Page 125 of Tragic Empire

From his mouth to God’s ears.

Not even five minutes later, Doc finds us with good news.

Colton lost a bunch of blood, and his stomach needed to be repaired carefully, but he’s out of surgery and his vitals are good. He’ll need to stay at the hospital for a few days at least, maybe a week.

He’s okay.

Colton isn’t dying.

No one else is dying.

Breathing better than I have in hours, I throw myself into Cassio’s arms, hugging him tight. We decide to let Armani and Colton’s family see him today, and we’ll come back once he’s more awake and aware.

“You can stay with us,” Cassio tells his family as we all get ready to leave. “If you’d rather rest before heading back home.”

“We’re good,” Dad answers, smiling. “We’ll be seeing you both soon, anyway. Won’t we?”

Apollo arches a brow. “You planning to move back now?”

“Yes,” I answer before Cassio can. “If you’ll have us.”

I miss Jade, and I want to be with the rest of the Morettis, even if I’ll miss some parts of the city.

Dante nods happily. “You’re always welcome home, Ana.”

ChapterThirty-Nine

Ana

Packing up most of my life was easier than I expected it to be. Since I’ll be sharing a room with my husband now, I don’t need my bed or any of my big furniture. Most of my boxes are stuffed with clothes, shoes, cosmetics, and bits of memorabilia from my mum that I didn’t want to part with.

Her personal collection of paintings have been mostly auctioned off. She wouldn’t want me to have them around collecting dust when I don’t have the eye to appreciate them like a true art lover would. I kept a few of my favorites, even setting two aside for Dante and Jade. An Italian countryside, Renaissance-style piece for the man I call Dad, and a floral painting that I found covered with sage for Jade. Sage is the name Dad gave to her twin she never got to know, and I think she’ll really love the sentiment.

Though I’ve spent most of my life in between New York and London, I don’t think I’m going to miss it much. Plus, Cassio has already promised me that we’ll return to the city at least twice a month to visit Killian, and Agnes, and to volunteer at St. Mary’s. So I’ll never be deprived of the parts of the city that I love now that we’re leaving it.

He also put me in contact with a woman who runs a local orphanage twenty minutes from the Moretti mansion. They have a smaller staff, but a good facility and will take any help I’m willing to offer. I’ve already started planning a fundraiser for them, focused on earning enough money to give the children an incredible Christmas this year.

As the car comes to a stop, I squeeze Cassio’s hand and unbuckle my seatbelt. Jumping out of my seat, I tip my head back to look at the clear blue sky. The air already feels cleaner as I inhale, breathing in the familiar scenery.

“You’re here!”

A soft, slim body slams into mine, pushing me back against the car with the force of it. My face is buried in Jade’s hair in a whoosh as she clings to me.

“Don’t break my wife,” Cassio gripes, standing with our eldest brother.

Apollo came to New York to help us move, apparently wanting to go over some business discussions with Killian too. The Kings and The Outfit now have an official alliance. I’m not sure what it consists of, but I’m content to know that the two sides of my family—though Killian is the only Knight left standing—are on friendly terms for good.

Jade ignores Cassio entirely, pulling back to look at my face with gleaming blue eyes. “I’m so excited! I’ve been waiting for you all day. I’m pretty sure I’ve been stressing Dmitri and Ivan out with all of my pacing and window watching.”

“Did you have sweets for breakfast?” I chuckle. “You’ve got energy pouring out of you, babe.”

“Martha made raspberry strudel, I may have over indulged,” she confesses, grinning. “Come in, come in, I can’t wait for you to see your room. It’s huge!”

From what Jade has told me over the phone, Cassio and I are going to be on the same floor as Nico, but not in his old room. We’ll have a suite like Jade’s, all to ourselves. A fresh start for both of us, and somewhere to call our own.

“I’m here as well,” Cassio points out before she can drag me off. “You know, me, your loving brother?”

“Unload the boxes, loving brother,” she shoots back. “You have manual labor to attend to. I’ll keep Ana company, don’t worry.”