STOLEN || 18+ (Monsters #3)

.48. Trouble

"My fear of being real, of being seen, paralyzes me into silence. I crave the touch and the connection, but I'm not always brave enough to open my hand and reach out. This is the great challenge: to be seen, accepted, and loved, I must first reveal, offer, and surrender."

- Anna White
. . .

Giovanni

I stood there as the casket lowered into the ground. Father said something I didn't hear. Some women were crying.

This was the fourth funeral today after what had happened the day before yesterday. Dante, Fabiano and I were to attend every funeral.

I stood between my brothers who both stood stiff. I knew anger brewed in them as if brewed in me. First Miss Summers and now this, Testa was proving himself to be a big problem.

A problem who was Leyla's ex-boyfriend.

That woman attracted trouble.

We left in a few minutes after offering our condolences.

I drove us back to the mansion. The silence was thick in the car. After being freed of our demons years back, we were not used to people speaking up against us, much less doing something which could potentially anger us.

I parked the car. Dante walled out, going to the greenhouse, his cigarette already rolling between his fingers.

Fabiano and I walked inside the mansion.

Leyla was sitting in the middle of the entrance hall, again, a book opened on her lap.

Her pretty eyes lifted, cleaning with mine and then Fabiano's.

We hadn't really talked since yesterday.

I walked to her. Fabiano walked away to the kitchen, knowing I needed time with Leyla alone.

I sat down in front of her.

I took the book from her lap, put the bookmark in and closed it. I kept it down.

"Come here."

I pulled her on my lap.

"Rosa told me you went to the funerals."

Rosa was getting comfortable with Leyla.

"Yes," I muttered. "Fabi, Dante and I."

"I want to attend, too." She looked up at me. "Offer my condolences. That's the least I can do."

I brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Okay."

She nodded, looking down at her hands.

My fingers brushed the bandage on her forehead. I looked down at her legs. She was wearing a skirt. There was a bandage around her ankle and one was hidden behind her skirt, around her thigh.

I pushed my anger down again. He could have done anything to her. Any fucking thing.

She had been through so much already.

I took up, picking her up in my arms. Her ankle and thigh didn't let her walk without pain and I was more than happy to grab her.

"I need to change your bandages."

She nodded slowly, setting her head against my chest. I walked into my room and sat her down on the bed.

I grabbed what I needed from the bathroom. I pulled her on my lap as I sat on a chair.

I undid the bandage on her forehead. She winced as it stuck to her wound a little but I pulled it off gently, pressing kisses on her face.

I cleaned the wound gently, blowing at it when she squirmed in pain. "Doing so good, Piccolina." That made her settle down for a while. I wrapped a fresh bandage around her forehead.

For her leg, I sat her down on the chair and crouched down to get to her ankle first. I could feel her eyes on me. I gave the same treatment to her ankle and then to her thigh. When I was done, I picked everything up and kept it back.

"Have you eaten lunch yet?" I asked her after washing my hands.

She shook her head. She looked to be on the edge, probably expecting me to say something hurtful. But after the funerals, I felt drained.

I took her to the dining room and sat her down on the head chair. The food was served. Leyla instantly started digging in. Fabiano joined us in a few minutes.

We ate in silence.

"Olivia is gone?"

"She's visiting Florence with her husbands," I said. It was hard to keep that woman inside. The Creeds had given up.

"Oh."

Leyla played around with her food on the plate. Fabiano met my eyes.

"We can visit it for your birthday," I said.

She looked up at me.

"Or we can have a ball," said Fabi.

She eyed us. "I'd like to go to Florence."

"Okay," I said. "It's settled then."

She nodded. "Okay."

She ate her food. This time, her movements felt light.

After lunch, we took her to our office where we worked while she read. I knew there were a million miles between us and her, she was scared and we were obsessed. It was going to take time for her to give herself.

I was okay with it. Somehow. Even though I wasn't a patient man.

The days passed by quick and Leyla maintained her distance. She went to a few funerals with us, offering her condolences. People didn't know what had happened, and it was going to stay like that.

Leyla spent her time talking to Rosa and Olivia and then eventually just Rosa when the Creeds left.

After exactly a week after the ball, Fabiano, Luca and I walked inside that room.

I leaned against the door frame, looking at the five men scattered around the room, barely moving. They had water here, and there had been enough food to last then for a day or two.

They started begging instantly. Two tried to run out of the room. I easily grabbed them and threw them back. Did they let Leyla go when she needed them to? No.

"Cut off their water supply," I said to Luca, smirking as they wailed for mercy.

We stepped back out and I locked the door.

"When will you let them out?" Asked Luca.

"Not before they start eating each other," muttered Fabi.

. . .