The moon reflects off the tears shining in her deep blue eyes and my throat tightens. “Are you okay?” I murmur.
They spill over, streaming down her cheeks as her shoulders quake. She sobs quietly for a few seconds until her lips finally part.
“No,” she whispers. “And I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever be okay again.”
Chapter Three
Aria
I press my face against the broad, muscular chest of the man who just saved my life.
And just like that, I become the damsel I vowed never to be again.
That girl was weak.
Powerless.
A victim.
I played that role for far too long.
I can’t be that girl ever again!
It’s time to pick up the jagged pieces of my life and put them back together.
To move forward.
To find him.
And to destroy him, just like he almost destroyed me.
But as determined as I am to transform myself back into the badass I once was, feeling this delicious-smelling man’s arms wrapped tight around me as I weep makes me feel safe, comfortable, and secure.
I can’t remember the last time I felt those things.
And with Mama gone, I didn’t think I’d ever experience them again.
Mama…
The sobs wrack my body, and I hate the sound of it. I hate how desperate and pathetic I am at this moment!
I need to find some sliver of strength and cling to it, otherwise I’ll suffer the same end as my mother.
She tried so hard to protect me from what she knew was coming, and it’s up to me to keep fighting.
Just like she begged me to do before—
The crack of bullets explodes between my temples, the memory making me shudder. I clutch the sides of his shirt, fisting them in my hands as the pain consumes me.
Mama is gone.
And I have nobody but myself to blame.
His strong hand gingerly strokes the back of my head and I melt further into him, breathing in his heady scent. “You smell really good,” I murmur absently, my eyes floating closed.
“Um, thanks,” he says in a husky voice. “How’s your head?”
“A mess,” I mumble. “Filled with cobwebs, blood, and pulsating lights. Evil faces. Toxic memories.”
He continues to stroke my hair. “You really need to see a doctor.”
“No,” I say with as much firmness as I can muster, but my words are laced with heaviness. “If I go to the hospital, then there will be a record of me being there. And they’ll find me. Please don’t let them find me,” I whisper.
He’s quiet for a minute, his heart thumping in time with my own. “I won’t let anyone hurt you,” he says. “You’ll be safe. I promise.”
“There’s no such thing as safety.” The pulsing pain from my head shoots down the back of my neck. “I can never be safe again, not after what I did.” I let out a deep sigh. “They’ll make sure of that.”
“Listen,” he whispers against my ear. “You’re hurt and you really need to get checked out. I know a guy—”
“You don’t understand,” I say, my voice rising in panic. I pull away and stare into the dark, brooding eyes of my clutch toy. “I can’t let them find me! I can’t trust anybody!”
“You can trust me,” he says, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
“No, I can’t. Trusting people is what put me in this position. Trusting people ruined my life. Trusting people killed my mother!” I cover my face with my hands.
“Sounds like you trusted the wrong people,” he whispers.
“I didn’t think first. I was so naïve. I figured I was doing the right thing for everyone, giving them the justice they deserved, the freedom they were stripped of,” I mutter, shaking my head. “But I ended up putting everything at risk.” I let out a shuddering sigh, wincing as I clutch my side. “Including the person I love…loved…most in the world.” I place my hands on the pavement and struggle to pull myself to my feet. I stagger slightly, holding my head to keep my world from spinning off its axis.
It’s dangerously close.
I reach out, my hands finding the side of a car.
His car?
It’s warm.
And the engine is running.
I can finally escape.
Thump, thump, thump.
I hear a voice in the distance. It’s muffled, like my entire head is immersed in water.
My heart gallops as I sway against the passenger side door, hanging onto the handle. Blood rushing between my ears, the sound reverberating between my temples. The crashing waves consume me, muting all other sounds.
Pop! Crack! Pop!
Bullets explode, piercing the silence. Screams ring out like clanging cymbals.
I clutch the sides of my head.
“No, no, no!”
A menacing voice filters through the haze as violent tremors shudder my body.
“You can’t run far enough, Aria. I will always find you. And when I do, mark my words. You will never escape again.”
Quivering breaths morph into short, sharp gasps for air. My arms fall to my sides like thick cement blocks as my face crashes against the smooth metal door.
My vision blurs, sharp rocks and gravel slicing at my skin as I crumble to the pavement.
The scent of burning rubber assaults my nostrils. I struggle for oxygen, but the thick scent makes my stomach roil. I feel a strong hand beneath my aching head, cushioning the blow.
But it’s too late.
The damage has already been done.
“I have to get away,” I murmur. “I have to—”
Before my lips can even form the word, blackness swallows me whole, a welcome reprieve from the torment polluting my soul.
Chapter Four
Vincenzo
“Fuck!” I yell, running toward my car.
My feet pound the pavement as the blonde collapses to the ground. I had called out to her, figuring she either didn’t hear me or was intent on ignoring me. Then her eyes rolled backward, her legs gave out, and her body buckled.
I get to her just in time to slide my hand underneath her head, cushioning her fall. She’s banged up enough as it is.
