Cold Brew and Bullets (Part 1 of the Syndicate Series)

Chapter 14- Knowing

Eliana:

Comfort is an odd thing. It puts our guard down, it forces us into a false sense of security, even when the unthinkable has happened to us and we know what is waiting for us out in the rest of the world. Waking up in a warm bed with someone holding your hand, after you've just had an ordeal throughout which you've wanted nothing more, has the ability to lull you into a false sense of security.

Alessio's loose grip encircled my wrist and his head was laid in the crook of his elbow on the bed beside me. Almost as if it was second nature, my hand found its way out of his gentle grip and I ran my fingers through his hair, noting that someone must have taken great care to scrub my hands clean. They were caked in blood and mud the last time I saw them, but now they were trimmed and polished.

Something like a sigh hummed in the back of Alessio's throat and he shifted slightly. It was a few more minutes of calm before his eyes opened and he sat up straight. I still felt too tired to straighten up and match his height, but I could quirk my eyebrow and give him a disapproving look, "Please tell me that you haven't been waiting here too long."

"You're going to be alright, by the way," He gave me a pointed grin. "A few days of taking it easy, and some of the injuries might require a more long term recovery."

I nodded and gave him the best smile that I could, "Glad to hear it."

My internal thoughts became much more frenzied. I couldn't afford physical therapy in the long term, I wouldn't be able to cover the medical bills of wherever I was at that moment. I looked around to confirm my suspicions that I was indeed in a hospital, but something about the room didn't totally fit what I expected. Sure, there was the normal bed with railing and wires connecting me to machines, but the open door to the hallway made it look more like a bedroom that had been converted into a hospital room. The fireplace against the opposite wall and extremely nice television furthered my suspicions that this wasn't a hospital, as well as the unbelievably soft sheets and blanket, but I had definitely received professional medical attention. This couldn't be a long term recovery room, it was too nice even for that.

"Alessio, how long was I asleep?"

"Four days," He answered warily, trying to gauge my reaction.

It wasn't unbelievable. After not sleeping or eating for what was probably a week, and then being beaten to a pulp on top of that, I was almost surprised that it wasn't longer. I looked down at my arms and noticed that while they were scrubbed clean, they were still black and blue from the abuse.

"Ezrah!" I yelled, suddenly panicking. How had I forgotten about him? He had to be back by now, and I hadn't called or texted him. He might think I was still missing, at least he was alone dealing with the fact that he had terminal cancer and was going to let himself die. I tore the blankets from my legs and threw myself towards the edge of the bed, knowing that I needed to find a way to call him.

Alessio stood before I could, gripping my shoulders to stop me from stumbling to my feet. He forced me back into the pillows, and I was somewhat glad that he was holding onto me because I was hit with a wave of dizziness after having been laying horizontal for days on end. "Eliana, it's alright. Ezrah's fine, I talked to him."

I froze, staring at him, "You did? Did he know that I was...."

"He just got back a couple of days ago, I stopped by the shop to tell him that you went with us on a hiking trip, and that even though I had to come back early for work, you had made such good friends with some of the girls that you wanted to keep going with them. As far as he knows, you're out of cell service for a while."