Dark Love (The Two Sides of Me Book 3) (8 page)

I make my way to his side, stepping over Kylie and Tanner, who are playing with their new and very expensive toys, thanks to a certain overgenerous man.

“You’re too much ya know that?”

“What? I gave them Christmas presents,” he shrugs “You’re very extravagant Mr. Lawson.”

“Come here.” He pulls me down next to him on the bed lacing his fingers with mine and kissing my temple. “What else am I going to spend all of my money on? They are my family now; they may as well get used to it.” He relaxes into his pillows, and I roll my eyes. Nuzzling his face into my hair he whispers, “Where are your rings?”

“In my pocket.”

“And why aren’t they on your finger?”

“I thought we should tell them together.” He tugs my face to him with a finger under my chin.

“Are you all right with this?”

“Well I don’t have a lot of choice in the matter now do I?” That didn’t come out right, and it’s confirmed by his high brows and wounded expression.

“You would like not to tell them? Or you would like not to have to tell them?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, I want to be married to you. I would, however, have liked to have been aware that I was marrying you. And a wedding would have been nice too.”

“You want a wedding? I will give you a wedding, anything you want. And I apologize for deceiving you but I had to be sure you were taken care of if…”

“Don’t, you’re going to be fine. Tricking me into marriage wasn’t necessary but I’m perfectly happy being Mrs. Lawson.” He pulls me even closer wrapping both arms around my shoulders for an affectionate squeeze.

“What are you two lovebirds talking about over here?” Sage calls from across the room. Evan and I look at each other and then back at the crowded room full of family who suddenly simmer down and focus their attention on us.

“I…we, actually have something to share with all of you.” Sage scoots the edge of her seat excitedly anticipating our news, the kids stop playing, my mother freezes with her fork halfway to her mouth and her eyes dart to my tummy and back to my eyes, I don’t even think she realizes she’s done it.

“No mother, not that, it’s not even possible!” Evan is lost not having noticed my mother's indiscretion he scowls at me in confusion.

“Just tell her,” I say with a sigh and pull my rings from the pocket of my jeans and slide them back on their proper left ring finger.

“Oh! You’re engaged, and at Christmas how romantic!” Mom gushes but Evan doesn’t allow her to misunderstand for long.

“No, Chanelle, we’re married.” I hold up my banded hand and wiggle my fingers while silence floods the room. Sage gasps and raises her fingers over her lips in surprise my father’s smile is blinding and the kids who are completely uninterested return to playing. “Wha… why, when?” Sage stutters and Kevin unfazed congratulates us both. “Way to go, sis, I didn’t even have to put on a monkey suit, damn I love you!”

“Mia wants a wedding and this gorgeous woman gets whatever she wants.” He smiles down at me lovingly and covers my mouth with his laying a smoking hot kiss on me right in front of every member of my family and his.

A light rap on the door draws everyone's attention in the opposite direction, and I gently press my hand against Evan’s chest so I can see who’s joining our holiday celebration.

It’s David, fucking hell it’s David! Standing just inside the door dressed in regular clothes albeit just running pants and a sweatshirt but looking much better than I recalled him looking yesterday. This guy is either clinically insane or is on a death mission coming in here interrupting our holiday celebration.

“Excuse me, I don’t mean to intrude…”

“Then don’t.” Evan has gone stiff next to me and before I can say another word he’s nudged me off the bed standing next to him while he swings his legs off of the mattress, feet on the floor and hands gripping the sheets on either side of him. He looks like he could launch himself across the room at David any moment; I can hear his heart thudding in his chest, see his pulse pounding on the side his neck. He has no hold on me so quickly I hop over the wrapping paper and opened gifts scattered on the floor until I reach David.

“Can we speak in the hall, please?” He all but ignores my request and steps around me making his way into the room brazenly; stupidly this fool has just entered the lion's den, what is wrong with him?!

“I’d like to speak to Evan actually, please forgive me, I wouldn’t intrude on your celebration but I’m leaving the country tonight, and I’d like to say goodbye,” David announces looking around at my family most of which don’t know him by sight, only name.

“You’re leaving?!” I say with a hint of hysteria building in my voice. “You’re not well enough to go yet, no no, you should get back to bed.” I pull on his arm before thinking it through; panic has ahold of me now. David turns to me looking at my hand on his arm with question, and I snatch it back as if I’d been burned.

“Mia? It’s going to be ok, you can come with me if you like, we can go home to Seattle where it’s safe.”

What the hell? Is this man delusional? Suddenly Evan is behind David, breathing down his neck, nostrils flaring with every breath, he is vibrating with fury and I’m surprised he hasn’t put hands on him yet but my guess has our family in the small confines of his hospital room has him holding on to some of his sanity, but only just. God damn it this demented psycho is going to kill my husband without laying a finger on him!

“Gabriella, escort everyone to the waiting room at the end of the hall. Now,” he commands without taking his eyes from David, who is now turning to face his attacker toe to toe.

I watch as Gabby ushers the children first through the door saying something about having cookies down the hall. She is followed by Kevin and Sage. Simone is quietly trying to explain who David is to my parents and encourages them to follow the rest of the group away from danger.

God love my parents, they aren’t budging. Mom approaches Evan from the side carefully making sure he knows she is there like she’s dealing with one of dad’s many stray animals that he drags home. “Evan dear, shall we get you back to bed, I believe this man has wandered into the wrong room.” Mom gives David a death glare like I’ve never seen; she’s warning him off, giving him an imaginary out and effectively trying to save his life.

“Chanel, this doesn’t concern you, go with the others,” Evan orders and amazingly my mother listens but she’s not leaving without me. She takes hold of my hand and pulls me along with her out the door.

