Amore Mio (#4)

Chapter 23: Moments Of Healing

Yes, I surprised myself with this update too. 😂

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          After we had escaped Dimo's facility, Luca had raced down the streets wildly, making sure no one trailed us and transported us to a lone cottage deep in the woods. It felt a lot like the beginning of a slasher movie, but I remained alert to the best of my abilities. Now, I couldn't let a Bulgarian Michael Myers get the best of me.

          We spent the night at the cottage. The old man who lived there extracted the bullets from Dimo's thighs in his makeshift operating room and removed the grenade from his ass during his nonstop argument with Luca which indicated he wasn't just anyone. He was definitely Luca's confidante in a way considering his fatherly scolding. Also, it was all in Italian which strengthened my theory about them being acquainted for a very long time, perhaps since Luca was much younger, but I didn't confirm my suspicions with any questions.

          Instead, I offered my abilities as a medical professional to stitch Luca's wounds myself. He had a stab wound in his calf, thigh, and palm. I was certain he hadn't gotten those during the showdown with Dimo's men. Perhaps it happened before that, specifically during his meeting earlier, which would explain why he was late to the show. Again, I had quietly patched him up without any questions while his eyes never left my face during it all, no matter the pain of the stitches. I wasn't going to waste my breath on him after everything that had happened.

          Athena hadn't spoken a single word since we escaped. She found solace within a locked room immediately and no one dared to enter or even knock. Even though my body screamed from the lack of rest and unbearable pain, I sat outside her room all night and remained guard. It was the least I could do after she was forced into taking my place as the Bonferroni whore to suffer at the hands of monsters. I vowed to protect her as she protected me, so I clutched the guns to my chest and kept my eyes open for both her and Robyn who slept on the couch in the tiny living room.

           I wasn't sure if it was the overexertion of my mind or if I had lost it completely when I heard pants from the other side of the door where Athena had isolated herself. I turned my head and pressed my ear against the door to confirm I wasn't hallucinating. Difficult breathing filtered my ear along with soft mewls as if Athena was forcing herself to quiet down. A panic attack?

          I tore my ear away from the door and let the back of my head fall against it once again. A desperate breath forced its way out my mouth shakily, tears stinging the corner of my eyes. I fought against everything in me that wanted to go in there and comfort her, but I knew better than to invade her space while she was vulnerable. She'd have my head, I was sure. But my heart tore at the edges for the pain she was in. What the fuck had they done to her? This was far from the Athena I was accustomed to.