Elle heard the annoying noise and wondered what it was along with the sterile, old smell in her nose. She lazily opened her eyes, but only one managed to actually open. She could see a fluorescent, white room and her father in the corner, sleeping in his wheelchair. Elle realized she was in the hospital.
What happened? Elle couldn’t remember. The last thing she did remember doing was splashing some water on her face.
She felt the soreness of her belly and the throbbing in her head, along with her clearly-swollen eye. She closed her eyes to try to remember what possibly could have happened. Sink…? I was rammed into the sink.
Elle looked back at her father. “Dad?” Her voice was hoarse.
She watched him quickly wake up and roll to her bed.
“Elle, you’re awake. How do you feel?”
“Sore. How long have I been asleep?” Elle didn’t even want to ask what had happened. She at least knew someone at school had tried to hurt her. Tried? They did.
“A day.” He took his hand in hers. “Why didn’t you tell us, Elle?”
Elle tried to smile. “Tell you what?”
Her father squeezed her hand. “Elle, I know. You don’t have to pretend. The doctor showed me the scans and x-rays. Luckily, I’m in a wheelchair; otherwise, I think they would have thought I was hitting you all these years. Don’t worry; your mom just thinks you pissed someone off.”
Elle looked away from her father. “It started right after your accident. I didn’t want to add more to your plate. Then, I’d kept it to myself for so long I didn’t know how to tell you.”
He squeezed her hand tighter. “I’m sorry I didn’t notice. I should have cared enough to see it.”
Elle looked back at him. “It’s not your fault. I was a good liar, and I should have told you the truth.”
“No, Elle, it’s on me.”
Elle smiled at her father. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, Elle-bell.” He cleared his throat. “You have someone out there who has been waiting to see you.”
“Chloe. Is she all right?” Elle hoped Chloe had made it out okay.
“She’s fine. She’s at school right now. Nero’s here. He hasn’t left since you got here.”
Elle’s eyes drifted down to the bed. “Oh. Tell him I’m fine, and he can go home.”
“You don’t want to see him?” he asked curiously.
Elle shook her head.
“He’s been out there a long time, Elle.”
“I didn’t think you liked him very much.” She watched her father think a moment before he spoke.
“I didn’t, and I still don’t, but when the hospital asked me if you had insurance, and I told them no, they asked me to fill out some paperwork to figure out a payment method. After I filled it out and took it up to the desk, they told me never mind, that it was already taken care of. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is, I don’t know what kind of care they would be giving you right now if it wasn’t for him, and now I know he wants you taken care of.” Her father cleared his throat again. “Now, do you still not want to see him?”
Elle shook her head again, afraid if she talked she would end up crying.
“Okay, I’ll go tell the nurses you woke up.” He gave her hand another squeeze before he rolled off.
Elle slammed her eye shut when her father left the room. Her switch was now broken and she could feel again. It still hurts.
Elle didn’t want him to see her like this, broken. I don’t want him to be with me just because I’m broken.
Elle thought about the paper Nero had written, still not knowing how to feel about it. He still lied to me. His father’s a killer. They’re all killers. And Nero’s in the fucking mafia.
Elle took a deep breath. No, stay away from him.
The doctor came in to examine her, telling her she had a scalp laceration and another concussion, meaning she had gotten a few more stitches to add to her collection. She had taken a kick to the eye, but it would heal; she just got a pretty, black eye to match her stitches. Lastly, she had some stomach bruising, but again, the doctor said it would all heal. She was extremely lucky not to have broken anything or have a serious injury. They told her they would keep her in the ICU for the night to monitor her since she had been unconscious for a little over twenty-four hours, and then she would be moved to a regular room until she was discharged.
Thank God.
Chapter Forty-Five
The Boogieman
Elle was sleeping when she felt the bed sink in beside her. She slowly opened her one good eye and saw the silhouette of a man she had never met before. When her eye adjusted to the now-dim hospital lights, she focused on his face. Him!
