She moved in close to me as the water around us changed from clear to brown and red, then pink, and finally, clear again.
I wrapped my arms tightly around her.
She pushed in even closer to me, as if she wanted to kill every little space that could possibly exist between us.
The shakes started first.
Then her tears.
And finally, her sobs that just about broke my heart. Every sound was like a lash to my skin.
I wanted to take it all away.
I wanted to erase all her pain and the memories associated with those fucking Devil’s Wings bastards.
Killing them had been too easy.
Had I been thinking, I would have kept them alive and worked out all my frustration on them slowly… meticulously.
I tightened my arms around her and shook away the violent thoughts running rampant in my mind.
“D-Don’t e-ev-ver let-let me go.”
“I won’t ever let you go,” I vowed.
The only way that would ever happen was if I stopped breathing, and I didn’t plan for that to be the case anytime soon. No, I would continue to live a long life, for nothing more than to protect her from all those fuckers out there.
She buried her face in my chest and cried.
I pressed my lips on the top of her head, holding her close to me, and did the only thing I could do at that moment.
I never let her go.
I stoodat the edge of the bed and looked over at her sleeping form.
Even when she was deep in slumber, there was a frown on her face, showing her to be anything but peaceful.
My phone chimed with a text, and I quickly silenced it, afraid she might wake up.
I didn’t have to worry. She didn’t even stir.
I looked down at the screen and found a text from Romeo, telling me he was here to check my wound.
I bent down and kissed her forehead, lingering a bit before making my way downstairs.
All my brothers were sitting in my living room, and Matteo had already helped himself to my scotch.
“Not too loud,” I said, entering the room. “Isa is sleeping.”
“How is she?” Romeo asked.
“Traumatized,” I answered him, my fist clenching.
“That would explain why you didn’t leave any of the fuckers alive for questioning,” Massimo said.
“I wasn’t thinking,” I responded, grabbing the glass of scotch Matteo held out for me before taking a seat on the sofa next to Romeo. I took off my shirt. The first aid kit was already laid out on the coffee table.
I let him prod and poke at me. “Did you get everything cleaned up?” I asked Massimo. He nodded. “They knew my car.”
