(Song for this chapter is Unstable by Justin Bieber & the kid Laroi)
"I love you Bruno, and every day I realize just how easy you are to love."
"I love you Bruno."
"I love you Bruno."
"I love you Bruno."
Her words replay in my head.
She loves me.
She loves me.
She loves me – she said she loves me. Why is it so hard for my brain to process that? Why is it hard to believe it? I can easily imagine myself falling in love with her, I can see a future with her, hell I can even see her in a white fucking gown, but I can't see her loving me.
"I love you Bruno."
I've only heard these words by two people my entire life, and they're both gone now.
She loves me.
Can there be a future for us? Could we make it?
she'll end up abandoning you like everyone else.
What if it works out and we figure it out together?
you'll drag her down with you and make her miserable, she'll hate you for it.
What if I love her and I make her happy?
your love is like poison, it'll kill her slowly. Look where she is right now because of you.
She betrayed me. I betrayed her.
She makes me happy. I make her happy.
She makes my heart skip every damn beat.
She's the only one who makes me smile from my heart.
I want to protect her. I can protect her.
She loves me. I love her.
The decision is made, it was made years ago but right now I'll put it into reality – I'll make it true.
I open my mouth, ready to spit the three words that can change everything,
"Amalie I-I.."
"Bruno" she pleads, waiting on the words to leave my lips.
don't do it.
"I-"
The doors open and tunes me back into reality. We're accompanied by Landon, his guards and blinding lights. I blink a couple of times, and when my sight clears I see the look of disapproval on Landon's face as he peeps into our cells.
"Can't say I'm glad you dressed up my hostage, Rodriguez."
I feel my blood running cold, not only at the fact that he lied to me, but that he dared to go against my words. I was mad at Amalie; I saw my name and Landon's on her phone, and I wanted to anger her – I wanted to ruin her mission but I never intended for him to do this. I told him to keep his security up, but I followed it up with a clear message that she wasn't to be touched. Yet he didn't listen, and for that he'll pay.
We did a lot of research on Landon, and his business associates. Everyone had good things to say, and his history wasn't flawed either except for some baseless rumors. Landon Rivers was a business man, he associated with some shady people but he didn't have anything on him so I never understood why he was one of her targets but now that I see what he's capable of I have a feeling that whatever he's involved in isn't all rainbows.
"You're going to pay for this Rivers." I say in calm tone, it doesn't matter if he isn't involved in anything bad enough for me to kill him – he's going to die either way for touching her.
"I'm not a big fan of threats my friend."
"I'm not your fucking friend."
My comment seems only to amuse him, he doesn't answer though instead he nods to his guards. Two of them go into Amalie's cell, and my body goes into fight mode. I swear to God if they-
"Fucking bitch!" One shouts, and I smile when I hear the sound of something breaking.
"Should've sent more than two guards, she's a tough one." I tease, looking at a pissed Landon. He gives me a displeased look and turns to the other guard.
"Go for plan b."
Seconds later, a bunch of guards come rushing into my cell and I get ready to fight. I manage to injure at least four of them, but the second I turn to the fifth one I feel something hit the side of my neck, it doesn't take long for me to understand that it was a needle. Just like I expected, the room started spinning shortly after and it went black.
***
I open my eyes slowly. The lights blind me and I have to blink a couple of times to adjust, the fucker sedated me. When my eyes adjust fully, I look around and my eyes land immediately on the chair in front of me. Amalie is starting to wake up too, but when I see her my eyes see red – She has scratches on her arms, her hair is wet and she has a small cut on her lip.
"I'm going to fucking chop his hands off while he watches." I mutter, that fucking piece of shit is going to pay for this. She opens her eyes fully and they meet mine, I can see the relief wash over her but when she scans my almost naked body her face turns into a frown. I didn't have a spare shirt, or pants but she didn't need to know that.
"Damn it, Bruno!" She scolds,
I laugh, "you look better in them, muneca."
"You're going to freeze to death!" she huffs,
"Rather me than you." I mumble under my breath.
It's cold as fuck here. Which isn't weird considering the fact that we're in a warehouse, and it's in the middle of the night from what I can see based on the small window behind Amalie.
"Bruno, he has my entire team, I have to get them out." Amalie says, I can see that she cares deeply about them yet her words cut because it reminds me of the reason we're here. The reason I was mad at her. The fact that this was all a mission. I was a mission. A target.
"We're getting them out, I promise." I say, ignoring the angry voice in my head. "Pablo and Luca will make it."
"But if they do-"
"They will." We can't afford to think otherwise. She's getting out of here.
A couple of minutes pass by, nothing can be heard except the drops running down from the ceiling and the strong wind outside. My patience is running out, I don't know what to expect, what Landon has planned. I came here without giving it a second thought, I had to know that she was alive, I got her in this mess and I have to get her out.
The silence doesn't last for long, footsteps are coming from behind me and it doesn't take much to figure out who it is.
"How are my favorite hostages holding up?" Landon's annoying voice beams through the walls.
"Never been better." Amalie mumbles, rolling her eyes. I cant help but smile at the fact that even when we're in a shitty situation like this she still keeps her witty responses.
