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I slap his hand away.
He reaches again.
I slap it away, now starting to panic.
I think he notices my response because he lifts his hands. “I only want to see the tattoo.”
“He said it’s a serpent.”
Corrado nods. “I want to see it. For myself.”
I start to peel off the gauze just as someone knocks on the door.
Nedda’s voice drifts inside. “Severio is awake and calling for you.”
“Coming,” Corrado answers, but he doesn’t move toward the door. He enters the bathroom, and I hear a gush of water hitting the bath. A moment later, he’s in front of me and offering me a hand. I take it, and he helps me stand up, then walks me to the tub and sits me on the edge. The man drew me a bath. With bubbles.
“Thanks,” I whisper, surprised he’s done this, but then I remember he’s married to a woman with a kind smile, so he does have a softer side.
Corrado’s fingers close over my throat. “You seem like a sweet girl, but if I find out you’re playing my brother, I’ll meet you in hell, where I’ll torture you until Lucifer is bored.” He releases me and jerks his head toward the bath. “Clean up and take a nap if you need to. I’m on duty now.”
I must have a death wish because I stop Corrado at the exit.
“Hey,” I say, making him turn. “I’m not going to hell.”
11
LIKE A KITTEN
SEVERIO
The nurses try to make me more comfortable on the couch that serves as my recovery bed. They’re fussing over pillow placement while Dr. Tru calls someone to schedule the care staff for me. But he hangs up and shakes his head. “I’ll find you a nurse from Sicily,” he says. “But if I do that, can she or he stay with you in the spare bedroom?”
Before I answer, one of the nurses, Nedda, I think her name is, volunteers.
“I can come by after my shift,” she says.
Dr. Tru glances at me before approving her request.
I shrug. Normally, I’d request someone from the Order, but seeing as how I’m dealing with a possible traitor in the ranks, I nod, allowing a bird access to me.
“How long will I need care?” I ask.
“Two, possibly four weeks,” he says.
“You have five days.”
“You will need physical therapy,” he says.
“Find me a therapist who’ll show me what to do on a video call.”
“You’ll still need someone to help you.”
Corrado chooses that moment to come out of the bedroom. I glare, letting him know I’m displeased that he was in there in the first place.
He ignores the glare and tells Dr. Tru, “I’ll be here.”
“You have no idea what we’re talking about,” I tell him.
