My Future Husband

Chapter 37

Author's Note: This is just a little reminder to all my gorgeous Beauts reading Uccisore on Patreon (Antonio's story, the first of The Russo Mafia Series) that we are in two very different timelines. The Elba we are meeting here in My Future Husband is almost two years from the one falling apart in Uccisore.

Don't worry, I promise to keep spoilers for the rest of the series to a minimum, but obviously there is going to be some crossover. Just a little bit of forewarning... but I think we can all agree it's worth it to have our favourite rainbow Princess back.

Enjoy 😘

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Holy. Fucking. Shit

"Elba?" I run for the door so fast I almost go straight through the glass, ripping it open and hoisting her dripping wet form inside. "What are you... How are you... Why..."

I forgot how sexy she is. It's so distracting.

"It brings me great pleasure to see that I can still steal your words with nothing but my presence, bellissima." You're damn right you can. "You are just as beautiful as when I saw you last."

"You're fucking hotter." We both burst out laughing, tears running from my eyes as I wrap my arms around her and pull her in so tight I'm sure I'm crushing a rib. "I can't believe I'm seeing you."

"Me also." I can't explain how much I've missed her, how many times I've thought about her. I'm just so happy she's alive, it wasn't a given in her world.

She's so wet she's shaking, like she's been standing in this storm for hours.

Her hair's a little shorter, there's a few more of those gorgeous tattoos crawling up her neck, but she's exactly the same. That unmistakable warmth flooding from her as Kage hands me a towel and I wrap it around her shoulders.

"What are you doing here?" I know this can't be good, as much as I'd love to believe it's a social visit, it can't be that easy.

I take her irresistible face in my hands, swiping away her own tears but just smiling at her.

"I shall explain, but first, would it be possible for me to have a..." She stumbles back slightly, losing her footing. I keep a hold on her but thank fuck Kage is here, catching her when she goes down.

"Elba!" Shit.

I don't think she was just shaking from the rain. She's still gorgeous, but as I look at her again I can see how pale she is, the dirt on her clothes, how thin her wrists look.

She ran, she fucking ran from them.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Get her upstairs, we need to get some food in her." Kage hurries as I lock the door, a sense of dread filling my stomach as I look out into the darkness.

If she's here, that could mean he's not far behind.

I'd like to think we're still at the point of friendship where she won't judge me for stripping her out of her clothes before we've really said hello, Kage being a total gentleman and keeping his eyes on the pot of coffee as I tuck her in under the sheets.

"Ocean Eyes, get that drink over here, she's waking up." Her eyelashes flutter as she shuffles uncomfortably, and for the first time I see the marks all over her. "Fuck." Bruising on her throat, claw marks down the backs of her shoulders, a faded handprint on her chest. I've seen these marks before... on Brie.

She tried to fight him off.

I'll kill him. Whoever it is that did this to her, whether he managed to go through with it or not, I swear to fucking God I'll kill him.