Heartless Savage (Angels Halo MC Next Gen Book 6) Page 3

  I sat up so I could watch them go until the door closed behind them. While my gaze was still on the door, Mom sat down on the edge of the bed closest to me. “You look as if you slept well, l’venok.”

  Swallowing hard, I shifted my gaze to her. “Mom…” My voice came out croaky like a frog, and I cleared it a few times before speaking again. “Can Nova stay here forever?”

  Her face showed her surprise at my question. “Ryan, she’s just visiting with her family. They live in California.”

  “I know,” I muttered. “But can’t we adopt her and keep her forever?”

  She scanned my face for a long moment, and I knew she was looking for something, but I didn’t know what. “I’m sorry, l’venok. This time, it is out of my power to give you what you want.”

  A lump filled my throat, and I had to look away so she didn’t see my tears. “But she makes things better, Mom.”

  “Better how?”

  I shrugged. “Just…better.”

  She grasped my hand, giving it a firm squeeze. “We have her here for a little longer. Let’s make the best of it, yes?”

  I nodded, still unable to look at her because the urge to cry hadn’t faded yet.

  “It will be okay, my little love,” she murmured, pressing a kiss to the side of my head. “Just because she eventually has to go home doesn’t mean you won’t see her again.”

  Again, I nodded. I knew Nova had to go home with her family at the end of their vacation, but I needed to find a way to keep her with me. I liked the way it felt when she was right beside me. A lot. I would be her best friend and make her smile every day if she lived with us.

  5

  Ryan

  After a day of swimming in the pool with Nova and my cousins, I was tired when I went to bed that night. At dinner, Nova was so exhausted, she fell asleep with her head on the table before she’d even eaten all of her pasta, and her dad had carried her up to bed. The rest of us had finished our meal and then watched a movie in the family room, but when the others said they wanted to watch another, I’d told them I was going to bed to read.

  After a shower and brushing my teeth, I had dropped down and picked up the new book I’d started the day Nova had arrived, but my eyes were too heavy to focus on the words. When the book dropped onto my face, I groaned and pushed it away, turning over in bed.

  The soft click of my door opening made my head snap up, however. My bedside light was still on, so I had no problem seeing Nova fully as she wobbled in, holding Bun-Bun close with one arm and tugging on her ear with her other hand.

  “Ryan?” she whispered, her voice sounding a little scratchy. “Can I sleep with you again?”

  I sat up and patted the bed beside me. She gave me a tiny smile as she reached the bed.

  “Will you hold Bun-Bun for me?” she asked in a small voice.

  I took the stuffed bunny and held it protectively while she grabbed on to the covers and struggled to pull herself up onto my bed. It wasn’t too high off the floor, but her legs were so short. The determination on her pretty face told me to stay where I was and not help, even though it was hard to watch her without doing something to assist.

  Once she finally settled in beside me, she took Bun-Bun back and then cuddled right up against me. As soon as I felt her hand on my stomach, something deep inside my chest eased in a way I hadn’t realized needed easing. But it was as if I’d been holding my breath since she’d fallen asleep during dinner, and now I could finally release it.

  She made a slight whining noise and started tugging on her ear again. That was when I noticed how bright her eyes were and that her cheeks had a faint flush to them. Concerned, because that was how Ciana looked when she was running a fever, I touched my fingers to Nova’s forehead.

  “Your hands are cold,” she grumbled, tugging on her ear.

  “No,” I said, shaking my head as I carefully turned her head to better see the ear she was messing with, trying to explain why she thought I was cold to her. “Your skin is just hot. That makes anything not as warm as you feel cold.”

  Her ear was red, but I couldn’t tell if it was because something was wrong with it or from how much she was pulling on it. But a little bit of fluid was draining out of it, and it felt a little hotter than her forehead did.

  “Nova, does your ear hurt?” I asked as I gently rubbed the outer shell.

  “Yeah,” she whispered, holding Bun-Bun a little tighter. “It hurts a lot.”

  “Does…” My voice broke, and I quickly cleared it so she wouldn’t know that I was worried. “Does anything else hurt?”

