- RORY -
When Hansen said he wanted to be alone to let fight him, to give him scars, the rage ca back with a vengeance. Adrenaline spiked again, making forget all the discomfort of the rain, the blood, the pain in my arms and hands.
But then Luciano walked in, and I felt the weight of that responsibility to punish Hansen lift. Seeing Luci was an imdiate comfort—an imdiate relief that made my muscles relax, my heart and breath start to slow.
Now I can be vulnerable. I don’t have to rise with the tide of my anger. I can let it wash back out into the sea.
Luci’s dad walks in with a few other n, and I take a step back toward the door, feeling the full force of how overwhelming this is now. There are so many n in here. So many associated with the mafia. I can feel the danger they all exude—the shield that clicks into place the way it was ant to.
Raya pulls backward into the kitchen and hands a bag of ice, but I just look at it—not sure what she expects to do with this. I don’t need ice. Then she wraps my hand in a rag, and that’s when I start to feel lightheaded.
"Roar, you need to sit down." She guides to a chair, and I let her—moving automatically without any real thought.
"I don’t feel so good," I tell her, staring at the blood seeping into the rag.
"You look really pale." Her brows pinch, and she looks back toward the bedroom. "Dex, we need to get her a doctor."
Raya’s voice sounds shaky and hurried—higher in pitch than normal, but I can’t understand why. I’m fine. Just nauseous. Tired.
"I don’t need a doctor, Ray," I frown.
"Yes you do. Luci..."
I’m suddenly so tired. Too tired to follow the rest of what she says after calling that beautiful na, so I just give in and let my eyes close, let my body slide and fall. And sohow I know he’s going to catch . I feel his arms and recognize his scent.
I’ve never had anyone catch when I fall before. The faith in that is so risky, because people fail to be there to catch us all the ti. My own parents failed to be there. I’ve always had to keep standing, to stay strong, to be invulnerable.
But I’m so tired now. So I let Luci gather against him, murmur sounds that speak directly to my heart, kiss my face and carry , because I know that wherever we’re going, I’ll be safe. He’ll make sure of it.
"Luci." I whisper against him and feel his arms tighten as we go to wherever we’re going.
"I’m here, tesoro. I’m sorry."
What is he sorry about? I don’t have the energy to ask.
——————
My eyelids are so heavy.
"What’s next?" Luci’s voice is all business. It’s right next to .
"We’ll need to do surgery. It’s an easy fix. She’s young and healthy, so she will heal fine."
"Who needs surgery?" I ask, voice coarse, throat dry. It sounds harsh and strained.
"Oh thank god," Luci sighs, then his hand is on my cheek, lips on my forehead, scent filling my lungs. It’s the perfect dicine. "Welco back, dolcezza."
"Did I fall asleep?" I frown, squinting against the light filtering into my vision.
"Yeah, you fell asleep," he says, and then I see his smile and his beautiful, overflowing eyes. "You needed the rest, so we took care of you. Don’t worry."
I’m dry and warm and under covers, but all the mories from the beach slam back into my mind, and I quickly push up, forcing myself awake—heart hamring when I rember that Hansen is here. In Costa Rica.
"No," I gasp, panting as I look around. This is a different room. I haven’t been here. "Where is he?"
"Rory," Luciano calls, taking my face in his hands. "You’re safe. He’s not here."
I’m staring at Luci, but it takes awhile to register what he’s said. To take in the aning.
"He was here," I mutter, frowning at him. "I saw him. I broke his nose."
Luciano’s face blooms into a grin. "Yes, you did. You are so amazing." Then he kisses , and the warmth from his lips starts spreading out, defrosting things.
I’m handed a glass of water, and I drink greedily, mouth so dry. It spills over my lips, and Luci wipes it before I can.
"Where are we?" I ask, clearing my throat and testing my voice again. "Where’s Raya? Is she okay?"
"Raya’s fine," Luci says, drying my mouth one last ti. "We’re still in Costa Rica. This is Burt’s suite. You’re safe, dolcezza."