Elle opened her mouth to scream, but his hand covered it.
“Shh, I’m not going to hurt you.” His voice was deep and non-emotional.
Elle took a breath and even though her hair stood up, terrified at looking at his blue-green eyes, she nodded.
He slowly uncovered her mouth. “I’m Nero’s brother, Lucca. It’s good to meet you, finally.”
Elle swallowed the lump in her throat. “How did you get in here?” It was the middle of the night, and only authorized friends and family could even come back to see her during visiting hours.
“Really? That hurts my feelings.”
What feelings? Elle knew it was a dumb question; the guy clearly went wherever he pleased. She doubted it was even a challenge for him.
She sat up in bed, not liking the feeling of him looking so far down at her. “What do you want?”
Lucca shrugged. “To talk.”
Elle felt like he was sitting too close to her body on the small bed. It was hard to be almost at eye-level with him; however, she didn’t want to show him how scared she actually was of him. Besides, there was something she had needed to talk to him about, as well.
“You don’t strike me as the talking type.”
It was somehow possible for his eyes to turn even more deadly. “I am when it concerns my brother. Did you know he’s been sitting out there the entire time?”
Elle blinked her eyes a couple of times. “He’s still out there? I told my father to tell him I was fine and to go.”
Lucca put his arm on the other side of her hip and leaned toward her, making Elle lean back from his cold face. “So, you knew he’s been sitting out there, waiting for your fucking permission?”
Elle was scared shitless; she had to admit it, being inches from his face. She swallowed again and nodded her head.
“Did you know he spent a whole damn month tracking down every person who laid a finger on you? The day before your birthday, he was finally able to take a baseball bat to Sebastian, and then I bet he finally allowed himself to fuck you. He wanted to deserve you. Did you ever think about how you got here? He found you fucking lying on the bathroom floor, and by looking at you right now, I don’t even want to know the last image of you he had in his head.” Lucca leaned in an inch closer. “So, I think the least you could fucking do is let him see you.”
I didn’t know. Elle shook her head no. “For three and a half years, I was hit around. He didn’t save me. For three and a half years, seeing me every day, he didn’t want me. The only reason he talked to me was because your father murdered someone, and he sicced him on me. I had been going crazy, wondering when someone would come and kill me, and Nero was right there the entire time, deciding whether I lived or died. So, fucking excuse me if I don’t want to see him.” Elle held onto his eyes, no matter how hard it was.
Lucca’s mouth turned into a smile. “I knew I liked you.” Lucca backed away from her but didn’t remove his hand. “You weren’t going to ever die in the first place. I wasn’t going to let my father touch you, and deep down, he wasn’t ever going to touch you anyway.”
You? “What?”
“The moment I saw you, I knew he would fall in love with you. Do you know why?”
Elle slowly shook her head.
“You remind him of our
mother. You remind us all of her. You have her blonde hair, except yours has some pink in it. You have the big, curious eyes. You’re smart, and most of all, you’re strong. Our mother could handle the fact that she was married to the mafia, not to mention the head of the family. It takes a lot of fucking guts to deal with a made man, and you can handle it, no matter how high up the ladder Nero goes.”
“It doesn’t mat—”
Lucca shut her up with one look. “Nero took her death the hardest. He blamed himself—still blames himself. It was as if he fucking shot her himself. Then you come along and it happens all over again. He blames himself for every person who ever hurt you. He blames himself right now that you’re here in the hospital. And ever since you walked out on him, he acts like he fucking killed you. Do you want Nero to take on something like that all over again? If you don’t get over the fact that Nero didn’t know how to tell you the guy you witnessed being killed was murdered by his fucking family, then you leave him just like Mom did.”
Elle turned away from Lucca, not able to look at him anymore. What he had told her made her feel incredibly small.
