Two weeks later
I was in the hospital for a week and a half after I got shot at The Moretti mansion.
Evan spent a lot of time at my bedside when he wasn't onset for his movie.
I told him when I woke up after passing out from the bullet wound that he had to go to work.
He was reluctant to go in and he wanted to call his manager and tell her that he couldn't do the movie because I was in hospital.
*Flashback*
I looked to my left to see Evan asleep on the chair. "Evan,"
He opened his eyes and looked at me. "You're awake?"
"Yeah," I hold my hand out to him and he takes it. "You should go home and get some sleep. You're working in the morning."
He shook his head. "I can't work knowing that you're in here."
I move my hand from his. "If you don't go to work tomorrow I will leave you."
"You can't." He sits on the bed next to me. "I can't lose you. I thought I did tonight and I don't think I'll be able to survive if I do lose you."
"Go to work and put on the best performance you can. You'll be glad to have something to distract you." I kiss his cheek. "I love you. That's why I need you to go work. If you miss this opportunity you're going to refret it for the rest of your life. This project will make or break your career."
"Okay, I get. This is important to you isn't it?"
"Yes, don't forget I'll be by for a photo shoot when I get out of hospital."
*End Flashback*
After I was shot my family changed the day for dinner with Charlie's boyfriend.
She didn't want to have a family dinner without me there.
Mom and Dad weren't happy when we told them that someone ambushed The Moretti house and I was shot.
Charlie doesn't want our parents to know that she's marrying into the Mafia, but my brothers do.
When they found out I was shot they confronted Jasper and Knox and things weren't pretty.
They put The Moretti Brother's in hospital and they told them that they could have done more to protect me.
Knox told us that he was going to add more security to the place and have more than five men make their rounds around the property.
He apologised to me profusely about what happened and I told him that it wasn't his fault.
He insisted it was and that he wants to do more to protect my family.
We still don't know who found their way onto the property.
From the meeting Evan and Knox have had over the last two weeks they know who did it, but they don't want to tell me.
Lauren seems to be keeping quiet about it too.
It's like she knows something, but she can't tell me.
She doesn't want to lose the trust of her husband and I don't blame her. She seems the type that would rather protect her friends from stuff that would hurt them.
What no one knows is that it's hurting me being kept in the dark.
Last night before Evan left the house I put a tracker and listening device into his work and personal phones.
That way I'm never in the dark when it comes to Evan.
You might think that I'm paranoid, but you'd understand if you were in my situation with all the secrets surrounding my brothers and Evan.
I turn the tracker on and I see that he's at The Moretti Manshion again.
"What are you doing there, Evan? You promised me that you would come home after work."
Turning on the listening device I hear Evan say. "Did you catch her?"
"No, she escaped us. She's a tricky one."
I hear something bang on the table. "I can't believe that she's slipping into the country and out it this easily. Bethany's going to kill Ariana and there's nothing that I can do about it."
Bethany's behind this? I got shot because of her. Did she shoot me?
Charlie walks into the room with Jasper and I feel the colour drain from my face. She shuts the device off. "You aren't supposed to know about that, Ariana. Everyone's been trying to protect you."
Looking at her I say. "I can look out for myself." I stand up. "Apparently, she's left the States again after firing at me."
How did she know that I was at The Moretti's? Is she suicidal to do something as stupid as shooting at me on the property of the Mafia? Or maybe she doesn't know that they're apart of the Mafia.
I'm looking forward to seeing her face when she learns that little bit of information, but at the moment she's been slippery with everyone.
She's bound to stuff up eventually and everyone is going to nail her to wall.
I have a whole heap of people that love me and I know they will all be sad if I died.
Tears begin to form in my eyes as I realise that everyone wants me to live and they're only doing this so I could.
Charlie walks over to me and she hugs me. "You were better off in the dark, Ari. Can you promise me one thing?"
Moving over so she can join me on the bed I say. "Sure,"
"Promise me that you won't let this ruin your life? Do everything you normally do."
"I'll try, Charlie." I touch her stomach. "I want be there when bean is born."
She laughs. "You're already giving my child a nickname."
A smile spreads across my face. "Of course I am. Charlie you also need to promise me something."
"Okay,"
"That you won't give up on life if I die. Do what you love and raise my niece or nephew right."
"I will." She helps me off the bed. "We should get ready for dinner at Mom's."
I look at Jasper and say. "Are you ready to meet the rest of the family?"
He looks at Charlie. "Not really." He tells me truthfully. "You're brothers are going to be hard to win over since things went down at the mansion."
I wave him off. "They beat the shit out of Knox and you. In their world that means that you're even. I'm sure they will have something to say about you knocking our little sister up."
Charlie laughs. "Mom and Dad thought that you were going to be the one to give them a Grandchild first."
I know they were.
I walk to my closet and look through for something to wear to dinner. I find a black dress that will cover the bandage.
Jasper excuses himself from the bedroom.
Charlie takes the sling off my arm and she helps me change into the dress.
Evan's going to run late for the dinner at my parents place.
It's not like him to do that.
I supposed since Bethany has become a lose cannon his time will be spent trying to track her down, while I try to make it through each day pretending to be clueless.
***