  “My throat,” she admitted. “It hurts, and it itches a little.”

  I started to move, knowing I needed to tell my mom. Nova was sick and needed to go to the doctor. The thought of her hurting made my eyes sting, but I blinked the tears away, knowing I needed to be brave for her.

  “Don’t go!” she cried, her fingers twisting in my T-shirt. “I don’t feel good, and I don’t want to be alone.”

  “I won’t leave you alone,” I promised her, carefully unlocking her fingers from my shirt. Sliding out of bed, I reached back for her. Her tiny arms and legs wrapped around me, and she laid her head on my shoulder as I carried her out of my room and down the hall to my parents’ room.

  I knocked twice before I heard Mom’s groggy voice calling out. Holding Nova tight with one arm, I was able to twist the knob before kicking the door open a little. Papa switched on the light when he saw I had something in my arms, and he and Mom jerked upright in bed as soon as they realized it was Nova.

  “What’s wrong?” Mom asked as she got out of bed. She touched Nova’s back, and Nova tightened her tiny limbs around me.

  “I think she has a fever. She says her ear and throat hurt. Her ear is really red, and there was something that looked like water coming out of it. She’s been pulling on it.” I tried to remember everything I needed to tell her so she could help Nova, but I was so worried I didn’t know if I forgot anything.

  Mom touched Nova’s forehead with her palm, and she whined, trying to turn away and bury her face in my neck. “No, no, no,” she whimpered.

  “It’s okay, l’vitsa,” Mom soothed. “I won’t take you away from Ryan.” Crouching down, she examined the ear that was red and still draining. Pressing her lips together, she quickly straightened and looked at Papa. “Could you wake Felicity and Jet while I get dressed, moye zolto? I think we will be paying a visit to the emergency room.”

  My body began to shake at the realization that Nova was so sick she needed to go to the hospital, but I knew if I panicked, it would only scare Nova and make her cry. Instead, I just held on to her tighter, refusing to release her even when her mom came rushing into the room before either her dad or my own did.

  “It’s another ear infection,” Felicity murmured. “She gets them so frequently. We’ve been discussing tubes to help.” She bit her bottom lip. “Maybe we should cut this trip short and set that up when we get home, Jet.”

  “No!” I couldn’t help but shout, making Nova whimper. I rubbed one of my hands up her back, trying to let her know she didn’t have to be scared. No one would ever hurt her as long as I was alive. “No,” I repeated, trying to keep my voice quiet. “We have doctors. Ciana has tubes in her ears. So does Bennie. He got them last year. They can give Nova tubes here. Please don’t take her away yet.”

  “I don’t wanna go home!” Nova whined, lifting her head to pout at her mom. “I wanna stay with Ryan.”

  Mom came out of her closet, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt with a jacket on over it. It was summertime, so I knew she was only wearing the jacket to hide the gun she liked to carry in case someone tried to hurt any of us. “I don’t think anyone is going anywhere right away,” she said as she came over to stand beside Felicity. “Nova can’t fly with an ear infection. It will cause her more pain and possibly ear damage.”

  “She’s right,” Nova’s dad agreed. “Flying with an ear infection could lead to a burst eardrum. And honestly, the boy is right. I would be more comfortable with a Vitucci doctor doing the tubes than anyone back home. Let’s just get her to the ER, and then we can speak to an ENT tomorrow.”

  “We don’t have to go to the actual emergency room,” Mom told them. “Just the hospital. We have…a special entrance and top priority.”

  “All right, let’s go,” Felicity said as she straightened, but when she tried to take Nova from me, I quickly stepped out of her reach, tightening my hold on the small angel who was clinging to me like a spider monkey.

  “I can carry her,” I offered. “She’s not heavy. It’s as easy as carrying one of Ciana’s dolls.”

  “Oh, but…” She touched her daughter’s back.

  “No, Mommy. I want Ryan!” Nova cried.

  “It’s okay,” her dad said from right behind me. “Ryan can come with us.” One of his hands landed on my shoulder, the other stroking over Nova’s blond head. “Don’t worry, princess. We’re going to make you feel all better, and Ryan can stay with you the whole time if he wants to.”

