Chapter forty-nine
In the three months that she had been with the Italians, Nadia could remember precisely once where she saw Giovani smile. Needless to say, when she woke up to find him smiling softly down at Jade, Nadia practically fell out of the bed.
"Morning big guy," Nadia grinned. The smile on Gio's face immediately dropped. "What? No smile for your favourite assassin?"
The man with the beautifully scared face rolled his eyes at her, straightening to stand. "I've been called on a job," he rumbled, folding his arms, "I need some help."
"No please?" She taunted further, chuckling when he scowled.
Nadia rolled her eyes, turning to face the blonde still curled up beside her, awake and chuckling at the interaction.
It had been two days since Nadia had arrived back and she hadn't left Jade's side. Angelica kept her promise and came to check up on the girl the day after, staying far longer than she intended because Jade had needed someone to talk to and Nadia had managed to rope her into a film day so she wouldn't have to suffer the awful romcom on her own. Of course, Jade had Nadia, but there was only so much support Nadia could give. She was an assassin, after all, she hadn't been taught healthy ways of coping with her trauma. She mostly just ignored it.
It had been rough, but the colour had slowly crept back into Jade's cheeks and she had finally started eating again with encouragement from Nadia and Angelica.
The assassin was silently grateful to stay with Jade, it meant she could spend more time away from Leo. She wasn't ready to face him knowing the moment they saw each other again, she would forgive him immediately.
"How did you even get in?" The assassin queried, turning back to Giovani.
"I let him in," answered Jade, easing herself up to sit. Nadia watched her, seeing the grief on her face but understanding what she was really saying; she was ready to face the others at last. "I think I've hidden away for long enough."
Nadia gave the girl a look that read you sure?
Jade smiled, drawing Nadia in for a tight hug. "Time to move forward," she whispered into Nadia's hair.
The assassin squeezed her tightly before untangling herself from their bedsheets, stretching unceremoniously as she went.
"Why me," she groaned, stretching out her back with a huff.
Giovani rolled his eyes at her dramatics and grumbled something about waiting outside for her. Nadia smirked, forever amused at Giovani's sunny disposition.
Nadia turned back to Jade, "D'you need anything before I go?" She asked, frowning slightly at the look of discomfort on the blondes face.
"Stop being so protective, Dee, I'm fine."
Nadia squinted her eyes playfully, scanning Jade from head to toe, marking the exhaustion on her features and the hollows of her cheeks. Two days wasn't enough time to fully recover, but if she was truly ready for space, to try and inch forward, Nadia wasn't going to stop her.
Eventually, the assassin sighed, flopping down beside her friend and drawing her into her arms. "I know, I just worry about you," she confessed. Jade chuckled, stroking Nadia's hair gently.
"Don't pretend it's not also because you're trying to avoid him."
Nadia groaned loudly at that. "Could you not see right through me for once."
YOU ARE READING
Dead By Sundown
Romance"Angels and demons often meet in the bodies of mortals." Nadia wasn't one for an easy way out. That wasn't how she had been trained- how she survived. But, one regretful job later, she finds herself in deeper sh!t than usual, with no clear route...