Lucca grabbed her chin to make her look at him again. “Nero better see you by tomorrow night. Don’t make me fucking come to you in the middle of the night again. Do you understand?”
Elle gently nodded. “Yes.”
Lucca dropped his hand from her chin. “Good.”
Elle knew he was about to leave, so she quickly spoke the words before the sane part of her thought against it. “Chloe told me she talked to you.”
She swore she saw a hint of emotion when she’d said her name. Not even when he’d spoken of Nero or his mother had he shown an ounce of emotion, regardless that he had come here for Nero.
“So?”
She could hear the slight change in his voice, as well. I don’t think so.
“So, stay away from her.” Elle could fight anyone off for Chloe, even the boogieman in her fucking bed right now.
Lucca leaned back toward Elle, again right in her face. “Do you know who you’re talking to right now, darlin’? I have killed men and women after torturing them for hours. I am the underboss of the Caruso family, and one day, I will own this city.”
Elle kept her hold, no matter how bad her skin crawled. “I-I don’t care who you are. Leave her alone.” The last thing she needs is a man like him.
Lucca smiled. “I know you’ve protected her, and that you couldn’t leave her to fend for herself at school. Tell me what really happened to her that made you risk your life every day just so no one would touch her.”
I will never tell. This time, Elle moved her face closer to his. “If you hurt her, I will kill you.”
Lucca quickly grabbed her face and rubbed her jaw. “You’re lucky I owe you.” He dropped his hand just as quickly and stood. “Remember, darlin’, you have till tomorrow night.”
Elle watched him disappear into the shadows before her eyes—well, eye. His ice-cold voice ran through her head, ‘I owe you.’ Elle’s body shivered; as a result, she lay back down and pulled the cover up to her head. For what?
* * *
The next day, Elle had a full day. They had moved her out of ICU to a room on the fourth floor where it was much quieter, and the room was a thousand times bigger. They’d said she was looking good. She was eating well, walking well, talking well, and going to the bathroom on her own. She was still sore, but that was to be expected. The doctors told her they wanted her to stay one more night, and then she would be free to go.
Now that she was out of ICU, everyone could finally visit her freely. She had immediately told her father to tell Nero she still didn’t want to see him, and to her surprise, he’d respected her wishes.
Everyone had come to visit her; Chloe, Amo, Vincent, Leo, and even Maria along with her own family. She officially had a stockpile of flowers and cards, and in return, Elle had apologized to the ones she hadn’t talked to in months for disowning them because of Nero. Even though they helped conceal the truth.
When it had started to get dark, she told her family to go on home and she just wanted some rest like the night before. Elle couldn’t rest, though; she simply sat in bed, staring at the blank TV screen.
Elle heard a quick knock on the door and the nurse came in.
“Just making my rounds for the night before I head out. How are you doing?” She walked over to check the readings on the machines.
Elle gave her a half-smile. “I’m fine, thank you.”
“All right, honey. Is there anything I can get you?”
Elle looked out her window, seeing the just-now-darkened sky. She took a deep breath. “Is he still out there?”
The nurse smiled at her. “You mean the one who’s been out there all day, real handsome?” She patted her hand. “He is.”
Elle swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. “Can you tell him…?” She trailed off.
The nurse gave a squeeze to her hand. “I’ll get him for you.”
Elle continued to stare out the window as the minutes passed. She could barely hear the door open and the footsteps coming to her bed.
“Elle, will you look at me?”
She couldn’t remember the last time she had heard his voice, the last time he had spoken her name. His voice still sang to her and stilled her soul, even after all that time.
Elle slowly turned her head so he could look at her. She heard his soft gasp then his small, contained growl. Then she did something she had trained herself not to do. For the first time in months, Elle gradually lifted her eyes to look at him. Even though she could only see well out of one eye, she noticed Nero’s changes.
His hair was long, his face scruffy, and dark circles under his eyes conveyed there was no telling the last time he had slept. She had never seen Nero any less than immaculate, yet right now, he looked as if he was wearing the same clothes he had worn when she had gotten here.