I release an unsteady breath, bending lower to scoop her into my arms as carefully as possible. I slide my arms under her, struggling to keep her still as I rise to my feet.
Her body is limp in my arms as I pull open the door and lay her in the backseat of my car.
She may not want to trust anyone, but I can’t just leave her here on the side of the road, bleeding and broken. A nagging thought in the back of my mind wonders if whoever did this to her will be back to finish the job.
Another reason to get the hell away from here as soon as possible.
Luckily, I do have someone I can trust.
Although the question remains…who is she running from? And have I just opened myself up to a total shit storm by getting her out of harm’s way?
I’d have told my brothers to run, not walk away, to stay the hell out of anyone else’s messes since we do a great job of making enough of them ourselves.
My own words pop through my mind like bullets off cinderblock walls.
You never think of the consequences! Nobody ever thinks of the consequences!
And yet here I am, swimming in a sea filled with them in the form of faceless killer sharks with some serious bloodlust.
I grab my phone from the console and stab some numbers onto the screen until I hear my Uncle Silvio’s deep voice, thick with sleep.
“Uncle Sil, I need your help.”
“Vincenzo?” he asks, and I can almost see him rubbing his eyes as if it’ll help him see the face of the person who’s calling.
“Yeah, it’s me,” I say, peering around in the darkness. Yep. Still eerie as fuck.
“What happened? You got shot again and you need your uncle to sew you back together?”
“No, not me,”
I say, narrowing my eyes at the angry wound on the girl’s head. “There’s been an accident. A moped crash. Girl is beaten up pretty bad. I don’t think she has time to wait for an ambulance. Looks like she’s lost a lot of blood. She just passed out.”
“Okay, I’ll prep my office. Bring her to me. I will be waiting.”
“Thanks, Uncle Sil,” I say, clicking to end the call. Uncle Sil has a private health care facility here in Trapani. He has a very exclusive list of clients, and guarantees the utmost discretion.
Translation: You go to Sil if you need to fly under the radar of the polizia. He has his own setup and has performed plenty of surgeries on my family members in the past. I’m a firm believer in body armor, but Kevlar can’t cover everything. There are lots of body parts it doesn’t protect. That’s when it’s Uncle Sil’s time to shine.
His facility is only about ten minutes from here.
I was really looking forward to a much-needed break, but it looks like my vacation will be a little delayed.
I sneak a look at the girl. Her chest rises and falls, her head rolling from side to side as I take the sharp curves down the mountain. My chest tightens when I remember the fact that only a few short minutes ago, our lives were hanging by a literal thread as we were suspended over the edge of said mountain.
My head gets woozy just thinking about it.
This fear of heights thing really isn’t a good look for me. I may need hypnosis or some shit like that to get over it since realistically, it might not be the last time in my life I’ll ever be dangling over the edge of a cliff.
Drop kicking an enemy thousands of feet into the sea is always a good way to dispose of a body, and Christ only knows, I’ve made enough enemies who’d like to do just that to me.
And depending on who this girl is trying to escape from, that list might increase by one.
I make sure to pull my car into the underground parking deck Sil has for drop-offs. If anyone tailed me, they won’t be able to get in since there’s a code I have to input to open the gate. I peer into the rearview mirror and on all sides before I open the window and press the numbers into the keypad. The gate opens a second later and closes as soon as I zoom past. I take the narrow road down into the basement of the building and stop right outside the door.
I push open my door, my gun tucked into the back of my pants. A creaking sound makes me jump, and I pull the gun out and crouch down next to the car, the barrel pointed right at my uncle.
He throws his hands into the air and lets out a chuckle. “I saw you on the monitor and figured I’d come down to meet you.”
I let out a loud groan. “Fuck, Uncle Sil! I could’ve taken off your head right then!”
“How many times have I heard that in the past week?” he says with an eye roll. “Everyone is always so jittery when they come down here. Don’t you know I have the best security systems money can buy? If something is happening on my grounds, I know about it!”
“Okay, great. Noted for next time.” I jog around the side of my car and open the back door, leaning in to check on the Doc’s next patient, a gorgeous and troubled girl whose life I just saved and whose name I never got.
Not that I asked.
Sometimes it’s just easier to do the deed and walk away.
Don’t ask, don’t tell.
It’s how I keep my own organization safe and intact.
A low moan slips from her lips and she grazes the gash on the side of her head. Her eyes flutter open and widen for a split second before the gasp follows. She clutches the seat and tries to sit up, but I hold her down.
“Slow,” I tell her. “Or you’ll pass out again.”
“My head is killing me,” she moans. “I passed out? Where are we now?”
“Between the blood loss and the shock, I think your body just gave up for a little while. But don’t worry, you’ll be safe here,” I say, hovering over her. “It’s a secure, private facility run by my uncle. Nobody will ask for any personal details, I promise. But I couldn’t let you bleed to death back there.” My lips curl upward. “Not after I channeled my inner Tarzan with that vine and saved your life.”
