Voice of the Mafia

Chapter 22

I wanted to take away his pain and help him but where I had been trained slowly the past two years by the J's to be stronger not only in fighting but also gunmanship, first aid had never been my strong suit.

"Boss, if I may make a suggestion?" He put a hand over his wound and gave me a sideways glance that wished I would just keep quiet about his wounds.

"Yes Seraphine?" I met his eyes, being more daring since I had nothing left to lose and watched as his expression softened.

"I would like for you to stay at my apartment for a few days while you heal. I have a spare room and enough space that you can do as you like. That way someone can keep an eye on your progress and make sure that you are alright." I felt quite embarrassed asking a man like Boss to stay at my apartment, my personal space, while he recovered and I had to pull my eyes away from his as a blush crept onto my cheeks.

"That is quite brazen of you." A small shrug was my only response.

"Your pride won't allow for you to ask for help from anyone so I am offering my assistance where it is needed." When I glanced back up to look at his face, he was smiling and leaned his head back against the headrest.

"I suppose a few days won't hurt. I'll have Charlie bring my paperwork to the apartment and help me get settled into the spare room." I didn't believe he would actually go for it but he did. He was going to be staying with me. In my apartment. Boss was staying with me in my apartment.

I spent the rest of the way to the pet motel buzzing over the idea and even after we had picked up my excited little kitties, I still couldn't believe it.

Once home, I carried the cat carrier in one hand and my bag in the other. I unlocked the door, Boss close behind and went in, setting the cats down in the kitchen while putting my things onto the couch to be gotten to later. Boss had never been here before so as he entered, he looked around with approval on his face.

"It suits you." Charlie followed behind and before letting Perse and Donnie out for dinner I showed him and Boss where the spare room was. It was right across from mine. I didn't mind at all but this had always been my one place to stay away from the hustle and bustle of the group's business. Now it was to be the epicenter of Boss's life for a few days.

"Charlie, are you staying too? All I have to offer is a pull out couch bed." The bulky man looked to Boss for an answer. After a swift shake of the man's head he shook his own.

"No thank you sister. I will be heading home for now." With little more than a grunt he left me and Boss to get accustomed to one another in a more home like lifestyle.

"I apologize if there isn't more here other than a bed and a few shelves and closet. I've never had guests over." At least not ones that stayed in this room, I left out. He sat on the bed and pulled his shirts off to change the bandage that was still seeping through. Seeing the extra bag next to him had the change of bandages I went over and sat next to him, careful of his wound and helped to unwrap the dirtied cloth.

"I have blood stain remover in the washroom. Once I help you change these I will get to washing the bloodied clothes." He didn't say anything in response but just let me do as I wished. When his wound appeared from behind the soiled cloth, I gasped and felt the threat of tears return. He got this from saving me.

I didn't waste another moment of having it open to the air and put some light disinfectant on it and wrapped another bandage around his waist, very aware of his eyes on me.

"You should have just left me there. No one would have gotten hurt then and you would all be safe." I taped the end off and stood, reaching for his clothes that I knew would take me at least an hour to get the stains out of.

"We do not leave one of our own behind. Besides, everyone would have been devastated if you had not come back." The tears did flow freely now as I despised the fact that I had been taken. What was the point in being trained for combat if I wasn't even able to use it.

"No one would have cared. Maybe the J's or Pam but it would just inconvenience them all more than anything." I walked out of the room, furiously wiping at my eyes as I went down the hall to where the washer and dryer sat. The blood stain remover had been one of the few good things I had learned about as a child at the bad foster home and with a bit of the bottle poured onto the shirt I went to the sink in the bathroom to scrub the blood out of the shirt.

"No one? Am I no one now?" I paused, the water from the sink washing the crimson down the drain. I looked up into the mirror at Boss who had this lazy cat like appearance to him as he had one arm draped against the doorway.

"You would have cared?" Something about his posture made me shiver and I went back to work on his shirts.

"Is that so hard to believe?" Grateful that the stain was indeed coming free from the fabric, I worked even harder.

"I sing and take money from old men for you. I guess you would lose quite a bit of money if I was to just not exist anymore." I was harshly turned around and pinned against the sink, Boss's arms around my upper body. His hips held mine against the sink. If it had been before the trip I would have swooned at his closeness. That was before.

Fear coursed through my veins and I shook in his grasp. I was transported back to that dark room once again, my screams drowning out their laughter.

"Seraph-... Sophie, it's okay now. You are not there anymore. You are home. Safe." Never safe. Their laughter in my mind grew and I whimpered in terror. I had to get away.

Boss took a few steps back from me, giving me the space I needed to calm down and I fell to the floor, my breathing ragged.

"Sophie?" My eyes darted to him and out of instinct I curled up against the sink cabinet.

"I'll.... I'll be fine. Please.... pl-please let the cats out of t-their c-c-crate." Food had already been set out for them but they were still in the kitchen. Boss looked as if he wanted nothing more than to come over and comfort me but the face I was wearing must have held him at bay as he knew it would only scare me. So he walked away and let me calm down on my own.

It took a while but I finally was able to calm down enough to sit up, my cats finding me and comforting my wounded soul. I went back to work on the shirts and once clean of the biggest portions of blood I put them into the wash with my own clothes to be cleaned. I didn't worry much about food as I wasn't hungry and went to my bedroom and laid down, the door open a crack to allow the cats free entry whenever they wished. And as I laid there in bed, the sounds of the washer running and my kitties purring beside me, I tried to remind myself that when I woke back up, I wouldn't be in Brazil waiting for the next monster to come in and touch me. No, I would be home, safe and sound.