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My gun is still tucked into the back of my pants as I leave the room and run down the hallway and the stairs. It’s not the smartest move I’ve ever made, but I doubt Armas has many more guards on duty. And if he does, I don’t expect them to be any smarter or more adept than the other guards I ran into.
I stare intently at Eden as I carry her out of the house, not understanding what spell she currently has over me. My erection is still stiff in my pants. My body still aches to toss her in the back of the car and rape her, now. But something stops me.
The need to take care of her. To heal her. Help her.
That’s my biggest weakness. I can’t stop helping others. And I’ll most likely hate myself for taking care of her instead of taking care of my own needs.
Rescuing her made me a target. I shouldn’t have messed with one of the wealthiest families in Italy. Now I’ll have to deal with the rest of his family once they find out what I did.
I get to my car, but it barely has a second row. I start to put her in the backseat, but I don’t want to let her go. It’s not far back to my house, but for her, it will seem like an eternity in her condition. And I want to keep an eye on her leg to make sure she’s still awake.
I reach into my back pocket and pull out my cell phone while I hold her with my other arm. Even when she is dead weight and barely able to hold herself up, she’s still light in my arms.
I dial the number for Maximo.
“Yes, Matteo.”
“I need you to get to Armas’ place with an SUV as fast as you can and bring someone with you to drive back the sports car.”
“Is everything okay, sir?”
“Yes, hurry.”
“I’m five minutes away.”
I end the call and pocket my phone.
Eden’s eyes flicker, and I can’t help but stroke the hair away from her face. I’ve grown soft. It’s only because she reminds me so much of Nina. That’s not true, because, besides her looks and strength, she is the opposite of Nina.
Nina was soft and caring. She cared too deeply about others and was obsessed with Arlo and me. Eden is harsh. She’s faced the cruel world before, and it’s made her icy and closed off. She doesn’t care about others as much as she cares about protecting Nina and herself.
She swallows as she stares at me and I swear I see her blush a little as her eyes rake down my body.
“How are you feeling?”
“My leg hurts a lot.”
I nod. “And everything else?” I ask, unable to ask if he left permanent scars when he raped her or if he even got that far. I couldn’t tell from where I was standing or when I pulled him off her. I didn’t leave scars when I touched her, but I’m not sure if it’s because she has no memory of it or because I didn’t go far enough.
She purses her lips together as she takes her time answering me. “I’ll heal.”
My stomach churns. Armas did rape her; she’s just not telling me. Most likely, she doesn’t want to admit it to herself either. She’ll have to face it eventually. But in the meantime, I’ll play along and pretend the only problem that needs healing is her leg.
Maximo drives up, stopping feet from me. I pull the back door open and slide her body inside before I climb in after her. I let her head rest in my lap.
One of the men runs to my car to drive it home, while Maximo starts driving us toward my house.
The car hits a bump in the road, and Eden moans loudly, louder than I expected.
“You okay?” I ask.
She doesn’t answer right away. “Yes,” she finally breathes. “The pain is getting worse for some reason.”
I stroke her hair. “The adrenaline pumping through you, that helped you survived, is leaving your body. It was masking some of the pain.”
As we speed around another corner, she closes her eyes and winces. A tear rolls down her cheek and then another, despite her eyes being shut tight. Her face is turning redder every second. Her body shaking faster in my arms trying to distract her from her agony.
There is nothing I can do to comfort her, except hold her.
