Page 39 of Traitor
Until I heard the sound of a car door opening.
“Quickly, get her inside.”
Teo?
“Mr. Emiliano, I can clean this up. You need to get out of here with her, though.”
Teo’s voice sounded beside me. “And what about my men? Where are they?”
A gun cocked. “You leave that to me, Mr. Emiliano.”
The world faded to black again, but it came rushing back to me when the car I was in hit a bump. It shot pain up and down my spine before it rolled me over, and that’s when I heard it.
I heard Teo talking as he gathered me against his chest.
“I knew he wouldn’t listen,” he murmured.
I wanted to speak, but it hurt to move my lips.
“I shouldn’t have put Lyle with you,” he whispered.
Teo, I’m here. I can hear you. It’s okay, I swear.
“You’ve changed my life in so many ways, you know that, right?” he asked.
I laid there, physically helpless and unable to open my eyes as he continued.
“And yet, I lay in bed at night regretting ever buying you off that stage because, without you, I have no idea how to function. You’ve impacted me that much, Char, and I’ve been lost ever since you chose him over me.”
I just wanted my freedom! I didn’t want him!
“To see you so hurt, it makes me want to kill him. Slowly. Torturously, for what he’s done to you.”
Don’t let him turn you into a monster.
“I had a dream last night about you.”
His words gave me pause and, temporarily, made me forget about the pain.
“I had a dream that I wanted to make the world in your vision. Where bad guys were bad guys and good guys were good, and good prevailed over evil every single time. I had a dream where I built you an office you could be proud of in the beach house that overlooked the ocean and we shared every meal together on the rooftop while watching the sun set. It was the first dream in my entire life I didn’t want to wake up from, and I’m so scared that I’m going to fail in that dream, Char.”
I felt a knot forming in my throat as his words trapped themselves in my mind forever.
“I fear that I may never be able to give you the world you deserve, and that you’ll hate me for it,” he whispered.
I love you, Teo. And it’s all going to be okay.
Then, the world went black once more as pain overcame my body and sucked me under. Like a current hoping to drag me out into the darkness of the sea.
Only this time, I knew I’d be okay.
I knew Teo would do everything in his power to keep me at his side so we could be together at last.
17
Mateo
I bentdown and kissed Char’s scabbed forehead. “I’ll be right back, beautiful. Don’t you worry.”