Landon walks in front of me, followed by six guards. I want to laugh at the pussy he is, but one glance at him tells me that he needs the guards indeed. Pretty face, not a single muscle in sight.
"My schedule is tight guys; I don't have a lot of time and my patience is running short over here." Landon says, I've already gathered that he wants something from Amalie but I'm not sure what.
"Something tells me that your patience isn't the only short thing about you." Amalie mumbles, I breathe out a laugh. Landon walks up to her and looks her in the face, then he says something that confirms that I not only have to chop off his hands but his dick too.
"Don't worry babe, you won't find it short when it's all the way down your throat."
"Oh really?" Amalie smiles,
"Yeah rea-" My eyes widen when she spits in his face, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"Oops, sorry" She smirks, "thought it was your dick, my bad."
I smile but my face hardens the second I see her face whip to the side when his hand collides with her cheek. This makes my blood boil and I'm already raging to get out of these fucking ropes.
"Landon if you touch her one more damn time, I'm going to make sure your entire bloodline is killed right in front of you and believe me when I say that I'll make sure to give them the worst deaths possible, I'll keep you alive just so you can have nightmares about it every fucking day of your pathetic life." I say through gritted teeth, my hands are formed in fists and I'm sure they're fucking white now, I feel my whole-body shake in anger.
"Is that another threat?" He gasps,
"It's not a threat, it's a fucking promise."
Landon takes a couple of steps back, "you know what, you're right! How pathetic of me to hit a helpless woman."
"Oh, trust me, the little she devil is everything but helpless, you'll see it when I make you watch as she cuts off your shrimp cock." I spit, "Yeah I'll let her do that, and while she does that I'll be busy with your brother, maybe he'll end up in the same boat as your cousin. What a shame, James was quite the catch.. or was he? Guess we'll never know."
Landons face turns into a dark shade of red, which is good. I want him to focus his anger on me, take it out on me, point it at me but not her. Never her.
"You think you're funny huh?" He says, his blue eyes turning darker for each step.
"That's what the ladies say at least." I smile, "I can give you a couple of tips if you want, or you can ask your sister... Charlotte knows all about my tricks."
His eyes widen, "You fucking piece of shit!" he yells.
Shortly after a fist goes flying to my jaw.
"You didn't fucking touch her!" another punch, this time straight to my cheekbone.
"Oh I did," I spit out the blood coming from my mouth, "not without permission though, she was practically begging" I didn't, I haven't even met his sister. But now he's fully focused on me. He's using all his energy on me.
"You're going to pay for this Rodriguez." My face whips back as he delivers a fourth punch, this time sending a rush of blood down my nose.
He backs away, but he still has the same look of rage and disgust on his face. I blink a couple of times to recover from his hits, my eyes aren't on him though. She looks at me with furrowed brows and worried eyes, it's okay little doll. I'm okay. Don't worry about me.
"Walker," Landon says catching my attention. Damn it, why is he talking to her? Focus on me, don't look at her. "Are you going to tell me your father's location or not?"
She turns silent, her eyes are screaming of anger. He wants to know where her father is, if he does he'll kill him for sure.
"Go fuck yourself." She spits, good girl. I dislike her father with every bone in me, but she's loyal to him and she loves him which means that he isn't going anywhere.
Landon laughs, his laugh is humorless, and his eyes are blank.
"As you please princess, I wanted to make it easy for you but you prefer it the hard way. I can play that way too." If he touches her again, I don't care what kind of restrains he has me in, I'll get out of them and twist his entire body inside out.
"Landon, I swea-"
"Don't worry I won't touch her" He says turning around to me, "I've played with her for a week and she won't budge."
My shoulders sink, and my body relaxes. He won't touch her. I don't care what he does as long as he doesn't harm her.
Landon presses his lips together, and lets out a breath.
"Sadly, for you though, I did hear your little heart to heart when you were in your cells." Of course, he was fucking listening. He smiles and gives one of the guards behind me a look. I hate the fact that I have no idea what he's going to do, that I have no control.
"Now let's see how the huntress chooses, with her brain or her heart?"
Before I can say anything, a cold rush through my entire body when ice cold water collides with my skin. An entire bucket of water is thrown down my head, and it feels like minutes pass by before it stops. Amalie looks at me with pain in her eyes.
"Is that all you got? Cold water? That's weak even for a pathetic fuck like you." I say through gritted teeth as I look at Landon, he laughs in return showing that it's not nearly what he had in mind. Of course, it isn't. He grabs something from behind me, and I recognize what it is immediately. I close my eyes and get ready for the impact, and surely it comes seconds later.
My entire body shakes, my brain stops completely and there's no way to stop the pain. Suddenly it feels like I'm in the hands of Lorenzo again, yet even that fucker wasn't mean enough to electroshock me. He was more old school, bruises, a couple of broken bones and some faded scars.
"Stop! Please stop!" Amalie cries, and although my body is in physical pain right now – the sound of her voice is what slices on the inside. Landon stops, giving me some time to breathe though my entire body is still shaking like crazy, and it feels like I'm on fire.
