Hearing a knock at the door, I wiped my eyes and nose quickly before taking a deep breath.
“Enter,” I called out, and in walked Adriana.
“Mr. Callahan said you would like some herbal green mint tea for the pain,” she said, holding the mug tightly as she walked over to me.
She looked me over and I knew my eyes had given me away, but I just nodded and took the tea.
“Liam said to give me herbal green mint tea?” I asked, staring at the cup.
“No.” She said. “He said, ‘my wife’s in pain. Find some natural shit to make her feel better before I get back.’”
“Dartmouth’s finest,” I whispered, rolling my eyes as I sipped, only to spit the liquid out. “This tastes like shit and mud.”
Adriana grabbed a few napkins, cleaning me off.
“I’m fine. But I’m not drinking this.” Handing her the cup, I lay back down.
“Is there anything I can get for you, ma’am? I’ve been trying to get information from the nurses and doctors, but they’re a little too afraid to talk.” She frowned, eyeing the chart at the end of my bed.
Since when did everyone become a doctor?
“I was shot twice in my shoulder, but it missed the bone, so I’ll need a sling but no cast. I have to stay off my leg for a few weeks, plus physical therapy.” Thanks, Mom.
“Would you like me to make any calls? I can get the best th—”
“No outsiders. If I need help, I’ll come to you.”
She stared at me oddly. “Ma’am, I don’t have any training in…”
I just stared at her. Today was not the day.
“I’ll see what I can do,” she whispered.
“You do that,” I replied, grabbing the tea again. If it was going to help with the pain, I would bear it. “But before you go, I need information.”
“On what, ma’am?”
“Profile Aviela DeRosa.”
She froze and stared at me.
“Ma’am, I don’t know en—”
“Adriana, I will not ask you again. Profile Aviela DeRosa,” I ordered.
She sighed. “From what I can tell, Aviela DeRosa is an extremely narcissistic sociopath. She cares for no one but herself, and has never felt anything for anyone, ever. She appears to be charming, yet she’s covertly hostile and domineering, and sees her victims as instruments to be used. She likes to dominate and humiliate her victims. She will never stay in one place for too long. She will most likely spend the rest of her life hopping from one place to another. I would be shocked if she even had a home. I’d also blame it on her childhood, but there have been cases where some people are just born without feelings.”
“Then why did she have me?” I sneered. She could have had an abortion and been done with it.
“There could be many reasons. She could have just wanted another person to praise her. Another person to control. She could have—”
“Goodbye Adriana,” I cut her off, drinking the rest of the tea.
She nodded before walking out of the room. I just stared at the door. Her words replayed over and over in my mind.
Aviela was a sick, twisted bitch, and I wanted to cut her head off and let it burn. I wanted to hunt her down like a motherfucking dog. But I couldn’t do that.
Rubbing my stomach, I remembered how it felt to have steel inside of me—inside of us. It was cold and warm at the same time. Saige, in a mere second, had stolen someone from me. From us. Liam never blamed me, but it was my fault. I had put my pride above my family. In that moment, I had become somewhat like my mother, and I could never do that again. I was alive—my child and I were alive—because Aviela didn’t know. If she had, I would have another bullet wound. Part of me hoped Liam found her and another part of me hoped she hid like a snake in a hole until I knew our child was safe.
For the sake of Liam, for the sake of our child and our family, I would back down from her. I hated it. It wasn’t in my nature, but I had to. I had to step down until it was safe…safer.
Hopefully the drugs would be a healthy distraction. We had heroin sitting in the south that we need to move. Not to mention the weed Liam had bought right before the accident. I still didn’t know anything about that. I never had a chance to look at the information.
Reaching for the call button, I waited for someone to come. Sadly, it was the bitchy blonde who had eyed Liam when she thought I was sleeping.
“How can I make you feel better today, Mrs. Callahan?” she asked with a fake megawatt smile.
“Tell Declan Callahan I would like to see him.” She knew who that was. Everyone knew who the Callahan brothers were.
Her eyes narrowed at me. “Mrs. Callahan, this is a hospital. The nurses aren’t here to run personal favors for you.”