Omerta ||ʙᴏᴏᴋ 1||

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜɪʀᴛᴇᴇɴ

When I woke, the bright light overhead was blinding. A heart monitor beeped beside me, steady and sharp. My stomach throbbed with a deep, aching pain—like I'd done a thousand crunches with knives for weights. I shifted, trying to sit up, but a groan escaped my lips before I could stop it.

Cole stirred in the chair beside my bed, his eyes snapping open. He rushed to my side.

"You're awake," he whispered, voice cracking with relief.

"Where... am I?" I asked, gripping my side.

"Doctor's house. After you were stabbed, I couldn't risk a hospital. I thought I was gonna lose you, Skylar." His hand found mine, gentle and trembling.

"I'm not going down that easy, Moretti," I managed a weak smirk. "I'll fight to the end."

No sign of my father. No Hunter. No Cheryl. I wasn't surprised—but it still stung. At least I didn't have to explain why I was at Cole's house in the first place.

The doctor checked in a few times. Cole had to leave to handle business, and I spent the day alone. I'd only been unconscious for two days. Apparently, that was lucky—considering how much blood I lost.

But my dad hadn't come. Not until midnight.

I heard the soft creak of the door and turned my head just as he stepped in. His face was pale, drawn, his eyes sunken with guilt. He moved quickly to my side, dropping to his knees and wrapping his arms around me.

"Princess. I'm so sorry. This is my fault. I should've protected you. I'll kill every last Cobra for what they did," he said fiercely, voice trembling.

I yelped as his hug hit my stitches and he let go instantly. "I'm okay, Dad," I said, biting through the pain. "Really."

"Tomorrow, if you feel up to it, we'll go out. Just you and me," he promised, tucking the blanket around me and pressing a kiss to my forehead. His voice was soft, almost... careful. "I've missed too much."

I smiled faintly. Maybe he was trying. Maybe he meant it this time.

The next morning, Max stood at the foot of my bed, holding a plate of pancakes with syrup dribbling off the sides and a proud grin on his face.

"I know Cheryl said not to bother you, but you love pancakes," he said.

I smiled, despite the dull ache in my side. "Thanks, Max. Love you."

After he left, the hours dragged. Eventually, the doctor cleared me. My dad picked me up and walked me to the car. At home, Jack sprinted toward me, leaping onto my bed.

"Sissy, I missed you!"

He curled up next to me and I kissed the top of his head. "Missed you too, kid."

Later that night, I made my way down the stairs, each step sending a sting through my ribs. My dad was in his office, glued to his laptop.

Are we still going out?" I asked finally, forcing the words through gritted teeth. "Because if I walked all the way down here just to hear you cancel, I swear I'll destroy your office."

He didn't even glance up. "We're going," he muttered. "Max is coming too. Hunter's watching Jack."

I blinked. "Cheryl isn't?"

"She's got... plans," he said, still typing. "Something came up at her work. She said it was important."

I didn't respond right away. Just stared at him.

"She has plans for once in her life ? I repeated coldly.

My dad finally looked up. "Sky—"

"Don't," I snapped. "Just—don't. She always has plans. That's her favorite thing to have. But never for us."