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The two men behind him point their weapons at me as I step forward. I make it to the first one, and by the time he hits the ground, the goon beside him is following suit—except it wasn’t me who shot him. I spin around, my sight raised and ready, the exhilaration of the kill kicking in. Until my eyes land on hers…
Holly is standing with a gun raised in one hand, her other clutching at the fabric of her shirt. Her face is red, bruised. Someone fucking hit her, and everyone in this god-forsaken house is about to feel my wrath. I point the hot end of my barrel straight at Donatello. “What the fuck happened? Somebody better start fucking talking right the fuck now, before I empty this chamber in your fucking head.”
“Theo, it wasn’t his fault.” Holly’s voice is quiet as she falls to the floor.
“Fuck! Don’t fucking move,” I warn Donatello. Neo now has two guns trained on the old man. “Holly, dolcezza. What happened?” I remove my jacket and drape it over her shoulders, before picking her up and cradling her in my lap.
“He-he… I-I… I didn’t know what to do, T. I’m sorry. I killed him. I killed him,” she says, her body shuddering. And it’s not from the cold.
“Who?” I ask, looking up at Donatello. Holly is in no state to be talking right now.
“I heard the shots… By the time I got here, he was on fucking top of her… on the bed. I pulled him off, but she managed to pick up his gun. Shot him three times, perfect fucking aim.” Donatello steps towards us, squatting down in front of Holly. “You did nothing wrong, bella. That cogliona was dead, whether you pulled the trigger or I did. You should feel nothing but pride, and anyone who says otherwise can come and see me.”
“He was on…” I can’t finish the sentence; my voice chokes up. I’m nauseous. I want to kill every motherfucker in a five-mile radius.
“Theo, get her out of here. She needs you more than anything else right now. The rest can wait.” Donatello breaks me from my rage-induced trance.
“How do I know you weren’t a part of this?” I ask him. “That’s your best fucking friend lying there, with half his skull missing and his brains pouring out. And you expect me to believe you’re just okay with that?”
“Like I said, anyone who lays a hand on my family pays the goddamn price. I would have liked to make him suffer a bit more, but what’s done is done.” He walks straight past Neo and up to his men, all standing there with shock clear on their faces. “I want security increased. Spread the word: the Valentinos are fucking untouchable.”
* * *
Holly’s quiet sobs are killing me. I’ve showered her. I’ve held her. And I’ve tried to talk to her, but she won’t say anything. It’s breaking me to see her like this. To know that it’s my fault for leaving her alone here. “Dolcezza, tell me what I can do? The doctor is waiting to see you, whenever you’re ready. But we do need to get you looked at.”
She shakes her head no, burying her face into my chest. Her arms are wrapped tightly around me. I rub my hands through her wet hair, and up and down her back. I’m out of my fucking element here. How the fuck do I fix this for her?
“Please, Holly, let the doctor check you over,” I plead.
“Will you stay with me?” Her voice is hoarse, rough.
“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here, holding on to you the entire time,” I promise her. I made sure Neo arranged for a female doctor, hoping that would ease her mind a little.
“Okay.” Holly sits up, and her grip on me loosens a little, only to tighten again when I attempt to stand.
“I’m going to unlock the door. I’ll be right back, dolcezza.” Her eyes widen, and I know she doesn’t want to let me go, but she does so reluctantly and just enough that I can slip out. I open the door and let the doctor in. “È traumatizzata e molto debole. Non toccarla da nessuna parte, senza prima chiederglielo. Se le fai del male, ti finisco, cazzo.” I tell the doctor that Holly is traumatized and fragile, as well as give the woman a little friendly reminder that if she hurts my wife, Iwillkill her. “Come in. Holly, this is Dr. Lewis. She’s going to ask you some questions and then conduct a quick examination, to make sure you’re all right.”
I’m not sure I can handle hearing Holly relay what happened; the version my imagination has cooked up is bad enough. I sit on the bed next to her, picking up her hand before offering it a reassuring squeeze. She slides in against me. If she were any closer, she’d be in my lap.
“Hello, Holly, it’s lovely to meet you. My name is Allie Lewis. Do you mind if I take a quick look at the bump on your head?”
Holly turns to me, her eyes waiting for something, though I’m not sure what. I nod, urging her to continue. “Sure.” Her voice is quiet as she gives her consent.
The doctor pokes around at the swelling that is currently covering the top half of Holly’s face. “Are you nauseous? Did you black out at all when you were hit?”
“Ah, no. I was dizzy, but I didn’t black out.” My whole body tenses as she responds. The fact that she was hitat allmakes me want to go off on a bloody rampage.
“Hm, it looks okay, but you need to be mindful of a concussion.” The woman turns to me. “Wake her up every two hours. Throughout the night.” I nod.I can do that.I’ll do whatever I have to fucking do. “Holly, where else were you touched? Were you hit anywhere else?”
Holly stills, and silent tears roll down her cheeks. I swipe them away with my thumb. “It’s okay, dolcezza. You need to tell the doctor. She needs to know, so she can do her job properly. He can’t hurt you anymore. No one’s gonna hurt you ever again,” I whisper into her ear before kissing her forehead.
“He… he… um… My breasts, he grabbed my breasts,” Holly admits.
“Okay, do you mind if I have a quick look?” The doctor’s voice is soft and oddly soothing. I’m glad I had the forethought to request a female.
“Here, let me help.” I peel Holly’s robe open, but only enough to show the bruises that fucker left on her. I breathe in and count to ten in my head, conjuring up the various ways I want to bring the son of a bitch back to life, just so I can kill him again.
“Okay, these contusions should heal in a few days. Did he touch you anywhere else, dear? I know this may not be something you want to talk about or even recall. But it’s important we know everything that’s happened to you. If you’d prefer some privacy, we can discuss it alone,” the doctor offers.
