Page 140 of The Crowned Garza

“Whathappenedis that you little shits brought your domestic drama to my doorstep and dragged me right into the middle of it, when the last thing I want right now is to piss off The O any more than I already have.”

“Take that up with your blood relatives,” I mutter around a wince.

“I had no idea they were in the dark about you,” he says. “By the time I realized it, things had already gone too far. When I got in touch with The O and found out about your twenty-four-hour deal, I tried to get them to let you go. Then you had a horrible seizure. That’s when your security detail busted in, along with a medical team.

“According to the doc, you had a delayed allergic reaction to the drug that was used to sedate you. Once you were stable, I offered to have you and your medical team set up here. Anything that will keep me from having another strike with them. Since then, you have been in and out of it. You had an abominable fever. You were delirious at one point. I almost,almoststarted to worry you would die here and then that would be my last strike with The O.”

Ana pours me a glass of water and brings it to my mouth. “Please, drink.”

“Please,” Stefano stresses with a bored drag. “Drink something, eat something, get your strength back. We would all like for this to be over.”

The first sip of water feels like salve on a wound. I gulp down the rest in one go, then tell Ana, “More.”

She pours me another glass and I drink it down.

“Do you have the tests?” Stefano asks her. “Or are they with the doc?”

“I have them,” Ana replies, then walks across the large room to the sitting area by the windows. From a leather messenger bag rested in one of the armchairs, she pulls out a tablet along with a stylus and returns to the bedside, handing them to me.

Though baffled, I take the tablet and swipe, finding several pages of equations and worded questions. “What’s this about?”

“Like I said, the Garzas won’t be released until you prove that you’re of sound mind,” Stefano answers before Ana. “Your genius is apparentlyveryimportant to them.”

“Seriously?”

“The tablet is connected to their server,” Ana informs me. “Including access to the camera. They will be watching you solve these in real time.”

I slide Stefano awhat the fucklook.

He shrugs.

With a reluctant sigh, I touch the stylus to the screen and solve all the equations, answer all the questions.

“That was impressively fast,” Stefano comments when I thrust the tablet back to Ana. “I looked at some of those equations and my brain short-circuited, and I’m excellent with numbers.”

That’s because those aren’t average equations. It takes a different level of practice to even attempt one of those.

“Where’s my phone?” I demand. “I need to make some calls.”

“They will release everything that was taken from your person when they are ready,” Ana replies. “For now, please just relax and focus on recovering.”

“What the—”

“Guy,” Stefano presses. “For the love of God, relax. Trust me, you will not get anywhere outside this room. Do you not know how they operate by now? JB owns you. She owns all of us. Just cool it and try not to make things any more intense than they already are, I beg.” He checks his watch. “Shit. I have a meeting with a client about a hostage situation.” He looks at Ana. “Dollface, keep him calm and settled for me, will you? Give him a hand-job if you must.”

He’s gone before I can tell him to go fuck himself.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

“I handle my affairs myself.”

Santo

IN STEFANO’S WAKE,a second nurse joins Ana, and over the next two hours, both women fuss over me in a strangely competitive manner, as though there’s some grand reward for whoever’s more attentive.

Maybe there is, who knows.

Like a sickly and delicate child, I’m hand-fed chicken soup, a robust meal, vitamins, and medication. Given zero chance to do anything myself. It’s beyond frustrating. Here’s to hoping I don’t see old age because this bedridden shit is pathetic.