Page 9 of Amadeo (Dark Legends #4)

Amadeo

The fuck? No, we weren’t going to leave it at that. Hell no. I went after her.

I caught her just as she got to the French doors. “Gia! Will you stop?”

She had her hand on the door handle. Pausing, she turned to look at me.

I stared at her and asked, “Can you just tell me what I did wrong?”

Staring back at me, she shook her head.

“Do you think that’s fair?” I added. “To just say I am not trustworthy. Without even telling me why you believe this?”

“I know that you seem to be that…Trustworthy I mean. But I just can’t…”

I leaned in close and said, “I have a right to defend myself, Gia. Tell me what it is that you think I did?”

“It’s in the past. We cannot change it.”

I shook my head. “It’s a past I have no awareness of and it obviously matters to you. You keep hinting at something you think I have done. And you won’t give me a chance because of some event I don’t even know about. You need to tell me.”

She turned and grabbed the door handle again. “I’m here for a patient, not to date someone.”

“Do you realize how rare it is to have this kind of attraction?”

Shaking her head at me, Gia didn’t answer.

“Well, I do,” I went on. “It’s why I don’t really date anymore. If I cannot have what my parents had or what my lucky-ass brothers found, then I don’t want it.”

“It isn’t something I can talk about,” she said without turning to look at me.

“I suppose I will just get Tito to look into your past then,” I surmised. “So maybe I can find this reason and then I can deal with it.”

She froze then flipped back around as her face had gone pale. “You would poke into my life?”

I shrugged. “I don’t think of it as that.

I think of it as fair. You act like I’m some kind of bad guy here.

But even bad guys have a right to defend themselves.

So if you won’t tell me what it is that I did to you or your family to make me unworthy of your time, then what choice does that leave me? ”

“What kind of person looks into someone’s past like that?” She looked disgusted.

The answer to her question dawned on me and I froze now as I stared at her. “My brother Luca, that’s who. He said something to me earlier about you. He said I shouldn't pursue you. That I would get no happy ever after with you.”

Her mouth dropped open in shock. “He actually said that?”

Nodding, I remembered what else he said. That her family was messed up. “He mentioned that your family had some problems.”

She pressed her lips into a thin line as anger flashed in her eyes. The same rage that had been there the day we met. “Oh? And he did tell you what caused those problems?”

I shrugged. “It was at dinner. You showed up and that ended the conversation.”

She reached out and poked me in the chest. “You should listen to him.”

I scoffed. “No way. I’d be a stiff in a suit, making deals with shady people.

Hell, I’d be a Good Fella by now if I listened to him.

” Then I trapped her hand in mine and held it.

“I listen to myself and there’s lots of good things my inner voice suggests at just the right time.

Like yes, that cloud looks otherworldly, so let’s fly through it more than once.

Or like right now, those lips of yours look luscious and irresistible, so let’s taste them and see …

” I tugged her close and lowered my head to smother her mouth with mine.

To say I have kissed a few women would be putting it mildly, but none of them ever made my heart kick up its beat so suddenly.

Wrapping my arms around her, I deepened the breathless kiss that went from hot to up in fucking flames in sixty damn seconds.

The both of us seemed lost to it as if it had a power of its own.

When she wrapped her arms around my neck, I then truly did believe the kiss itself was in charge.

The fiery meshing of our mouths and dancing of our tongues went on and on. Finally, we broke apart as we both gasped for air.

Slowly raising her hand, Gia swiped at her mouth, her eyes locked onto mine. Her dark gold flecked orbs held a raw hunger and an intense fire then she looked away.

I felt those same things…Hunger, heat…Damn, I could do that more than once for sure. So I reached for her.

Stepping back, she shook her head and whispered, “You shouldn’t have done that.”

Feeling truly stunned, I raised my fingers to my lips. My body had gone rock hard all over. My hands itched again to touch her and now that we had kissed, I knew I wanted another round of that ambrosia. “Hell, I want to do that all over again. Once would never be enough.”

“I-I can’t. Not with you.” Tears filled her eyes. “I cannot be doing this! Oh, my God!” She finally grabbed the door handle and opened it, ducking inside.

I stood there and watched as she rushed through the music room then into the hall.

No, I wouldn’t follow her. Something was really wrong here.

With her or me, I didn’t know. I hesitated before I went in.

Realizing that time had held no meaning while I was in her company, I’d lost myself there for a bit.

That kiss for instance. Unreal. I glanced down at my watch to see I only had a few minutes until my shift to guard Deacon started. Tito would be waiting.

With reality kicking in, I hurried now as I went through the door. I still had a job to do.

Heading through the hall, I turned and went down the next hall.

I paused before I opened the door to the large room where Deacon was infirmed.

I would be seeing the good doctor in about a half hour, if she kept to that rigid schedule she had.

I knew she would keep it, no matter what though.

Hardcore professionalism was a mantra with her.

Did her rejection of me have anything to do with that?

Not according to what little she had said.

The problem wasn’t my job or even hers. The problem apparently, was ME .

I shook the whole subject away as I turned the handle and went in.

I had to try to distract myself. Hell, that was all I ever did while on duty, so this shouldn’t be any different.

But… it was different. I wanted the good doctor in the worst way.

However, she wanted me to dry up and blow away.

This was the situation and man, was it sad for me.

“Deo!”

At the yell, my head shot up.

Tito stood in front of me while shaking his head. “Man, did you even hear me?”

I shrugged. “I guess not?”

“You guess…” He looked puzzled as he stood from the chair by the door. “Are you okay, man?”

I let out a long breath. “I guess.”

“Nah, you are not okay.” He stared at me. “Is it that doctor?”