  “I want to,” I rushed to assure her, continuing to rub her back. “I’m not going to leave you. I promise.”

  In the back of the limo, I held Nova the entire ride to the hospital. Halfway there, she fell asleep, but as soon as the car stopped, her head lifted and she started to whine a little. Her dad got out and then helped Felicity out before reaching back in for Nova. The second she was out of my arms, something painful happened in my chest, and all I could think was that I needed her back. Now!

  “No, Daddy!” she cried, wiggling in his arms. “I want Ryan!”

  “Shh, princess. I’ll let you have Ryan as soon as he gets out,” Jet promised. “But he can’t hold you and climb out without dropping you.”
br />   I heard her sniffle, and I got out of the limo as fast as I could. Once I was standing on the ground, I held out my arms, and Jet gave me a grim kind of smile as he placed her back in my safekeeping. As soon as Nova was wrapped around me once again, the pain I felt without her eased.

  Nova snuggled against me, her slight weight feeling right in some strange way as I carried her toward the door where Mom and our guards were already waiting. Her parents followed me and stayed close as we walked into the exam room without having to see anyone else. As soon as the door closed behind us all, it opened again.

  A woman in dark green pants and a white doctor’s coat walked in with a huge smile on her face. I stiffened, tightening my hold on Nova even more.

  “Nope,” Mom told her. “We’ll see the other doctor on duty, please.”

  “Excuse me. Mrs. Vitucci,” the doctor said, her smile a whole lot less bright this time. “My colleague is busy at the moment. He asked me—”

  “I don’t give two fucks what he asked you. Everyone is aware that my son is uncomfortable with a female doctor. You will send in the other doctor, or I’ll have to make a call and let your boss know we weren’t taken care of as we should have been.” Mom took a single step in the woman’s direction, causing her to gulp and take several backward. “You have exactly two minutes.”

  “Y-yes, ma’am,” the doctor hastened to mutter, already opening the door and practically running from the room.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered, hating that my fear of adult women had caused Nova to have to wait longer to see a doctor.

  “There is nothing for you to be sorry for,” Mom said, acting as if she hadn’t just scared the crap out of another adult.

  A hard tap on the exam room door was quickly followed by its opening. This time, a man in a sweat-stained green shirt and matching pants came into the room. “Mrs. Vitucci,” he greeted before nodding to Jet and Felicity. “What brings you in tonight?”

  I stepped forward and started explaining before anyone else could. “She has a fever. Her ear is red and draining. The fluid is clear, but there was a lot of it. And she keeps tugging on her earlobe.”

  The doctor blinked down at me then gave a firm nod. “Well then, let’s have a look.” He crouched down beside me and touched Nova’s back. “Hey there, little lady. Can I have a peek at your ears?”

  She lifted her head, but after only a moment, she buried her face in my neck once again. I glared at the man. “Will it hurt her?”

  “No, sir.” He straightened and grabbed something that was attached to the wall with a cord. I recognized it as what doctors used to look inside my ears as he placed a fresh disposable cap on the end. “This won’t take a minute, little lady.” He tried to get her to cooperate again.

  “I don’t wanna,” she whispered.

  “Nova, the doctor has to look at your ears,” her mom tried to argue.

  “Let the doctor do his job, princess. And then we can go home and have ice cream,” her dad bribed.

  “I don’t wanna.”

  “It won’t hurt, Nova,” I promised. “See? The doctor is going to look in my ears first.”

  Slowly, she lifted her head, and immediately, the doctor stuck the light in my ear. I stood very still as he looked in one ear and then the other. While she was still sitting upright, he quickly checked her good ear, but before he could even get it fully into the affected ear, she whimpered in pain. I tightened my hold on her, hating that I’d broken my promise to her that it wouldn’t hurt.

  “Ah, yes, little lady,” he murmured sympathetically. “That is one mean ear infection you have.” He pulled the light free and glanced at the adults. “When did this start?”

