Elena;
I gasped sharply, as the sound of the gunshot reverberated through every part of my body, leaving me in a breathless mess.
I was already panting, as I looked around my surroundings.
“You okay?”
I yelled sharply, as the voice sounded from behind me, and I snapped my head to the side, realizing it was Angelo.
He was sitting beside me, his voice deep and his gaze fixed on me.
Furrowing my brows, I regarded him with a wary look, my heart beating rapidly in my rib cage.
His blue eyes shone, as he held my gaze at this proximity. But, somehow, he doesn’t seem like his usual self.
He was more should I say, less- domineering.
He moved closer to me, and It was then I discovered that I was sitting up on a bed. Not just any bed, but…
I snapped my head around, taking note of the room for the first time.
“What am I doing here?” My voice was shaky as I asked, scooting away from him, as I tried to get up on the bed.
This time, I wasn’t tied up, thankfully, and I kept moving back until I got off from the other side of the bed.
I had barely landed a foot on the ground, when he materialized in front of me, his strong arms holding me in place, as he tried to place me back on the bed.
“Relax, love,” he said, calmly, contrary to how I felt at the moment.
I heard the gunshot again in my subconscious, and a startled scream escaped my lips, “No…. let me go, please…”
Flashes of the incident kept showing up in my head, and my body shivered uncontrollably, eager to get away.
I was shot?
I was shot. I chanted, as my eyes widened.
I saw him pull the trigger. I saw him point it at me. But how was I still alive, and what was I doing here?
Strong warm hands held me together, and I grabbed the fabric of his shirt, as he kept muttering, “Relax, you are safe now. You are safe.”
“I was shot,” I repeated, this time loud for him to hear, but he only held my whimpering body tightly in his arms, “No, you weren’t. You are safe, love. You are safe.”
I clung to him, like a moth to a flame, seeking assurance of my safety. For that moment, I had completely disregarded the fact that the man whose arms I was in, was in fact, Angelo Fabian.
And Angelo Fabian never speaks this way. He doesn’t and wouldn’t be comforting me right now.
Whatever it was, he was doing to keep me calm, was definitely working, as he kept rubbing small circles on my back.
I let in a deep breath, as I held his arm, pulling myself away from him. But a low painful groan escaped his lips.
My eyes immediately snapped up to his, and I could see he was clutching at his left arm.
He was putting on a black shirt, the same black shirt he was on when he came to save me earlier…
Wait.
My eyes rolled in my head, as the realization struck me.
He came to save me!
Angelo Fabian actually came to save me! It suddenly sparked in my head, as the suppressed memories came rushing through, of how we escaped from there.
“You-” my brows furrowed, as I stared at the wet patch on his arm, “You took a bullet for me?”
His lips thinned, and he frowned, disengaging from me, “Two, to be precise, love.”
I gasped.
Two bullets?
Yes, that was right.
“But- but why?” I inquired, wondering why he had done that.
“Why did you come for me?” My voice was in a whisper, as I asked, my eyes swarming with curiosity, searching his for an answer.
There must be a reason why he must have done that. He was Angelo Fabian. And I was well acquainted with his reputation to know that he doesn’t risk his life for something not important to him.
My eyes glanced down from his eyes, settling on his arm, where he must have been shot at.
I was safe.
But he was hurt. And he wasn’t saying a damn word. But the tightness of his jaw and the way he held on to his lower arm, made me come back to my senses, and I reached out to it.
“You’re hurt,”
He flinched back, just as my hands made contact with his arm.
He was bleeding fast, and it needed to be stopped. My frantic eyes darted around the room, and I sprang up to the bed.
“Where are you going?” He called after me, but I ignored him, making my way to the bathroom, where I knew the kit was.
I was on my knees, beside a locker, shuffling through the equipment in the kitchen, when I heard his footsteps close by.
“Elena, get back in bed, you need to”
I stood abruptly, my eyes settling on him standing there at the door, “You’re hurt, Angelo,” I deadpanned, “You’re hurt and you-you took a bullet for me-”
I didn’t know how to feel about the situation. About the fact that he had done something like this.
Shaking my head slightly, I walked toward him, and took hold of his arm, pulling him forward until he was leaning on the slab.
My eyes went straight to his arm, observing that the wet patch seemed to be spreading.
I needed to do something to stop the bleeding, or he might bleed to death.
“You are well aware that a minor graze as this, is nothing compared to what I have encountered, have you?” He was staring intently at me.
“What do you mean? You are bleeding for heaven’s sake!” I retorted.
I shook my head, sighing deeply as I made to work. First, I needed to get rid of his shirt to enable me to see what I was working on.
Before I could place my thoughts, however, I felt hands on my arms, and I was immediately hoisted up from below.
“What-what are you doing? Angelo!? Put me down!”
He was walking out of the bathroom, with me on his shoulders, as he led us out of the bathroom, and into the room.
“Let me down,” my back hit the soft material of the bed, as he dropped me.
“Do not let me repeat myself, Elena. You need to rest. This-” he gestured to his arm, “is nothing you should be concerned about. You should focus on yourself and have a rest.”
As soon as he said that, he turned his back and walked away, stepping out of the room.
Why does he keep insisting I take a rest?
“Please-” I whispered, sitting up on the bed.
He stopped in his tracks, his back to me, and I sat up straighter, “It is the least I can do. Just let me do this, please.”
He didn’t respond, but I noticed his fingers were clenched together, as he stood rigid, facing the door.
Slowly, I stood, making my way toward him, with calm tentative steps.
Stopping right behind him with just a few steps between us, I let in a deep breath and said the words I never thought I would ever say to him.
“Thank you, Angelo.”
As much as I could recall, this was the first time someone had saved my life in this manner. I didn’t know what ulterior motive he might have when he did that, but I was beyond grateful to him.
No one had ever done that for me. At that point, I thought I was going to die. I was so sure he had pulled the trigger on me, but turned out I was scratch-free.
Angelo turned slowly toward me, and suddenly I couldn’t breathe properly.
His eyes bore into mine with so much intensity, almost like he was stripping me bare.
I swallowed anxiously and reached out my hands to hold his, and his gaze snapped down. He was warm to the touch, and I felt heat creep up my arms.
“Please…” I implored, “Just let me stop the bleeding. It’s the least I could do to repay you. Please ..”
“Elena,” he called through gritted teeth.
I drew my eyes to him, surprised at his tone of voice. His chest was heaving, and his hands clenched on mine, for a moment, before they slowly made their way up my arms.
He seemed like he was holding off. On something I couldn’t pinpoint exactly.
“You should know better than to start what you know you cannot finish. I’m holding off on every last shred of gentleness, so as not to pin you to that wall and fuck you senseless,” he took hold of my arms and dropped them to my side, letting go of the warmth I felt earlier.
“I would suggest you have some rest, and then we can talk tomorrow. It’s pretty late now.” He concluded and made to leave.
But I held him back, my hands building his arms in place, as I made him turn back to me.
My whole body was heating up from his intense gaze, and I was pretty sure my legs were turning to jelly as the seconds ticked by in silence.
I was suddenly tongue-tied, unable to say a word, as I kept gazing up at him.
But then his eyes darkened, and in a swift move, he was grabbing me by the waist, and pulling me into his warm chest.
“I warned you sweetheart. I wouldn’t be able to stop, once I start with you.” He threatened.
With a newfound courage and boldness in me, I responded, “Then don’t. Don’t stop.”
That was all it took for a low growl to escape his lips, and in a flash, I was pinned to the nearest wall, his hands clutching at my neck, as his lips crashed down on mine…..