Next in Line (Monarch of the Kohler Mafia) Book 5 of the Köhler Series

𝕆𝕟𝕖 ℍ𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕣𝕖𝕕 𝔼𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕖𝕖𝕟

"Still no change?" Riley asked as Adele walked into the room the next morning. She cause Dele to stopped dead in her footsteps, looking over to the couch where she and the babies were.

"Riley, what the hell are you doing here? I thought we agreed on letting Elijah stay with him last night?"

"No, you and my Mama agreed on letting Eli stay with him last night. If you forgot, Elijah was hurt too and needed to be home letting his wife care for him, not here babysitting his big brother. I'm his wife, and I can do it just as well. I don't need you or my mother to baby me. What I need is for you and all these fucking doctors to get my husband back to me. I will not lose him, Ma Dele. If I, do it will be hell to pay."

"I understand, Ri...."

"Donna. Right now, I'm talking to you as your Donna, and I wanted all of you to respect me like that. It seems like none of you are taking me seriously," She said, making Adele nod.

"I understand, Donna. To answer your question, Xerxes's oxygen levels are going up, which is a good sign. It means that his lungs are working on their own. His heart rate is still strong, no change in that, and all his other vitals are looking good. Mary is going to give him another day on the ventilator, but he still has to wake... Now I'm talking to you as your mother-in-law. I may have never gone through this before, but I know who has. You need someone to talk to, and this is the time you need to go and to your father-in-law."

"I will," Riley said as Adele hugged Ri and kissing her and her grandbabies before leaving. Later that day, Riley made her way back home and straight to Luca's office, where he and her dad was sitting and talking.

"Look like your duties call. We will talk later," Rodney said, about to leave until Riley caught his arm, shaking her head no.

"I want you to be here, Dad. If that's okay?"

"Sure, princess," He said as he sat back down, waiting for her to take a seat as well.

"How did you do this when Ma Dele was lying in the hospital like that?" Riley asked Luca, making him look to Rodney then back at her.

"At first, I fell apart. It's normal. I thought that my whole world was falling apart that I was about to lose the one thing the kept me sane. Riley, this is different. Xerxes is fighting. He is doing better than he was yesterday. Liebe was in a coma for months before she woke. I don't think that will be the case with X. Listen. I'm not trying to tell you not to worry about him. Shit, I'm worried. I will tell you to focus on what needs to be done. Your revenge. Show them they fucked with the wrong Don and Donna. Bruno and Hanna think they killed your Don. They may have hurt him, but I promise you my son will not die by their hands or anybody else. Still, I want you to show them the wrath of that hurt. Xerxes will wake soon but until then, do your job as Donna." Luca said.

"Yessir... One thing, though. I want to be the target... before either of you has a fit, hear me out. Bruno wants my babies but doesn't know what they look like. I was thinking we should get two of them rebirth doll sit them beside me. They will come for me after thinking they killed all of you first."

"What if they come for you first?" Rodney said, making her stared at him.

"They won't. One because they don't want to be seen, and two, they will think that one will attack them first..."

"She's right, Rod. I bet they will come in working their way from the back of the church to the front. Silencers. So, we have to make sure all the dummies are filled with fake blood." Luca said.

"Right, their whole strategy is to take all of you out first, then come for me. Make me watch as they take my babies before killing me. I'm not dumb as they think I may be. Shit, I'm not dumb at all neither of them thought I was raised the same as a Don, I bet you. They probably think you and Ma raised me to follow in Xerxes's footsteps because Hanna knew I meant to marry Adriel. That is our advantage, and I'm going to take it. We go with Adriel's plan all you will take out their men once they started to fire. The only difference is only me and Father Thomas will be in the church."