Chapter 1 - The Awakening
Pain was the first thing I felt when I opened my eyes.
It felt like someone had poured liquid fire into my chest and stomach.
The rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor echoed in the sterile white room.
I tried to lift my hand to touch my face, but my left arm felt strangely heavy.
I looked down and saw a thick gold band resting on my swollen ring finger.
A man stepped out of the shadows, his tailored suit completely ruined by dried blood.
It was Dominic Rossi.
The memory of the ballroom, the shattered champagne glasses, and the gunfire flooded back into my mind.
"You took seven bullets," Dominic said, his voice a low, gravelly whisper.
I tried to speak, but my throat was completely dry.
He stepped closer to the bed and poured a small cup of water.
He held the plastic straw to my cracked lips, and I drank greedily.
"Why am I wearing this?" I rasped, staring at the gold ring.
Dominic did not smile, nor did he look away from my eyes.
"Victor Costa’s men discovered you survived the hotel shooting."
My heart rate spiked, causing the monitor next to my bed to blare rapidly.
"They cannot touch the wife of a Rossi without starting a war that will burn this city to the ground," he explained calmly.
"You married me while I was unconscious?" I asked, my voice trembling with disbelief.
Dominic nodded slowly.
"It was the only way to guarantee my men would protect you with their lives."
I stared at the most dangerous man in New York, realizing I was legally bound to him.
"You could have just hired guards," I whispered.
"Guards can be bought, but a blood oath to the family is absolute," he replied.
A knock on the door interrupted us before I could argue.
A blonde nurse walked into the room carrying a silver tray of medications.
"It is time for her painkillers, Mister Rossi," the nurse said softly.
Dominic stepped back, allowing her to approach the IV line connected to my arm.
The nurse picked up a syringe, her eyes darting nervously toward Dominic.
I noticed her hands were trembling violently.
May you like
Then I saw the unmistakable black ink of a spider tattoo on her inner wrist, peeking out from beneath her scrubs.
I had seen that exact same tattoo on the man who fired the gun at the hotel.
