupt, desperate for any news.

  The doctor returns his hand to his clipboard and explains, “She’s out of surgery. It went well. We’ve put her in her own room. We think she will recover, but we’ll have to wait until she wakes up to be certain.”

  I don’t like uncertainty in the doctor's voice, but unfortunately, my feelings don’t come into play. If anything, my feelings were why she’s fighting for her life right now.

  “You can see her in a moment.” He adds.

  Then the doctor apologizes, says he doesn’t have anything definitive, and leaves.

  I let out the frustration by punishing the wall. Pain shoots up my arm, making me aware of that last bullet wound from just a few days ago.

  “Boss…” Rico’s voice is laced with concern. I turn around and grit out a, “What?”

  “She’s going to be fine,” he says like it’s inevitable. Like he’s seen the future and knows how this ends.

  “How can you be so sure?” I run my hands through my hair for the fiftieth time.

  “I can’t but we don’t know, and isn’t it better to think she will be fine?”

  I’m not that kind of man, though. I’m not the “glass is half full” type. But he has a point. The doctors did their best; she’s made it this far. Maybe she’ll be okay.

  “Come on. Let’s go see your wife.”

  Rico and I walk down the hall to her room, where he leaves me. At first, I couldn’t go into the room. She’s there on the hospital bed, so very pale, eyes closed. There are monitors everywhere, one of which beeps, and IVs are in her hand.

  She’s so still.

  I walk in, then move to the left side and sit on the edge of the bed. I gently take her hand, running my thumb over her knuckles.

  I lean down and press my lips against her head.

  “Bambola,” I whisper into her hair. “If you can hear me, I need you to wake up. Please don’t make me get in there and pull you out. I swear to God—” My voice breaks, and I can’t remember a time I’ve never been this emotional.

  I get weird when I think about my dad, but this is something else. This is like my heart being pulled out of my chest. I can hear myself starting to shatter every moment that passes.

  I spend the rest of the day in her room. Just sitting next to her bed. I don’t eat or check in with anyone. I only go to the bathroom, which is hard enough. I keep holding her hand and kissing her skin. Both Rico and Massimo have come to check in on me. I just growl at them, and then they leave.

  I’m so fucking tired. I can’t think about anything else other than Serenity. I don’t have the energy to kick myself for this anymore. The entirety of my focus is on willing her to wake up. I want to tell her how sorry I am. And how much I love her. I said it to her in her sleep, but I want to say it aloud to her open eyes.

  I’m about to fall asleep when a slight twitch comes from Serenity. I look up and watch her take a big inhale before her eyes flutter open.

  In an instant, it’s like someone turned on all the lights in my soul.

  I lean over, cupping her cheek, looking at every inch of her face.

  “Serenity?”

  Her eyes find mine, and she whispers, “Dante.”

  “Yeah, baby. It’s me. Are you okay?”

  She nods subtly and then looks around the room.

  “You’re at the hospital, baby. You’re safe and in good hands,” I reassure her, and she nods again.

  “Are you okay?” she asks me, turning her head to me as I sit back down, the room slightly spinning.

  “Of course, Bambola. You saved me.”

  She nods like she’s happy about the job she’s done, but I still have to ask.

  “Why did you do that?” I ask through gritted teeth, still angry that she’d sacrifice herself.

  She smiles gently, places her hand on my cheek, and fingers run through my stubble.

  “Because I love you, Dante Salvatore. I’ve been meaning to tell you that for a while now.”

  Whole.

  That’s the only word that can describe how I feel. Her words breathe new life into me. I press my forehead against hers, tears running down my cheeks.

  Fuck. I don’t think I’ve ever cried. Not once. Not when my folks passed. Not after I killed for the first time. Never.

  “I love you too, Bambola,” I tell her with every fiber of my being.

  “I know,” she murmurs.

  I pull back, looking at her with shock. I don’t recall telling her.

  “How?”

  “I heard you. Christmas night. We were lying in bed, and you said tia amo.”

  “I didn’t know you spoke Italian,” I say, a smile pulling at my lips.

  “I think most people know that one. It’s like Amore.”

  Both our eyes are glistening with tears as the doctor comes in. He’s checking on her, but I can only hear her voice. She’s smiling, and so is the doctor. I feel the darkness fall from me. It’s still in my blood, but I feel like I have a shield of light courtesy of Serenity.

  Something that makes me feel alive.