She doesn’t laugh.
She doesn’t smile.
She just looks at me.
“You risked your life to save mine,” she whispers. “Why?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. I guess in my business, I need all the good karma I can get.”
“Trust me, I’m the one who needs the karma.”
I gently lift her out of the backseat and she places her feet on the ground, swaying slightly. When her arm clutches mine and I pull her close, the crackle of electricity jolts me like I’ve just stuck my finger into a socket.
I feel it everywhere.
I guess I was numb to it before when she was clinging to me. Maybe all of the adrenaline made the spark fizzle.
I shut my door, click the alarm, and guide the girl into the building with Uncle Sil leading the way. He looks back with a warm smile and settles her into a wheelchair so she doesn’t have to walk to the examination room which is down a long hallway. She slowly sinks into it. Her fingers find mine, winding around them, and she looks up at me with a small smile. It’s the first real one I’ve seen since finding her on the side of that road, and I suddenly feel like I’ve taken an axe to the chest. As bloody and bruised as she is, I can’t tear my eyes away from her.
And I can’t begin to justify the warmth that winds its way up my arm at her touch. Goosebumps pop up along my arms and suddenly, we’re alone in a very sterile bubble. Her skin is so soft, her grip firm. God, there’s so much I want to ask and the questions are eagerly sitting on the tip of my tongue, but I know the risks.
Don’t ask, don’t tell!
“Vincenzo!” Uncle Sil’s voice slices into my inner monologue, and I blink fast, the spell broken.
“Yeah?”
He impatiently nods at a door behind me. “For the third time, you’re blocking my way!”
“Oh, um, sorry.” I step back, and tiny pink dots of color appear in the girl’s cheeks. Uncle Sil maneuvers her around me and she drops my hand.
I swallow hard.
The hairs on the back of my neck prickle, and the tingling sensation generated by her touch immediately fizzles.
Jesus Christ.
I’m the boss of one of the most powerful families in Italy, not some pubescent kid who’s just discovered the correlation between girls and his cock.
I follow them into the room and stand there as Uncle Sil prepares the bed.
“I’ll be right back,” he says. “I just need a few supplies.” He walks out of the room and I stand against the wall, not getting too close for a lot of reasons.
Without a word, she grabs hold of the wheelchair arms and slowly rises, but her leg gives out and the chair juts forward. I grab her just before she face-plants on the cold tile floor, and she frowns at me with a deep sigh.
“I promise you, I am not the damsel you think I am.”
“Oh, so now you’re telling me what I think, huh?”
We stare at each other for a second, an electric charge crackling in the air between us.
Why the hell do I suddenly feel like an actor in some bullshit romance movie?
I already know there’s no such thing as happily ever after for me.
A happy ending is another story.
Fuck.
Maybe my brothers are right.
Maybe I really do need to get laid more often.
“I just want to set the record straight.” Her blue eyes are a deep cobalt, dark and sullen, like the sea on a stormy day. “I can take care of myself. I don’t need anyone’s help, and I’m only here because you brought me here while I was unconscious.”
I can take care of myself.
I can take care of the family.
I can take care of everything!
Seems like she suffers from the CFD, too.
Control Freak Disorder.
Her tone has completely c
hanged since our fingers were entwined only minutes earlier.
What the hell happened?
“Do you want me to go?” I ask, realizing that she’s still wrapped in my arms and that my body feels more alive and alert than it ever has. Pretty insane, considering the number of deadly attacks I’ve had to avoid over the past few years.
“Yes,” she says in a soft voice, averting her gaze.
No explanation.
No apologies.
I rise to my feet and settle her on the bed, my lips stretched in a tight line.
My heart hammers as her breath flutters against my cheek, and I recoil like I’ve just been stung by a wasp.
Then the tingling sensation returns to assault my gut.
No explanation.
No apologies.
“Do you need anything?” I ask in a gruff voice. “Money or—?”
“No,” she replies abruptly, wincing as she shifts on the bed. She gasps, clutching her side, and it’s only then that I notice the blood stain spreading onto her jacket. I figured it came from the gash on her head. I guess her shock numbed the pain while we were hanging from that vine, and now it’s worn off.
I expel a sharp breath, the sudden rejection making my throat tight.
It’s best that I go, but dammit, the connection between us…the spark…it’s so strong.
But I know exactly what can happen when it ignites into a deadly, all-consuming flame. I’ve witnessed it firsthand.
It’s the reason why I crave constant control over everything in my life, why I can never let myself fall into the trap of believing I deserve more than the life I signed up to live.
So, yeah, it’s time to go.
I take one last, long look, fighting to keep my fingers away from hers, to turn away and never look back.
Uncle Sil walks back into the room and I clear my throat.
“Sil, I’m going to take off. Just send me the bill, okay?”
Her head pops up and her eyes tangle with mine, and once again, I’m dangerously close to being sucked back into her net.
Fallen: A Dark Italian Mafia Romance (Men of Mayhem Book 4) Page 3