Elle suddenly didn’t feel good after seeing what Nero looked like. I did that to him. She now understood why Lucca had come to see her.
She watched Nero sit on the edge of her bed and she scooted over, afraid to touch him.
Nero sighed. “Elle, I’m—”
Elle quickly stopped him, speaking over top of him. “Why don’t you go home and get some rest? I’m being discharged in the morning. We can talk after we’ve both been home and had the chance to clean up.”
Nero shook his head. “I’m not leaving you.”
“Mr. Evans let me read your essay,” Elle whispered abruptly.
Nero didn’t respond.
“Please, go home and get some rest, then I promise we’ll talk.” Elle looked into his pain-filled eyes. “For me, Nero.”
Nero pushed back his long hair only for it to go back where it had been. “Okay.” Nero stood back up and looked at her damage. “Do you know who did it?” His voice had gone deadly.
Lie. “No, I don’t remember anything.”
Nero flexed his jaw. “All right. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Bye,” she quietly said as he walked out of the room.
Elle laid her head back on the bed, thankful she didn’t have to look at Nero any longer. She hated herself right now for how he looked. It was too painful for her to see the toll she had put on him. Elle knew she didn’t look so hot right now, but that was different. She could always deal with seeing herself hurt, but seeing someone else hurt and knowing she’d caused it was too much for her. Especially someone she…
Elle shook her head, realizing she had lied to him, even after she had gotten mad at Nero for all his lies. The truth was, she had remembered what happened, but Elle didn’t want Nero to know, too afraid he’d kill her.
It was Cassandra.
Chapter Forty-Six
Roll Out the Golden Carpet
“Just sign here, and then you’re free to go.”
Elle signed the paper on the dotted line. Where are my parents?
She looked at her nurse, holding a bag. “M-my ride’
s not here yet.”
“Yes it is, honey. He’s waiting out front. Now, let’s get you dressed.”
Elle figured her mother hadn’t wanted to leave Dad alone long in the car, so she slowly got up and the nurse helped her change into a pair of her sweats and a t-shirt from home. Elle sat down in the waiting wheelchair. Ugh, I can finally go home. Needless to say, Elle was sick of hospital food, the constant monitoring, and the horribly-uncomfortable beds.
The nurse walked her down the hallway, into the elevator, and to the sliding doors. When the doors opened, Elle was greeted with a black Cadillac and dark-tinted windows. A brand-new Nero was there, leaning up against his car. Nero?
Nero opened the passenger’s door.
Elle wanted to say something to the nurse. She looked around. Crap, but then who would take me home? The nurse parked the wheelchair; however, Elle didn’t go to stand, still in awe of how in the world she was in the situation.
When the nurse didn’t go to move her because Nero was there, Elle had no choice other than to stand. She shakily stood up and felt Nero’s arms go around her waist. She looked up at him, wanting to protest, but that only made her body melt more into his. She saw the flash of need fill his eyes at the instant touch. Elle’s body remembered the night she and Nero shared, which felt like years ago. She wished she had never experienced the true pleasure because, if you never experienced it, then you never knew what you were missing.
Nero sat her down in the car, and she felt him linger on letting her go. He even buckled her seat belt, and all Elle could do was stare inches away from his refreshed face.
Nero had gotten his hair cut back to the shorter length she loved on him. He had even shaven his face, revealing his perfectly-tan skin and square jaw. His eyes were still slightly dark under them, but she figured one night of sleep wasn’t going to remedy them immediately. The scent of clean, fresh, hot male enveloped her, and it smelled just like she remembered. His clothes were also perfectly new and crisp.
When Nero finally shut her door and went around the car, she slammed her eyes shut. Dammit, dammit, dammit! She tried to think about anything except his face and scent as she held her legs tightly closed.
Nero (Made Men #1) Page 27