  Chapter 20

  Serenity

  A Few Days Later

  I’ve never had a sling on my arm before. It’s a strange feeling just having your arm hang there, constantly bent. My fist occasionally brushes against my boob for some reason which I find very funny.

  Although it’s probably the drugs in me making me laugh.

  “These painkillers are awesommmmme,” I slur my words as Dante gently takes me up the stairs to the bedroom.

  Despite my bad shoulder and literally just coming back from the hospital, I still have it in me to turn around and say, “Ooh, we’re going to the bedroom. Are you going to kiss me and make me better?”

  Dante chuckles.

  “Let’s just get you to bed, Bambola.”

  I pout as he maneuvers me onto the bed and under the sheets.

  “You know… it doesn’t really even hurt that much.” I try to wink, but it comes off as a slow blink.

  Dante smirks at me before leaning down and brushing his lips against mine, whispering, “Go to sleep, wife. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

  He pulls back with a smile, rubbing my brow with his thumb. I see pain wash over his features for a second, but I feel the drowsiness kick in, and before I can say anything, I fall asleep.

  The next morning, I wake up to birds chirping and the sunlight getting me right in my eye. I put my hand over my face, shielding myself from the way-too-bright rays. The clock on the nightstand says six a.m.

  Why am I awake?

  Oh, right.

  I feel the pressure on my bladder as the need to pee suddenly hits me. I take very tentative steps toward the bathroom. After relieving myself and washing my hands, I can’t help but look at myself in the mirror.

  Dark circles, tired eyes, messy hair. Man, I look like shit. But I’m alive. And so is Dante.

  The sound of Dante calling my name echoes in my head. The whole moment does. Seeing the Donnelleys and the gun he had pointed at Dante, me spinning around to shield him, and then the pain of the bullet. It was the gunshot that I passed out. I recall waking up a few times in the hospital and then coming home, but it’s all foggy.

  I assume it’s the drugs.

  Before heading downstairs, I do my best to clean up my face and comb my hair. I can smell breakfast, and my stomach makes loud noises, telling me how I’ve deprived her.

  Walking into the breakfast nook, I see Dante sitting behind a stack of pancakes.

  I remember the first time I walked in here. It was the morning after he kidnapped me, and I drank his liquor. I was hungover and mad as hell, and Dante… well, I thought he was weirdly nice, but the way he ordered Mateo and what he said as he left made me tingle with excitement rather than fear.

  I believe that was the first sign that I would end up here.

  The second I step into the kitchen, Dante’s head lifts from his paper, and he rushes to my side.

  “Bambola, you should have called me. I would have carried you down here.”

  He helps me to his side of the nook.

  “It’s been a few days now, and my shoulder hurts, not my legs. I’m fine.”

  He sits beside me and pours me a glass of orange juice. The sweet liquid feels good running down my throat. Since we returned, I’ve only had room-temperature water and soup for the last few days.

  I’m feeling so much better. I can walk without holding the wall, and I’m on less pain meds. I feel pretty good. Just messy. I haven’t been able to take a shower. I feel like such a grease ball.

  “I want to take a shower after breakfast,” I say, plopping a cherry in my mouth. My tongue battles to try to find the pit.

  “Are you going to let me help you?” he asks.

  Aww, he’s so sweet. He’s asking permission for something he’s definitely going to do.

  “Yeah, that would be nice.” I chuckle a bit and push the cherry pit out onto a napkin.

  While we eat breakfast, Dante tells me everything I’ve missed in the last five days.

  Now that the Donnelleys are dead, the rest of the family has picked up and left. Dante suspects back to Chicago. Massimo “dealt” with Vance, who somehow got left behind, and Rico and Frank dealt with the news—paying people off to not tell the story.

  He’s being very open, which is nice. He doesn’t seem scared to tell me stuff or keep it away from me. I guess after experiencing one of the worst things that could happen, my place in this world has shifted.

  I’m no longer a scared, poor, kidnapped woman whose father owes the mob money.

  I’m the wife of the Don to one of the most notorious mafia families in Las Vegas.

  “What now?” I ask Dante as he shampoos my hair.

  “Now, we will begin a new chapter,” Dante says, picking up the showerhead. “Tip your head back,” he orders.

  I place my hands on his chest and lean back so he can rinse the soap.

  “What does this chapter entail?”

  Dante chuckles. “I have no fucking idea. All I know is that you and I are equals. I am your husband, and you are my wife. You will still have security when you go out, but you don’t have to wait for me or my permission.” Dante puts the shower head back and cups my face, wiping the water from my eyes.

