I groaned in my head when I felt the throbbing pain. Or at least I thought I groaned in my head. But then I felt the shift of someone beside me. My eyes were still closed. "Lex? You okay?" I recognized the voice. Anthony. A smile played on my lips for a simple second before it all came tumbling back in. The horror show that was the safehouse. My eyes popped open.
When I looked around the room I wasn't sure where I was. It didn't look like my bedroom at Vitaly's house. It's no room from Anthony's house. And it wasn't a hospital. So where was I? Anthony saw my confusion and filled me in.
"Your father refused to let you go to a hospital he didn't have a hand in. He called a doctor of his own and you're being treated for bruised ribs, a very bruised chest, but no cracked bones luckily. Your head's alright too. Just a cut but it's been tended to" he told me.
Again I looked around the room and then I looked at Anthony. That's when I finally read the expression on his face. It made me immediately reach out to him. I cupped his face and his palm came over my hand.
"You scared the fuck outta me, Lex. I thought you got shot in the chest. I watched you get shot in the chest" he corrected himself. I could barely take a proper intake of air without everything throbbing inside me. Damn it.
"The kevlar" I remembered. "It's the only thing that saved your life. I failed at saving your life, Lex, I'm so sorry" he cupped my hands in his and apologized. "No, Anthony. Don't. You played a big part in why I turned out okay. You don't need to apologize for anything" I told him.
Ouch my chest. I sucked in a slow shallow breath, guess that's why I have an oxygen tube in my nose to assist that. Anthony looked behind him to a door leading to a hall.
"Your father and brothers will be back soon. That's the only reason why they let me stay. They had to step out and 'handle' some things. They'll kick me out as soon as they get here. 'Here' being the doctor's house" He added at the end.
I don't wanna know what the Petrov men are doing right now because I know it's nothing good.
"Kiss me then. Before they do" I told him. He didn't seem to be expecting it. He did a double take. "Lexi..." he hesitated. "Shut up Rizzo. It isn't Enzo here with me right now, is it? It's you. And you went after me inside that safe house. You. Not him" I huffed then regretted it.
Some husband Enzo's gonna be. I didn't see his face once in all that.
Anthony tackled a man for me. He rolled around and roughed up the man to be sure I could get away. He ripped that man's nose off. I can still see the image of his broken and half bitten off nose. That's wild.
He's an animal, but it didn't turn me off. He did what had to be done by any means necessary. I've never seen anything like it.
I realize now that I would've fought just as hard. I did fight hard. I ran for the kevlar. I put it on after I hid Mia away in safety. I held the gun waiting for those two pig men to come around the corner for me. I shot one of them. Twice. And I took a bullet to the chest like a champ.
I didn't run. I could've left that house completely, and I wouldn't be feeling half as bad as I do right now if I did run. But I didn't. And it's dawned on me.
I don't wanna be a girl that needs saving.
"Sweetheart, you have no idea how badly I wanna take you up on it, but-" Anthony was ready to deny me again until I held a hand up to stop him. "Fine" I ended it. If he wants to fight this he can. But I almost died today and I'm not thinking about what's right and wrong. I'm thinking about Anthony Rizzo's lips.
I'm thinking about Anthony Rizzo's very capable cock. I'd like to experience that one more time before I die, please and thank you.
"Oh fuck it" I heard him say. He grabbed my face and crashed his lips into mine. I flinched but didn't dare stop. I'm already outta breath might as well make it for a good reason.
I took his mouth. I kissed him long, and hard, and good. I tasted his mouth and caressed his tongue with mine. I took His breath. Anthony almost lost himself completely, but then he abruptly pulled away. He glanced behind him to be sure no one saw then pecked my lips one more time.
"We can't do this. Especially not here" he reminded me. We might not have died at the safe house, but we'd sure as hell die here if Vitaly walked in on that.
Two minutes later the doctor walked in. A man in corduroy pants pulled up practically to his chest, and he was about 105 years old. He was a tough old Russian though. I knew it as soon as he opened his mouth and spoke. In Russian of course. Not English.
"Stupid pussy men think they can take down a Russian woman. Blah. Our blood is strong. You kick them in their pussies when they try to raise a hand to you" he cackled and said a not nice word to Anthony to wave him off.
I do not like a man who looks 105 saying the word 'pussy' to me. Gag. The old bat.
