48. Saturday Week Twenty

We didn't go back to the apartment after the club fiasco because there was no more reason for us to hide out there anymore. In fact, all of us, including my Nan, Ty and Noah, were all at the Ryker mansion recovering.

The only person missing was Dante who was rushed to a privately owned hospital.

A hospital that I was now stood in, arguing with the receptionist.

"I told you, ma'am, there is no one here by that name."

Taking a page out of Eli's book, I slammed my hand down on the counter between us, "I know that you are lying," my eyes flickered to her name badge and I hissed, "Catherine."

"I'm sorry, young lady, but I can't admit you any further than this reception room."

"Who the hell are you calling young lady? Are you bloody patronising me?" I practically growled at her.

She pushed her glasses up her nose obnoxiously, this bitch, before pinning me with a hard look, "I'm sorry, but I can't admit you any further than this reception room."

"Are you a fucking robot?"

"It's fine, Catherine," a deep voice with a heavy Italian accent boomed, "I'll take her with me."

My head swivelled towards the monotonous voice and I was greeted with the blank face of Cristiano. I looked back at Catherine and sent her a smug smirk before walking over to the tall suited man.

"Thank you for that, I just want to see Dante, to check that he's okay."

"He's fine," he rumbled in that same unwavering voice, so bland of all emotion, "I need to discuss Mikael with you, I was hoping your boyfriend would come with you but I am sure you are capable of relaying a message, si?"

My eyes narrowed slightly at his words and I spoke through gritted teeth, my previous gratitude was gone, "yes, I am capable."

His eyebrow rose slightly at my angered tone but he chose to ignore it, "Mikael has been dealt with, he will no longer be a problem to you or anyone you know."

"D-dealt with?" I stammered, "as in, you killed him?"

A scarred eyebrow rose again and his phone buzzed in his pocket, he pulled it out and glanced briefly at the screen, "si, why would we let him live?"

"I-I-I don't know."

His eyes flickered to me, "hm," he murmured with something akin to interest in his eyes, "my brother would like you to join him now, he's in room 313, the third floor."

Slowly, I nodded, still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I had played a part in someone's death. Cristiano began to walk away but I reached out and grabbed his arm before he could.

His piercing obsidian eyes landed on my hand and he glared at it ferociously, I abruptly pulled it away, "what happened to Marcus and Vincent?"

"Vincent is dead and Marcus fled like the pussy he is," Cristiano informed me, surprising me with an actual response.

"Okay," I nodded, he started to walk away again, "um Cristiano?" I called after him.

"What?!" He growled, turning back to face me.

"Thank you."

His scowl didn't disappear but it did shrink slightly in size as he nodded at me once before turning and storming out before I had a chance to stop him again.

My brain stewing over the few facts I had learnt from Cristiano was interrupted by my phone buzzing in the back pocket of my black jeans.

Eli's name flashed on the screen and I picked it up, "hey."

"Hey?!" He yelled, "fucking 'hey,' where the hell are you, Reillyn?!"

Chuckling nervously into the phone I responded, "um, I'm at a hospital."

"Why the fuck are you at a hospital? I know for a fact that you're fine."

I rolled my eyes, he knew that because he had been checking that I was okay every hour since the club, "relax, Eli, I'm just here to visit someone."

There was some shuffling on his side of the phone but other than that it was silent for a few moments and I wondered if he had got so mad at me for leaving without telling him, that he had just walked away.

Stepping out of the elevator, I began walking down the hall to room 313 but I stopped outside Dante's room when Eli finally spoke.

"You're visiting Dante," it was a statement not a question and the blank tone of his voice made my eyes shutter closed; he was pissed.

I bit my lip hesitantly before answering, "yeah."

"Why the fuck are you visiting Dante, Reillyn?" His voice was quietly angry and I hated when he called me by my full name, it meant he was either really mad, upset or disappointed with me. In this case, it was definitely anger.

"He got shot because of us, Eli, I'm just checking to see if he's fine."

"We fucking paid him, Reillyn," he growled into the phone, "he's a mobster, this is his life."

No words were spoken because I didn't have a response but then his deep voice crackled through the phone again, "he has a thing for you, Reillyn and you've gone to comfort him in the hospital, alone," he paused for a moment, "without me."

My lips twitched in a half-smile, "Eli, it's fine, I love you remember?"

"Still," he mumbled through the phone, "I don't think the fucker gives a shit."

I rolled my eyes at him, "would it make you feel better if I told you that I'm wearing your sweatshirt?"

"Which one?" He asked, "the plain black one or the grey one with my name on the back?"

I looked down at his plain black sweatshirt which I had pulled on as I rushed out the house, "the grey one with your name on it."

"Fine," he grumbled, "be quick though, this house is fucking mayhem."

He hung up and I shoved my phone back into my pocket before rapping lightly on the door.

"Entrare," his voice rumbled from in the room. Presuming that meant 'enter,' I pushed the door open and stepped in with a small smile on my face.

"Bellissima," Dante greeted, a huge grin stretched across his face as he muted the TV, "I was waiting for you to come up."

I frowned, "how did you know I was here?"

"My brother messaged asking if he should let you up earlier."

I walked over to his bed and sat in the seat next to his bed, "how are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," he shrugged, "nothing I haven't dealt with before. Grazie, for putting me in the car that day."

I smiled at him, "no worries, I'm just glad to see you're alright. Will no one ask questions about you being shot though?"

Dante waved me off, "Cristiano owns the whole hospital and with the amount he pays them, he owns the staff too. No one asks questions here."

Nervous, I rubbed my hands against my thighs, "that's handy."

Dante's warm brown eyes flickered to my hands, "what's wrong, bellissima?"

"Um, actually, I was wondering if we could talk about the whole date thing that I agreed to."

Softly, Dante smiled, "si, I presumed you would want to discuss it."

"I agreed to it and we made a deal, so I won't back out," I told him, "but you should know that it is always going to be platonic, we can never be more than friends, Dante. I love Eli, I always have."

The smile on his face faltered a little, "si, capisco," at my confused look, he clarified, "I understand, Bellissima."

Releasing a breath I didn't even know I was holding I looked back at him, feeling a lot more relieved, "thank you, Dante."

He nodded before giving me a solemn look, "he doesn't deserve you, Bellissima," he practically whispered, "you're too good for him."

I shook my head, "no one is too good for anyone, Dante."

"How can you not see that you're in this whole mess because of him?"

Reaching onto the bed, I clasped Dante's hand in mine, "that might be true, but I don't care because I love him. It's cheesy as fuck, but I don't know," I shrugged, "We just work together. I think I should go."

Dante nodded slowly, "before you do, I don't feel right going on these dates with you."

"But that's what we owe you."

He smiled at me, "you don't owe debts to friends, Reillyn."

Standing up, I leant across the bed to kiss his cheek, "one day, you'll find someone who you work with Dante. And when that day comes, you'll understand how easy it is to look past all the bad in someone's history because all that matters is the present and future."

"She was never mine, but losing her broke my heart."

Thank you for reading, lovely people!

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