  “She was fine all day,” her mom explained. “But they tend to come on rather quickly.”

  “I’ll write her a prescription for an antibiotic as well as ear drops.” He pulled out his phone and started typing away on it. “I take it she gets them often?”

  “Yes,” her mom confirmed.

  “I recommend seeing an ENT as quickly as possible,” he told her. “Since you know the drill, alternate acetaminophen and ibuprofen for the fever or pain. If she gets worse, or there is no improvement in the next few days, bring her back, and we can change up the medication.”

  His gaze went back to Nova, then to me. “You take good care of her, young man. She’s got herself a brave hero to watch out for her.”

  “Is there a pharmacy open at this hour?” Felicity asked. “I know this is New York City, but…”

  “Don’t worry. We will have the prescription filled here,” the doctor told her before Mom could answer. “It will be brought to you in just a few minutes.” He bowed his head to Mom. “If there’s nothing else you need, Mrs. Vitucci?”

  “No, thank you, Doctor. I’ll make sure your boss knows how well you took care of us.”

  While the adults talked, I carried Nova over to the exam table, but I didn’t place her on it. Instead, I stood so I could lean my back against it and adjusted her in my arms. “Does your ear hurt very bad?” I asked her quietly.

  She nodded.

  “Did the doctor make it hurt worse?”

  This time, she shook her head before yawning, but then her head shot up. “Bun-Bun! Where’s Bun-Bun?”

  “In the limo. I thought she would be safer there.” She let out a relieved breath and rested her head back on my shoulder. I started rubbing her back again. “It’s okay. Go to sleep. I won’t let anything hurt you.”

  Another yawn escaped her. “I wanna marry you,” she said with the prettiest giggle I’d ever heard. “You take care of me like Daddy takes care of Mommy.”

  My heart lifted at that idea. If I married her, then she would always be with me. I could take care of her. Protect her. Make sure she was always happy.

  But she was too young—we both were. I’d have to do some research, but I’d find out how old Nova had to be before I could marry her.

  And as soon as she was old enough, she would be mine forever.

  Then no one could take her away from me.

  6

  Ryan

  It was hard to be excited for my birthday when Nova was leaving me the day after. I couldn’t think about anything past what I was going to do once my little angel was no longer there to climb into bed beside me each night so I could protect her and Bun-Bun. Would she be happy when she left? Would she be safe?

  Would her mom hurt her like mine had?

  I hadn’t seen Felicity so much as yell at Nova in the time they had been staying at our house, but she’d done more than a little shouting at Garret. Not that he didn’t deserve it. All Garret did was get into trouble. He was worse than Vito and Bennie combined, and I didn’t think it was possible for any one person to get into more mischief than those two. But other than getting frustrated with her son and threatening to ground him, Nova’s mom had seemed okay, I guess.

  I still didn’t trust her, though.

  What if she was different when no one else was around? What if she did bad things to her kids when there wasn’t anyone to see?

  The thought of Nova crying because she was scared and hurt by her mother—or anyone else—left me sick to my stomach.

  Mom dropped her fork onto her breakfast plate, her hand going to my forehead. “Your color is off, l’venok,” she muttered. “Are you feeling unwell?”

  “I’m fine,” I said, pulling back from her touch so I could stare at Nova’s empty seat on the other side of mine.

  After our trip to the emergency room weeks before, I’d looked up the age someone had to be in order to get legally married. If Nova’s parents gave their consent, I could marry her when she turned seventeen. But I didn’t think her dad would let me do that, so that meant I had to wait until she was eighteen. Nova would be four in November. That meant I had to wait a little over fourteen years.

  That seemed like an eternity. I wanted her to stay with me now. Instead, I would have to let her get on the plane in a few days. And the worst part was that I didn’t know when I would get to see her again.

  Would I ever?

  “Well, I don’t like that color,” Zariah complained as she walked into the dining room with her phone in one hand. I looked at her in annoyance, only to find she wasn’t even looking my way. Her eyes were on the screen of her phone. “It’s ugly, and with your skin tone, it makes you look ugly too.”