  I see nothing but love coming from his face when my eyes open.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he says, almost in awe.

  I smile, then press up on my tiptoes to kiss him. “You’re beautiful, too.”

  His lips press against mine, and I feel mine start to part. His tongue slips in as our sweet kisses turn into smoldering heat.

  Dante pushes me up against the shower wall, his leg between my thighs. I rub my pussy against him as he lavishes my breasts with his tongue.

  “Oh, fuck,” I mewl, and then a sharp pinch happens in my shoulder.

  Dante immediately pulls back, his face horrified.

  “Oh, my God. Bambola. I’m so sorry,” he says quickly, and I tell him I’m fine.

  “Seriously, it was just a pinch. No need to get all ‘mother hen’ here. Maybe we need a few more days until we can get back into it.”

  Dante grins softly. “I recall you wanting to get busy when you came home from the hospital.”

  I laugh. “I was on drugs. I was delusional and… horny, maybe. I don’t know. It’s a bit of a fog.”

  I step out of the shower, and Dante and I reach for a towel at the same time.

  “You’re a very independent woman, Serenity. This may be my only chance to dote on you, so please, let me.”

  I roll my eyes and then stand there as Dante pats my body down with the soft towel before wrapping it around me.

  He takes me to the bedroom, where he lifts me, still naked, onto the bed.

  “Clothes?” I ask, holding my sling.

  Dante gives me that look, the look he gets every time he sees me naked, which is to say he wants to see me naked for longer.

  “Alright,” I huff, but I’m smiling because I do love being naked around this man. He just makes me feel like a goddess. Like I’m the sexiest thing he’s ever seen. I watch him when he kisses down my body, every kiss done with purpose. And the noises he makes when he goes down on me…fuck me, I can still hear them echoing around in my head, and we haven’t done anything for days.

  I put the sling on and slide into the sheets before Dante joins me.

  “Don’t you have work to do?” It’s still morning.

  “Fuck work. I’m staying in bed with you. This is as conscious as you’ve been since everything happened. Plus, Rico can handle himself.”

  We snuggle in silence for a moment, but it’s broken by Dante asking, “Are you okay, Serenity?”

  “How do you mean?”

  “I mean, with everything that is going on. You were just a waitress a few weeks ago, and now you’re the wife of a mafia boss with a missing father and a bullet hole in your shoulder. Not to mention, your husband kidnapped you. And so did one of his men.”

  I point at him. “Okay, for the record, Vance is not one of yours. You had your doubts. And I didn’t like being kidnapped by him as much as being kidnapped by you. And… I’ve dealt with adversity my whole life. I adapt. This is new and out of left field, but we can make it work. I love you, Dante. That’s all I care about. As for my father, he can go fuck himself, and I think it’s best if we just leave him to the dust of history. As you said. This is a new chapter, but not only that, I think it’s a new story. This is the start of ‘Serenity and Dante: King and Queen of Las Vegas.’ Or whatever. You know?”

  “I do love that humor of yours, Bambola. And yes, I understand. We’ll call off the search for your father. And I’ll start teaching you what working with us is like. We’ll find you a place here. And as soon as you get better, I’m hoping that you’ll let me knock you up. I’m not getting younger, Bambola. If anything, I've aged several years in the last week.”

  I sit up and move to straddle his lap.

  “Serenity…”

  “Shhh, I’ve got this.”

  I gently reach back and grasp his cock.

  “I’m looking forward to it. I should be ready in about four days. Ovulation and all that.” I stroke him up and down; his shaft hardens in my hand, and I love feeling him against my palm.

  “Do you promise to put a baby in me, husband?”

  He nods, “Yes, wife.”

  “Good man.” I take the drops of pre-cum and use them as lube before stroking him faster.

  “Serenity…” he moans.

  “Yes, baby?”

  “I love you,” he says, grasping my thighs.

  “I love you too, Dante.”

  Chapter 21

  Serenity

  Feb 14 th, Valentine’s Day

  It’s been just about two months since I got shot, and Dante is still being cautious with me. When we have sex, it feels soft and gentle. I don’t mind it, but I really miss being pounded.

  But today is Valentine’s Day, meaning I have the perfect opportunity to get freaky on him. Not only am I hoping for neck-biting, sweat-dripping sex, but hopefully, we can do it without a condom. Dante didn’t want to get me pregnant while I was healing. Now that I feel better, I’m hoping we can go back to him being bare inside me. My pussy tingles at the thought.