~ Massimo ~
"Bloody hell," I croaked, trying to shift on the bed.
My body protested immediately. Every muscle felt like it had been shredded and stitched back together with rusted wire.
My ribs were a hot map of agony, throbbing in sync with the heavy, dull pulse behind my eyes, my body punishing me for pushing it to its limit last night.
But the physical pain was nothing compared to the brutal memory of Niamh's voice at four in the morning.
I only stayed awake so I'd know what kind of news I had to break to my son. It wasn't for you.
The words looped in my mind, mocking me. I stared at the ceiling, my hands fisting in the expensive sheets.
I had nearly died for that woman's peace of mind. I had walked back into a city that wanted my head on a pike just to bring back the man who held the keys to her freedom.
And she had looked me in the eye and told me that bloody bullshit?
