The Woman in the Back Room (Costa Family)

To that, he nodded. "Looks like you have one more visitor," he said, looking out the door. "And then you can get some sleep."

"Send Avi in," I told him, fighting off the exhaustion that was making my eyelids get heavy. "He needs to get to bed," I added, half to myself.

"So do you," Ciro said, uncharacteristically concerned for my well-being.

"Soon," I agreed.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said, moving back out.

"Av, bud, you look dead on your feet," I said as he moved in with puffy eyes and dark circles.

"I wanted to bring you your snacks," he said. "Nonna told me that hospital food is gross."

"It kind of is," I agreed. "You got me the goods, right?"

"All of 'em," Avi agreed, bringing two plastic bags over, and dropping them on my tray table.

"You're the best, kid," I told him, reaching out to press my hand to his cheek. "Now go home and get some sleep, okay? That way you're good and rested to be my own personal servant when I come home tomorrow," I added, getting a little smile out of him.

"Okay."

"Goodnight, bud."

"'Night, Less," he said, moving toward the door where Celeste was still waiting. In her six-inch heels. My ankles ached for her.

"You need anything else?" Santi asked, moving close to the side of my bed.

"Well, if you could tell the rest of this floor to shut the hell up so I can sleep, that would be great."

I got a small chuckle out of him at that as he grabbed my knee, giving it a squeeze.

"Know you're a terrible patient, but be nice to the nurses. They'll be nice back," he said.

"I plan to spend a lot of time unconscious," I told him.

"Well, that will work too. It looks like your brothers are taking turns standing guard for you tonight. You can rest easy."

"Do you have someone?" I asked. "Coming over," I clarified. "To keep an eye on you and Avi?"

"Enz said Emilio and Brio are going to be taking turns for the foreseeable future."

"So, you should lock up the knives," I said with a weak smile. "Otherwise, Brio is going to be teaching Avi how to throw them or something."

"Probably a good idea," Santi said, giving my knee another squeeze. "I'll be back in the morning," he assured me, tone firm. "To take you home," he added, then made his way to the door.

I know he didn't mean it that way, but all I could feel was the warmth spreading across my chest as though he did mean it.

"That's a new development," Elio said, coming back in with a cup of coffee for each of us.

"I don't know what you're talking about, El," I said, wincing as I bent the bed upward, so I could drink.

"No? Then you better tell your eyes that, because they're saying a lot of shit when you look at that man," Elio said, sitting down in the chair next to the bed, stretching out his long legs, making his suit pants slip up to show off blue socks with golden fleur-de-lis that matched his pocket square.

The man needed to be in magazines with his sense of style.

He'd probably charmed all the nurses out of their phone numbers already.

"My eyes aren't saying anything but my shoulder hurts and I'm tired."

"Yeah yeah yeah. Who are you trying to bullshit, me or yourself?" Elio asked.

"I work for him. I protect his kid."

"Mmhmm."

"Don't 'mmhmm' me like that. It's true."

"Yeah? Then why did that man look like he was waiting to hear news about his woman, not his employee?"

"Stop."

He needed to stop.

Because I was in pain and tired and vulnerable. My defenses weren't as strong as I needed them to be to have this kind of conversation.

"Why? What's the problem? When have any of us ever cared about who you fuck, Less? You're a grown-ass woman."

"I'm not... it's not like that."

"But you want it to be. And it looks like he wants it to be. Who gives a fuck? Is this a Family thing?" he asked. "Because the Morellis and Costas have always been allies. Can't see that being any kind of problem."

"I work for him."

"Yeah. And?"

"And he just lost his wife."

"Way I hear it, they weren't man and wife aside from on paper."

"Still," I insisted. "And Avi lost his mom."

"Yeah, well, I get that the kid is a complicated angle. But he seems fond of you too."

"It's not happening."

"You're stubborn as fuck, Less."

"I'm rational, Elio."

"Yeah, sis, but there's nothing fucking rational about catching feelings."

"Well, then, it's good that I'm not catching any," I insisted.

"Yeah, okay," Elio said. "We'll see about that."

Chapter Eleven

Santi

I expected Avi to sleep in late.

He had a stiff upper lip about it all, but I knew the day before had done a number on him.

I'd talked to him. And my mom had talked to him. Both of us wanted to make sure he wasn't traumatized so badly that he needed to talk to someone. In the end, we'd decided to play it by ear. If he showed any PTSD-style behavior in the coming days and weeks, we would look into it.