Page 32 of Queen of Ruin

My hands are stained with her blood, and as I run them under the hot tap while the shower warms, I’m struck by how painfully similar this is to when I found her. Her unconscious, bleeding all over the bed while I patch her up and try to recover from a near-death experience. That cop that came to the bar… there’s no way he was a real cop. If he was, he’s definitely not on the side of anything good.

I glance up and glimpse the shadow of bruising forming around my throat. I’ve never been one for fighting. I work out when I can because it’s a good distraction from the occasional itch that creeps up in my mind, taunting me to use again. That man attacked so suddenly and I couldn’t defend myself.

Would I have died if not for Valentina? What kind of man does that make me?

Those thoughts plague me as I strip off and step under the hot spray. Water pours down me, catching the bloodstains as it goes and swirling the crimson around the drain where it disappears forever. I stare until the water runs clear and then I scrub.

Everything is ten times more dangerous around Valentina. The crash itself was insane. The cop at my bar was unlike anyone I’ve fought before, and her reflexes were incredible. She’s from a world so different from mine.

Is this why no one is looking for her? Why her face doesn’t exist anywhere and my car vanished?

Never mind those strange men at my apartment.

It’s too much to think about. Exhaustion pulls like taffy through my mind so I turn off the shower, wrap a towel around my waist, and trudge back into the bedroom.

“Deigo!”

“Valentina!” Seeing her upright and awake floods me with a relief stronger than any drug. “Holy shit. Are you okay?”

“Mmhmm. I mean, this hurts…” She has her shirt raised and gently runs her fingertips over her freshly stitched wound. “You did this?”

“Oh, yeah. I’m sorry.”

“What for?” She glances up at me with big eyes. “It’s good. It’s helped me, so that’s all I care about.”

“I’ve never stitched someone like that before,” I reply. “But I think I did it right. We don’t have antiseptics or painkillers or anything like that, but I can go and get some now. Are you in a lot of pain?”

With one hand keeping my towel around my waist, I move to where I discarded my clothes on the chair, but Valentina stops me by shaking her head.

“Please, it’s okay. It’s so late and we’ve had a crazy day. I can manage. It doesn’t hurt that much right now anyway. I…” She cuts herself off and hesitates, wrinkling her nose slightly. “Thank you, Diego.”

“It’s no problem, seriously.”

“No, it is.” Lowering her shirt, she winces and looks up at me with such soulful eyes that my heart breaks a little. “I’ve completely derailed your life. Everything you’ve been doing for me is incredible. Even this…” She glances around and frowns. “Although, where exactly is this?”

“A pretty shitty motel just off the highway. Closest and cheapest I could afford. Didn’t feel smart to take you home after those people were there.”

“That’s what I’m talking about,” she says, returning her attention to me. “You’ve patched me up. Fed me. Given me space in your home and you don’t even know who I am.”

“Valentina…” Something about the way she speaks brings me to her side and I sit next to her. “I know you were scared the night you got into my car. And I know maybe it was dumb for me not to take you straight to the hospital, but I think tonight proves you were right. Cops aren’t on our side and you saved my life. And you remembered your name. So I believe it won’t be long until you remember everything, and then what doesn’t make sense, you will be able to answer.”

“Why are you so nice to me?” Her eyes droop slightly. “What if I’m the bad guy?”

I gently take her hand, sliding my fingers over her knuckles and around until we’re palm to palm. “I’m not a good guy either. And if we’re being fair, you don’t know anything about me, either.”

The corner of her lip twitches. “I know enough.”

“Then so do I.”

“You can’t say things like that when I’m trying to thank you.”

“I absolutely can.”

A soft, tired laugh escapes her and then she groans. “You look so good. Do you think I could take a shower?”

I glance down at her bloodstained shirt and then nod. “I can’t see it doing any harm.”

“Can you help me?” Her cheeks flush ever so slightly as our eyes meet. “I tried to stand when I woke up and it felt like my stomach was going to fall out of my ass. But I feel so dirty and grubby.”