Page 72 of Entangled

Gian looked over at the monitor, recognizing how Cara’s body tensed with that specific pain. He watched the little paper coming out of the machine spike but quickly drop. It had been nearly forty-five minutes since the last time it did that, and this time, the duration had been significantly shorter.

According to the nurses, that was a good sign to see.

“What in the hell was that?” Cara asked when the spike dropped and tapered off completely.

“A contraction,” Gian said gently. “You were having them pretty steadily for a while, and they gave you some meds to slow it down, if possible. It worked, anyway. Soon, the contractions will taper off to nothing at all, and it’ll be fine. That’s what these are monitoring.”

He moved the sheets covering Cara aside, so then she was able to see the bands and circular monitors wrapped around her middle.

“A what?”

“A contraction,” he repeated, “though they’re pretty short and not spiking high when they do hit now.”

“I shouldn’t be having those yet, Gian. It’s too soon.”

He shushed her again, kissing her softly on the mouth to quiet her fears. “The accident set them off, but he’s fine. They’re stopping. They checked and there was no dilation. He’s got a bit more time to be safe in you, no worries there.”

How Gian managed to stay calm, and speak carefully as to not panic Cara more than she already was, he didn’t know. Inside, he felt like a raging fucking hurricane. A very small part of him knew that right then, Cara needed his calm, controlled demeanor.

He could do that.

For a little while.

Cara blinked, her panic subsiding slowly. “Where is Gilles?”

Gian sighed, his gaze darting away. “He didn’t survive the impact.”

“What about the other car—the driver? Are they okay?”

His rage flooded back into his veins, hot and heavy, demanding attention and wanting soothed in some violent way.

Gian would get to it.

Eventually.

“Hit and run,” he said as calmly as he could manage.

In other words: entirely fucking intentional.

Gian wouldn’t tell Cara that, though. At least, not while she was recovering in a hospital bed. These were the kinds of conversations that shouldn’t be had in a hospital, simply because the walls had ears that were always listening.

And the cops would be back soon enough …

Gian, on the other hand, would be looking for the fucker behind the wheel that killed his enforcer, and damn near took the love of his life and his unborn child away from him. Soon. He already had a suspicion of who might be involved, though he had no particular reason to suspect her, except he wouldn’t put it past his wife.

That, and he didn’t trust Elena as far as he could throw her. He certainly didn’t have a reason why Elena would have set something like this up, but sometimes, she didn’t need a reason. She just needed to be able to do something and she would. Especially if it meant hurting someone who had hurt her.

“All those things,” Cara said quietly.

“What things?”

“The baby things. The gifts from the shower. They were beautiful and tiny. They’re all ruined now.”

“You don’t have to worry about those things, Cara. They can be replaced. They’re just things, they’re not you or the baby. Some of it is probably okay, whatever was in the back under the truck bed cover. But it doesn’t matter right now, don’t focus on it or worry.”

“I know, I just …”

“Your mind’s way of processing,” he supplied.