"Drink this for the pain" the doctor came to my bedside and handed me a glass. "What is it?" I went to ask, but the smell wafted below my nose. "Vodka" the man said in the thickest of accents. You gotta be kidding me? The old bat cackled again at my flat expression. I'm glad one of us is having a good time.
We heard the ding of a door somewhere downstairs. "Oh...your father is back" the old man lifted his pants an inch higher, just below his old saggy man breasts, practically. And then he was off.
I decided to take that swig of vodka.
-
I was back in the 'safety' of the Petrov house. And I use that term loosely. I'd finally gotten a look at myself when I changed out of the hospital dress I was in, which weirded me out because I wasn't at the hospital. I guess it's because the guy needed to check my chest and everything in between. It's the breast tissue that saved me from any shattered bones. But now I had the view of it and it was like a bullseye.
What I mean is that the deepest purple circle was right in the center of where the bullet actually impacted, then there were rings of more blueish and then yellowish green as the circle expanded.
The bullet hit my chest, but from the impact and how my body took the impact of the blow, it basically ricocheted out. That's why my ribs were considered 'bruised', even though it was my chest that took the bullseye.
It could've crushed my sternum if it was an inch the other way.
Vitaly is not happy. He's been cursing and pacing around. "Pa, I already told you tomorrow it'll be squared away" I heard Andrei following after my father. Dmitriy was in my room when I got out of the bathroom. He just looked at me for a second.
"Better?" He asked. He is emotionally inept. I've come to understand that over time. "Yes, Dmitriy. I'm doing wonderful. Thank you" I gave a mock cheeriness. He's always scowling, so I don't know the difference when he's actually trying to scowl at me for dissatisfaction in who I am as a person.
The bedroom door swung open and my dad and other brother were now in the room.
"Guys, please, I'm supposed to be resting my head, not knocking it against the wall while I have to listen to you all bicker" I told them. Vitaly didn't even give an inch of an expression. He's not gonna take the bait and get mad at me. He wants to be angry at the Italians entirely. And that's not a good thing.
"What's tomorrow?" I asked Andrei when I remembered his words to my father. Andrei glanced at dad then me. "Nothing, bullseye. Don't worry about it" he told me. I did a double take. "You heard me tell Anthony it looks like a bullseye?" I scoffed. I see a looming nickname I'm going to loathe.
"Your pal Anthony" Andrei said, and I didn't like the tone. I tried not to show nervousness, but Andrei cannot even suspect a thing. Especially Andrei. He likes to stir up trouble.
"Yeah, we are pals. Unlike you numb nuts outside skipping in the garden, he actually tried to save my life" I rolled my eyes. Let it slide off your shoulders, Lex, or he'll sniff it out like a hound dog. Andrei grinned. "I think I actually like Mr. Anthony Rizzo," my second eldest brother told me.
My eyes went wide. That isn't a good thing. It sounds like a good thing, but not coming from Andrei it's not. "Andrei you leave him alone" I warned him. Stupid of me to do so, but he had that stupid smirk on his face, and I just wanna hide Anthony from this crazy person.
Dmitriy muttered something to our brother about the time and Andrei flicked his wrist to get his watch straight. "I gotta get going to that thing of mine. Your pal Rizzo's gonna help me out" Andrei practically sang the last part.
"Wait!" I hollered after him then flinched at the sharp pain in my chest. He twirled around with a triumphant grin. He got the reaction he wanted. "What are you gonna do?" I asked him. He hummed. "Sure you wanna know?" Now he asked me.
My face went flat, but my heart thumped too hard against my already injured chest, so I sighed and gave in. "No, but tell me anyway."
"While I was 'out skipping the gardens' as you called it I found a coward hiding in the bushes. A third rat amongst the rats. I took him as my prisoner, and Domani De Luca is going to be so kind as to lend me his love dungeon so I can question the man. Well, they wanna question him I just wanna torture him" he told me.
He didn't wait for a response or ask for one, he just told me his plans for the night and walked out. I turned to Dmitriy.
"Did your mother do drugs when she was pregnant with him?" I asked him deadpan. Like my father, Dmitriy is unflinching. He wasn't amused or upset; he just heard my words and ignored my existence. He just left the room.
My thoughts immediately shifted to something else.
Anthony and Andrei...oh god, Anthony and Andrei. It's like having the attention of a curious lion. Only the lion is mentally unstable and enjoys wicked games. That's what it's like to have someone like Andrei Petrov take a liking to you.