My eyes narrowed on him. “Maybe? Do you know if…” My voice fell away.

No, I wasn’t going to have him research her.

I wanted her to tell me herself. I saw the horrified look on her face when I warned her that I would.

That wouldn’t be the way to go about this at all.

I wouldn’t go snooping. This was too important to fuck up.

Unless there was no way to fuck it up any worse.

Despite the kiss and how her body reacted to that kiss with me, she hated my guts… end of story.

“Damn Deo,” Tito said.

I focused on him again as I realized I had gotten lost in thought. “What’s up?” I tried to play it off.

“Not you, that's what. You are as down and out of it as I have ever seen you, Kid.”

I scoffed. “Luca calls me Kid. You two need a reminder. I’m not a kid anymore. Take a look.” I spread my arms out. “I’m six foot two and I can bench press…you, probably.”

Tito chuckled. “Maybe not me, Deo. But you are like my kid brother. And being that you are, you can talk to me, you know that, right?”

I stared at him. “You can’t help with this, Tito.” In reality, he could help me find out the truth but I wouldn’t do that now.

“Man, I got some mad skills. I can do most anything, haven't you heard?” He smirked.

I smiled at him. I did know one thing about him, he’d always been in my corner. “Hell, yeah. The Wild Man of the lake,” I teased him about his campout times at the lake. “The Wise Guy bouncer. Best protection in the business.”

“You know it. You know it.” He laughed and patted my arm with his large hand.

I pulled the same joke I always did and acted like I had to stagger from his overpowering strength of a pat. I wobbled then regained my balance.

Tito laughed loudly.

“Shhh!”

We both paused to look over at Nurse Jocelyn.

She had her finger up to her lips as she held her Ipad in her other hand.

Tito leaned close to me and whispered, “Why do we have to be quiet around a comatose patient? That is the thing that gets me. Everyone should be trying to wake his dead ass up.”

I paused to think about it and no, he and I were not medically educated but it sure as hell made sense to me. “Yeah, maybe you have a point there, Tito.” I looked over at the ex FBI man in the hospital bed. “He has slept and rested long enough.”

Tito shrugged. “I mean I’m not an expert. Especially as to how long it takes to heal after your plane is shot down. But hell, it’s been a month since it happened, right?” He smiled at me and added, “Maybe bring it up to the doctor, si?”

I looked from Deacon back over to him. “Nice try.” I chuckled.

“Come on, man. I even saw sparks coming off you two when you met. It was like having two live wires in the room.” He smiled at me. “If you find the person who makes your heart thunder, then man, you gotta go asunder.”

I stared at him and chuckled. “You make that up? Just now?”

He seemed reluctant, then he nodded at me and admitted it, “Yeah. But in my head, it sounded great.”

“I’m not a walking dictionary but asunder ?” I shook my head.

He kept chuckling, then stopped to place his finger over his lips and shushed me.

I rolled my eyes and told him in a whisper, “Get the hell outta here, wiseguy.”

Tito snickered and went out the door.

I glanced over at the bed. Why I did this I have no clue as it all looked the same as it had in the last ten days.

Deacon on machines with the nurse checking her Ipad as she sat in her usual spot.

This scene could go on for a longass time.

Everyday, the same. Machine’s whooshing and beeping, Deacon in the bed, nurse doing her watching, me doing my so-called guard job.

Then I realized it…But what if it didn’t go on? What if he died or woke up?

Gia would leave.

Damn, I felt crappy at the thought of not seeing her again. Then I let out a long sigh as I sat down in the chair. I needed to face the facts here though. She hated my guts and here I was, worried about never seeing her again. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

The door opened.

I caught her scent so I knew who it was and I didn’t look up.

If I did, I would have to ask her. Why? I refused to do that now.

If I had a future with this woman, she would have to come around to it.

Tell me the truth. Explain to me why she would not date me.

Come clean with whatever awful event happened to trigger this dislike she had for me.

Considering all of that…There was a good chance she wouldn't do anything. That meant we had no chance.

The door closed and I could hear her soft steps heading to the bed. I tapped my phone and kept my gaze on the screen. I willed myself to not look at her. I could do this. After all, I had done it for the last week or longer. I clenched my jaw. That had been before I kissed her though.

“What do you mean?” she asked the nurse as her voice drifted to me.

“His patterns indicate wakeful movement,” Nurse Jocelyn replied to Gia.

Wakeful movement? My head shot up. As in…he is moving around?

Gia raised her own Ipad device and tapped the screen.

“Just look at the tracking,” Nurse Jocelyn suggested. “His EEG is tracing.”

“Yes, I see that,” Gia replied. “And his ICP is showing a descaling dip. The pressure on his brain has been severely reduced.”

“I know and when you see the IOT.” The nurse nodded. “You are gonna be surprised.”

Both women remained silent as they looked at the screens of their devices.

The fuck language were they speaking? I scoffed.

I did catch a few abbreviations though. I lowered my head again.

It sounded like his condition had changed.

Peering down at my phone, I almost smirked.

Time to Google It . I tapped Google then typed in comatose patients and IOT, whatever that meant.

It had been one of the things they said.

A real-time monitoring system called the IoT-Based Healthcare Monitor is intended to provide coma patients with a safe and secure environment.

The system continually monitors the patient's vital signs and movement in the bed using a variety of sensors, including heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, respiration, and PIR sensors.

The gathered data is wirelessly transferred to an embedded Raspberry Pi device, which analyzes it and uploads to a cloud server.

The patient's data is stored on the cloud, notifying medical personnel of unusual readings or movements.

I understood enough of this to look up at the women and break my silence, “Is he waking up?”