“No! I’m not leaving them together, Mom! Let me go!” I scream alerting the nurses that there’s a problem brewing. I yank my arm free of my mother’s clutch whirling around I see Evan’s eyes roll back into his head, and he collapses in a heap on the floor at David's feet.

“Evan!” I scream and throw myself on my knees sliding across the floor to him.”

“Help! We need help; he’s seizing!!” Nurses flock to the area, and David takes a step back allowing them to work. My breath catches when I see the smallest hint of a smile lifting the corners of his mouth, this was intentional. He knew if Evan saw him trying to take me away from him it would push him over the edge; he was even willing to take another beating to make it happen. My mouth drops open, and I stare in shock as Evan is turned onto his side convulsing, and David slips his hands into his pockets, standing back to watch with satisfaction.

I splay my hands on the cold tile of the ICU floor and with every bit of strength left in my reserve, I push myself to stand and go to David surprising him by leaving my possibly dying husband’s side during a crisis. Somehow I’ve collected the composure to speak instead of scream. Harnessing my anger and using it to deliver a message to David, I plant myself in front of him and lift my top lip in disgust while I begin.

“You did this. I know you did. I’m not sure why you think you need to interject yourself into my life, but you have so let me tell you what’s gonna happen right here right fucking now, Dr. Carter. You are going to go have an OR prepped, organize the people you need to do Evan’s surgery, and save my husband's life.” A tiny sign of shock crosses his eyes before he folds his arms across his chest and sneers at me.

“Why in the hell would I do that? He’s going to die anyway, Mia, let him go now and come home with me. He doesn’t deserve you and you know you’re not safe with him. And you’ve married him? Even better, you’ll be a filthy rich widow.”

Shaking my head back and forth violently I can barely restrain myself from strangling this crazy man to death with my bare hands. I feel them moving Evan from the floor to a gurney behind me while I speak to David.

“I would rather live the rest of my life in fear than go anywhere with you. And listen close because this is the reason you’re going to do as I say. I am a rich woman now; you got that right, and Evan has a very long reach with the Norgnhenta, you know them?” I screech my unnecessary question; he knows who I’m talking about, everybody here does. “One of the top five most powerful criminal organizations in the world?” I’ve been doing my homework, and I know much more about the mafia Evan is connected to and David should be on his knees begging for forgiveness, he obviously has no idea what he’s really dealing with. He knows it’s bad, but the fact that he thinks he has a chance with me proves he’s ignorant of the seriousness of the danger he is in.

I poke my finger harshly into his chest for emphasis before I lay the rest of this on him. “Mr. Saint and Isaac are on their way here to celebrate Christmas with our family. I’m going to tell them to notify the other leaders of the Norgnhenta that you’ve caused Evan’s death. You won’t even make it off the ICU unit alive, Dr. Carter. They are ruthless professional killers, and I’m blowing the whistle on you if you don’t save my husband. Don’t get any ideas about killing him on the operating table either, do your very best work. Do it like your life depends on it, because it does.” I spit the last words at him on my tip toes as close to his face as I can stand to be.

I wait. It sinks in. He begins to realize the difficult position he’s in. Dropping his arms to his sides the blood drains from his face.

“Norgnhenta? That’s the mob he is involved with?” He’s gone from snide to scared straight, exactly what I wanted.

“He’s actually the leader of his family’s branch, he can’t remember it, but they all do. Family is everything to these people; you fuck with family it’s signing your own death certificate.”

“Ah ok..ok, I’ll do it.”

“And you’ll make sure he comes out of that OR healthy and tumor free right?” I nod my head curtly, beads of sweat are forming on his lip as the fear takes hold. Good. Fear is one of the best motivators. I was almost afraid he wasn’t going to be sane enough to be scared, but thankfully he’s about to piss his pants. He knows I’ve got him by the balls.

“Of course, yes, he’ll be fine,” he assures me.

“Get on it then.”

He turns to speak to a nurse who has been working with Evan, quietly he informs her of the need for extra staff and an OR. To say she looked shocked was an understatement; the staff knows what’s happened between Evan and David. They also know who Evan is, or who he used to be. I can’t believe I just did that. I feel like a mob wife, and technically I am, but none of what I just told David can be backed with actions by myself. I have no authority as his wife, and I can no more put a hit on David than remove Evan’s tumor from his brain. But Mr. Saint could, and so could Isaac. I’m sure the only thing holding them back was the fact that David hadn’t recovered enough to do such a rigorous procedure.

Shit, I hadn’t thought about that, he’s still in pretty bad shape. I can’t believe they were going to discharge him today. He’s going to have to figure it out, draw strength from deep down inside himself to endure hours on his feet. If he hadn’t fucked with Evan in the first place, this wouldn’t be happening. I guess I should be thankful David is crazy. Finally, Evan is getting the surgery he needs.

“How Long Will I Love You” by Ellie Golding

Gabriella holds my hand tight as Evan is wheeled by us on his way to surgery. “Wait, please just a second.” I blurt and grab ahold of the rail on the gurney slowing the nurses down. I lean in to quickly kiss him and whisper “I love you; you go, I go… don’t forget that.”

“We need to go, Mrs. Lawson, they’re ready for him,” a very non-Italian woman says from behind me. Evan isn’t conscious; I doubt he would allow the surgery to proceed if he knew it would be David cutting into his head. “I’m Dr. Carters nurse, Kelly; I’ll be with your husband during the surgery, and I’ll come out with updates when I can. I’m told you’re familiar with the procedure, is that correct?” She is very formal and stiff, I wonder if this is normal for her or if the situation has her uncomfortable.