"Are you going to tell me your fathers' location?" Landon asks,
Amalie looks at him hesitantly, "I..I.." she stops and looks at me, I already know her answer.
"I'm sorry" She says in a crying whisper.
"It's okay." I mouth, I would never expect her to do that for me.
Landon rolls his eyes and lets out a sigh.
He turns around and looks at me, "Guess she doesn't love you that much, that's too bad."
"Fuck you." I spit, my entire body is wet and still not over the shock. The few seconds he gave me to recover doesn't last long when he places the machine on me again, this time I'm not able to hold back my cries. I tried, I really did, I don't want her to see me like this but it fucking hurts.
Between the fire inside my body, the water, the shock and Amalie's screams I zone out completely. Suddenly my body hits the floor, limp and exhausted. Damn it, where the fuck is Pablo and Luca when you need them the most? My jaw hurts, my mouth hurts, my eye hurts.. everything hurts, everything except my heart. That's the only part he's not capable of hurting.
"Bruno!" Amalie cries in the background, "p-please stand up, I'm so sorry, p-please."
I inhale and close my eyes for a second. Get up, you're not that damn weak.
I inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. And I count to three, because once upon a time a friend told me that when you count to three everything should be okay by then.
1,
2,
3.
"I'll tell you, I'll tell you just p-please don't hurt him more!" She cries, and I use all my last strength on opening my eyes, and using the little I have of my voice.
"Don't.." I breathe, "don't do it Amalie, he'll kill him." And she'll hate me for it. "It's not worth it." I'm not worth it.
"He's going to kill you!" She shouts in anger and fear.
"He's going to kill me regardless, don't. do. It."
I blink a couple of times, my eyes are on the ceiling but everything is blurry. I need my strength, I can't zone out, I need to get her out of here. I got her into this mess. It's my fault.
"Well, I'm getting bored." Fucking Landon. I'm starting to hate his voice. "But he's right, I'm going to kill him regardless."
"If you kill him then you should make damn sure you kill me too because I won't stop until I have your blood on my hands, and that's a promise."
Through the pain I let out a bittersweet laugh, "I've seen her throw a knife straight into someone's throat in nothing but lingerie and high heels, good luck amigo."
I look to the side and see a small smile pulling through her tear-streaked face, "this is not the time to make jokes you idiot."
If her smile is the last thing I see before I die, I'll gladly embrace death,
"Boss!" Someone shouts, my brain is still blurry but when both Landon's face and Amalie whips to the side and a loud explosion erupts, I let out a breath of relief. Fucking finally.
"Damn it!" Landon shouts, "I fucking told you to watch the entire building!"
Even if they did, nothing would stop the twins – they're probably watching us right now. Some people are blessed with looks, some with brains but those fuckers got blessed with both.
"Boss we have to leave!" One of the guard shouts, as bullets go off in the background. I pull my strength together and try to stand up. It takes a lot of strength but at least I'm on my knees. I can barely see anything, Landon is further away now, and Amalie is scootching her chair towards me. At least as much as she can while being tied up.
"Come on!" Someone shouts, the guards start running, the entire place is filled with smoke and I can barely see but I see Landons blonde hair as he turns around and faces me. He pulls out a gun,
"This is for my sister"
"NO!"
I close my eyes and wait for the bullet to collide, instead a soft body collides with mine. I open my eyes and I feel everything tune out. The bullets. The smoke. The shouts – all gone. It feels like my entire world is turned upside down, everything is in slow motion except the pain. The pain is in full speed. There's no blood but I feel sharp stings in my entire body. Mostly my heart, my heart hurts. It hurts so fucking much.
"Amalie?" I let out a faint whisper, her eyes are closed and her body's on top of mine. Her eyes open slowly, she looks at me with her big doe eyes, she looks shocked. She looks at me then at herself,
"I'm fine." She breathes, "I'm fine, he- he missed."
She looks up and behind me, then a faint smile is on her lips as she nods to someone.
Her words are supposed to be soothing, they're supposed to relief me but my mouth is completely dry and my body is completely still. There's a big lump in my throat, and my heart feels so fucking heavy.
"Bruno?" she says, "Bruno I'm fine, we're okay, both of us." She shakes me, she nudges me but I'm not able to move.
Her eyes closed, just like his when we found him on the boat. Her body was completely still, just like his. She was almost gone, just like him.
"You," I whisper, unable to breathe. "You could've died."
"You were ready to die, and- and it was because of me, you almost died because of me."
She put herself in danger. I put her in danger.
She flew right in front of a bullet because of me.
She could've died. She was ready to die.
She was ready to leave. She almost did.
She can't love me. I can't love her.
Because my love, my love is death.
//
I hope this chapter gives you guys a clearer picture of Bruno's mind, and how it feels to live with the issues his character faces, how a person like that thinks and why it's hard to just "change" -> I feel like mens trauma is also very overlooked, if it was reversed then Bruno would still be getting more heat than Amalie. Maybe i'm wrong. I dont know
BUT: buckle up guys. We have a journey ahead. If you're the type that doesnt like long stories and wants a dramafree fast ending then you've gotten on the wrong ride because we still have a lot of road ahead!!
Ily -Red