^call me vain, but I like posting selfies as mine are fancy AF (+I didn't have what to put up there) and you can't complain as you get a new chapter.
Kisses,
Jane
***
The loud sound boomed through my body as I rolled away, most probably half-mooning everyone present in my flowy dress, but I honestly couldn't care less. They must've seen flowery underwear before.
As I steadied myself, a heavy object fell on my right, a muffled thud being heard as it touched the wet, yet hard, ground. It startled me for a second, making me whip my head towards the source. As my eyes searched the fallen body, they landed on the lifeless open eyes, making me stare shamelessly into them, looking for any sign of life still remained in there.
I kicked the knife away from Bearman's hand with my foot, backing away as quickly as I could, back to a safe distance.
My muscles were tense, but loosened as soon as I confirmed that the burly man was no longer a threat. Along with my muscles unknotting, I fell backwards, onto my butt, my hands placed back to prop myself up, suddenly exhausted.
Although calmer and out of danger, my eyes remained on the body, still wary of it as it would come back from the dead and grab me again with those filthy hands of his.
After a long, dragging pause, I heard multiple pairs of footsteps rushing to my side, almost everyone coming out of the shock of what just happened.
A myriad of faces made their appearances into my field of vision, men I didn't even talk to before asking me if I was alright or if anything hurt.
I didn't manage to say anything as there were too many questions asked and I couldn't catch one full sentence in the chaotic blurr of words.
"Make way for the doctor!" Dante shouted over the crowd, shoving at everyone as he tried to make his way to me, a man, with a medical kit in his hands I presume, following him closely.
As they got to me, Dante held everyone away from my exhausted body trying to give me much needed space to breathe. The man that I assume was the doctor got on one knee,taking hold of my chin, holding it still as he looked at the small cut on my neck. It was already closed up and the little blood that came out was dry on my neck, making me feel all sticky and dirty.
He quickly looked over my other wounds,at my bruised face from the slap Bearman left me with after he wanted to shut me up, over mt hands which were covered in small scratches from the frantic tree climbing and jumping, my feet , which were extremely dirty (as my kidnappers weren't as kind as to take some shoes on our way out the window) and lastly scanning my roughed up knees which I don't really know where I got them from.
"We better clean you up. These wounds aren't as grave as they seem, the dried up blood and dirt makes them look much more serious than they are. But first, let's get you out of here" the man in his early 50' said with a thick Italian accent, signalling a couple of men behind me to help me up.
They took both of my arms, gingerly putting them over their shoulders, holding my waist one side each. They were handling me with such care that I barely felt like I was moving at all, all the weight off my feet, no pressure being put on my wounds somehow.
As I looked at the men, I saw Abel n my right and another man I only knew the face of on my left, both missing the happy yet worried expression from earlier, now with angry, sad yet ashamed looks on their sharp and clean features.
Just what..?
I didn't get to question it as I was placed on the backseat of a familiar comfy black car,the doctor from earlier rounding the vehicle so that he could sit with me in the back. The man on my left gave me a slight smile as he left me on the backseat, rounding the car too, getting in the driver's seat, leaving me with Abel
"Don't worry principessa, you're going to be fine." Abel tried to assure me, a strained expression on his face as he did , making me even more worried. "You're going to be fine" he repeated, in a barely audible voice, putting one hand on my shoulder and kissing my forehead with a rather long kiss, making me feel very out of place.
What was going on?
"Abel..." I started, reaching for the retreating man,but he just shook his head, closing the door, making then his way into the passenger's seat, the driver starting up the engine. following after a car which pulled out first.
I noticed Dante's absence just now. I didn't see him since he led the doctor to my side 5 minutes ago. I looked over Abel's shoulder, searching the silhouettes in the car ahead of us for anyone that even resembled my Italian Mafia Boss, , trying to rotate in my seat to look in the back, my ribs screaming in pain as I did.
The adrenaline must've worn off as I started feeling the numbed pain coming back to me with every move I made.
"Stay still. I will clean your wounds until we reach the hotel. " the doctor ordered, pinning me to the leather seats with a hand on my shoulder.
"Where's Dante?" I asked the men in the vehicle, no one replying to my simple question. "Abel." I tried again, fixating him with my eyes in the rearview mirror, him looking tentatively into mine, dreading answering me. "Where is Dante?"I asked again, directly adressing the question to him, no getting out of it now.
He awkwardly coughed, looking away, gathering his thoughts. "He stayed behind with some of his men to search for the other kidnapper." he said quite smoothly, still not looking me in the eye.
"Knowing him, he would make sure to stay by my side as much as he could. Plus, he could leave his men to the task as it isn't so demanding as he needed to stay behind. There must be a reason to him avoiding me." I pushed further, seeing a switch being turned in Abel, him glaring at me as I finished my sentence through the rearview mirror.
"Not everything is about you principessa" he said, the pet name now sounding much more degrading than playful.
My eyes widened at the outburst, shocked for a second.Even Abel was surprised at his own behaviour, but I was first to get my composure back.
"True." I said succintly, a little bit hurt, looking down at the doctor's rapidly working hands, his stance much more uncomfortable than before.
I saw Abel looking apologetically at me, opening his mouth to blurt out some hind of excuse, shutting his mouth before any words got out, the process repeating a couple of times before he looked long at me, turning back in his seat,his gaze fixating on the straight dark road in front of us.