The Mafia Boss Who Captivated Me

Hey, Kat," a soft voice says, and I figure I'm dreaming because nobody talks to me anymore.

Hands are brushing my hair back from my face and there's a damp cloth wiping over my jaw too. My eyelids flutter open.

"Joey?"

"You were sick," she says, her face pulled into a frown.

"Yeah," I say, my head throbbing as I shuffle into a sitting position. I remember now. It came on so suddenly and violently that I couldn't even make it to the bathroom. And then I think I passed out.

"How long have you been sick like this?"

"A few days."

"Are you keeping anything down?"

"No," I say. I don't even have the energy to shake my head.

"Is this normal in pregnancy?"

"No. I think it might be... I might have hyperemesis gravidarum. My mom had it with me."

"What the hell is that?"

"A fancy way of saying extreme morning sickness." I give a feeble laugh.

I'm pretty sure Joey isn't really here and I'm hallucinating or something. I wonder why it's her of all people I'm seeing though. I mean, I thought it would be my mom or my grandma.

My eyes fixate on her face as my brain wakes up a little more. Dream Joey has a huge purple bruise on her cheek.

She covers it with her hand when she sees me staring.

"I'm sorry he did that to you because of me," I whisper, even though she's not real.

"It wasn't Dante," she says as she places her hand on my forehead. "Kat I'm really worried about you."Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

"I think I need to go to hospital, Joey," I croak. My throat is so dry from lack of fluids that it hurts to even talk.

Dream Joey squeezes my hand. She must be a dream.

She's never this nice to me. "I'll go speak to Dante."

I'm on the phone when my little sister comes storming into my office like a tornado on steroids.

"Kat is really sick," she shouts, completely ignoring the fact I'm busy.

"I'll call you back," I say to the asshole I was talking with so I can give her my full attention.

"You need to get her to the hospital. Now."

"Like fuck I do. What the hell do you think you're doing coming into my office -" "She needs a doctor," she shouts back at me.

I cross my arms over my chest and glare at her. "So the two of you can plan another escape attempt?"

"You know, I would never have done that if I'd known she was pregnant. Dante, I'm not kidding around. She says she has something her mom had. Hyper gravity or something?"

"She's a goddamn nurse. She's baffling you with medical nonsense so you'll fall for her bullshit."

"She's not eating. That can't be good for the baby."

"She'll eat when she's hungry," I say, picking up my cell to make another call.

"Dante, please just come see her for yourself."

"For fuck's sake!" I pocket my cell and follow my little sister up to Kat's new bedroom. At least I can put an end to this nonsense so I can get back to work. When I walk into the room, Kat is propped up in bed with some pillows.

"I sat her up so she wouldn't choke if she was sick again," Joey whispers, and I roll my eyes. I've never known anyone be able to fool my kid sister so easily. "Kat?" I snap as I draw closer to her.

She's pale, but then she would be if she's refusing to eat. Her lips are cracked and dry. She's wearing one of my t-shirts and that rattles me more than I care to admit. Part of her plan, no doubt, but I can also see she's lost weight. Nothing so far that can't be explained away by her refusal to eat though.

"Kat?" I say again as I sit on the bed beside her.

Her eyelids flicker, but she doesn't focus on me.

"You need to eat and drink something."

"Okay," she mumbles sleepily, a goofy smile on her face.

"See," I say to Joey who is staring at Kat with concern.

I take the bottle of water from the night stand and unscrew the cap. Holding it to her lips, I play along with her little game, if only to prove that I'm right. "I'm gonna give you some water, okay?"

"Hmm," she mumbles, and I tip the bottle, allowing some water to spill out. She swallows greedily, and I allow her some more before I pull the bottle away.

I look up at Joey. "I told you it was all..." But before I can finish that sentence, Kat groans loudly and throws up the mouthful of water I just gave her. Her head rolls back against the pillows and her eyes close again. Fuck!

"No, I told you, asshole!" Joey snaps.

"Go tell Maximo to get the car. We're taking her to the ER."

Joey runs out of the room and I scoop Kat into my arms.

She murmurs softly, but her body is limp and far lighter than it was just a week ago. I press a soft kiss on her forehead.

"I'm sorry, kitten. I've got you now." The guilt of leaving her to rot in this room almost overwhelms me. If anything happens to her or our baby, I will never forgive myself. I don't care if Kat hates me right now, or if I can't trust her. I will never let her go.