The words sink in, and I stare at my hands on top of the covers. The left one is stitched up again, no longer bleeding. But it hurts. It’s throbbing—the pain growing more intense as I stare at it.
"We’ve started you on so antibiotics," Burt says on the other side of the bed. "Just to make sure there’s no infection. You did a number on your hand again, so it’s a precaution."
"It hurts." I flex the hand, hissing when the stitches pull.
"Pain ds, doc," Luci says a little harshly.
"It’s not bad," I insist quickly. "I’m fine."
"You need it." His voice is softer now that it’s directed toward . "Your knuckles are bruised. And your arms."
"What?" I lift one of my arms, but it appears that I’m back in one of Luci’s t-shirts. The movent alone makes realize how sore I am, though, so I don’t doubt him.
"They’re hand marks," he says, voice wavering between anger and pain.
"Are you okay?" I turn to look at him, not imdiately understanding why he sounds that way.
Luci smiles. "When you’re okay, I’ll be okay, dolcezza."
"I’m okay. Don’t worry."
Burt hands a white pill, and I stare at it doubtfully. Luci rubs my back and hands water again, so I take it and swallow the pill down.
"It may be twenty minutes or so before the pain is better," Burt smiles. "Do you have any dizziness or nausea?"
"I’m fine. I just want to go see my sister."
Luci pinches my chin, gently turning my face his way. "Lorelei, do you have dizziness or nausea?"
My cheeks start to burn at the close scrutiny I’m now under, but I hold his questioning gaze.
"A little."
"Good girl," he says, dark eyes dropping to my lips and making heat rush everywhere. "Burt says you still have the hole in your heart. So we’re going to fix it."
"What?" I gasp, turning to look at the doctor. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, quite sure," Burt says, his grey wiry eyebrows furrowing. "But it’s a very straightforward procedure. There’s nothing to be concerned about."
"So I’m the one who needs surgery? Now?"
"No," Luci smiles again. "We’ll do it back in the states."
I sink back against the pillow and sigh. God, what else could happen?
"Where is he, Luci?" I ask in a small voice, not sure I want the answer.
He takes my good hand in his, bringing it to his lips as he stares at . "My father and our n are on their way back ho. They’re taking him with them."
"Why?" I frown.
"So he can be dealt with properly. Back ho."
"Properly," I murmur, thinking of the ocean—of the deep. Of the chance that passed for to take him out and deposit him under the surface.
"If you want to do it, we’ll wait for you," he says, keeping his emotions very controlled. I can tell. Luciano is so good at that... except when he looks at .
"No," I say quickly with a curt shake of my head. "No. I don’t. I don’t want to see him again."
A dark, furious light flashes in his eyes before he can mask it. "Okay. You won’t."
"Luci, I don’t want you to do it either."
Luciano frowns, studying , deciding whether or not I’m serious or whether or not he’s going to listen. Then his jaw locks on an unhappy emotion, and he sighs. "Why?"
There’s a thick emotion stuck in my throat that I have to swallow past, and I look back down at the stitches on my hand.
"It will keep him here. I’ll wonder how it happened, and you’ll have the mory I’m wondering about forever. But I don’t want to know. I don’t want you to know either."
He stares at , not understanding. For soone like Luciano, it’s sothing he won’t ever understand, I’m sure. But I wonder if it’s still sothing he can do for .
I know he wants to punish Hansen. There’s bloodlust and hatred and vengeance flowing through him. I feel all those things, too. But I need us both to let it go.
"That’s really hard for ," he admits, a muscle ticking in his jaw. "He hurt you, and I want to be the one to make him suffer for it."
"I know." I try to give him a crooked smile. "But it’s just going to give power to what he did. It will make it live longer, and I want it gone. Can you do that for ?"
His chest inflates slowly, and then he lets it go. "Of course I can. I will do anything for you, dolcezza. Even if I don’t understand it."
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