I suppose most people might freak out if they wake up in a hospital bed, but the sound of the machines, the low hum of constant activity, and even the smell is so unmistakably familiar to me that I feel a sense of comfort being here. My eyelids are only half open as they flicker in the bright overhead light. My throat is dry and scratchy but I don't feel like I'm going to throw up, so that's a bonus.

"Kat?" I hear his deep voice before I feel his warm fingers curling around mine.

"H-hey," I croak as I open my eyes and see him sitting beside my bed. His face is etched with worry and concern.

Then I realize why. He is the reason I'm here. He kept me locked in that horrible room with nobody and nothing.

I wrench my hand from his as both of them instinctively fly to my stomach. My baby.

"The baby is fine," he assures me. "You were severely dehydrated, but you're both okay now."

No thanks to you. I force a smile instead.

"Do you need a drink?"

I nod, and he pours me a small glass of water from the jug beside the bed. He lifts it to my lips, and that first sip feels like heaven, instantly soothing my throat. I take the glass from him, and he sits back down in the chair beside my bed while I glance around the room. I'm hooked up to a drip and a heart monitor.

"How long have I been in here?" I ask.

"Just a few hours," he replies. "They want to keep you in for a day or two, or at least until you can keep some solids down again."

I nod.

"How do you feel?"

Like I want to cry for a year. "Not sick at least."

"Good. Joey has packed some of your things and Max is going to bring them by soon."

"Okay." I take another sip of water and glance at the door.

"I'll stay here with you."

"I'm not going to run away."

"I know."

"You know because you won't let me, or because you believe I won't try?"

"Does it matter?"

"I'm not going to try," I say, leaning back against the pillow and closing my eyes. "As long as you promise my baby will be safe." "Our baby is going to be safe, Kat."

"What about me? Will I be safe too?" I open my eyes again and see his handsome features pulled into a frown.

"You won't come to any harm," he says coolly.

The sound of the door opening breaks the tension, and we both look up to see a doctor walking into the room.

"Ms. Evanson, you're awake?" she says with a wide smile.

"Yes." I smile back, thankful there is another person in here to diffuse this awkward atmosphere.

"I'm Dr. Wilcox and I'll be taking care of you and your little one."

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"Nice to meet you."

"And how are you feeling?"

"Much better now, thank you."

"We've given you plenty of fluids, and a whole lot of good stuff for you and your baby. I expect you're anxious to get home, but I'd like to keep you here for a day or two."

I see the dark look crossing Dante's face from the corner of my eye. "Whatever you think is for the best, Doctor."

She looks at Dante and smiles. "It would be good for Kat to try to eat a little something. Would you mind asking at the desk for them to send her a light snack?"

His eyes narrow as he considers her request.

"I'd love some fries. Hot, salty fries," I say, licking my lips and letting out a sigh.

He nods his agreement, and then a few seconds later, he disappears from the room, leaving us alone.

"You were in quite a state when they brought you in, Kat," she says, her face full of concern. "Did nobody notice how dehydrated you were?"

"No. I was kind of tired and sleeping a lot."

"But the baby's father, Mr. Moretti?" she says his name like she knows exactly who he is. "He didn't notice something was wrong?"

This would be my chance to tell her the truth. And then what? Put this lovely doctor at risk for helping me? Live my life on the run? Deprive my child of a chance to know its father. Dante Moretti will never let me go. "He's been really busy. I haven't seen a lot of him. But as soon as he saw how ill I was, he brought me straight in."

She narrows her eyes at me in concern but before she can ask me any further questions, Dante walks back into the room.

"You have hyperemesis gravidarum. I'll give you some anti-sickness medication to take home with you, but eating and drinking little and often is the key to not becoming dehydrated."

I nod.

"And please keep a careful eye on her," she says to Dante. "If she's unable to keep anything down, then you'll need to bring her back in immediately."

"Of course," he says with a nod.

Doctor Wilcox's pager beeps and she excuses herself and leaves the room.

"Did she ask you if I was holding you against your will?"

Dante asks.

For some reason, that makes me laugh. "Kind of," I admit. "I think she knows who you are."

"Well, I'm kind of infamous around these parts," he says with a wink that makes my insides flutter. I have no idea how to survive this man.

"I didn't tell her that you were. Even though I probably should have."

"That wouldn't have ended well, Kat. For anyone concerned."

I swallow hard. "I know."