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“She was raised in our circles. She knows what’s expected.”
“I know… but still…”
“Is she it for you? Is she your One?”
The concept of the one love for this life is something we both firmly believe. It’s the one thing my father passed on that I’ve never questioned. And it’s the same for Teo.
“Yes, she is,” he says without hesitation and his whole demeanor screams of conviction. “I didn’t realize it at first, because I expected to be hit by a lightning bolt like you were when you met Ella. This is so different. She’s been under my nose the entire time. How did I not see that?”
“You see it now. That’s all that matters. Don’t wait any longer to make her yours.”
“I won’t,” he promises. “I won’t let her slip through my fingers.”
“Be happy, Teo. Be happy with her.”
And I find myself praying again.
Praying that Mateo has the happy life I’m denied. Praying that he will find a way out. Praying that he will always be safe, no matter what.
I fall asleep and wake up to an unexpected sight.
Aiden.
That air of familiarity swirls around him, and as I look into his eyes, there’s a pull there, drawing me in deeper.
It’s not sexual, but it’s based on something that feels a lot like… Let’s just call it home… peace… serenity.
The silence between us stretches, but it’s not uncomfortable. Quite the opposite, it’s nourishing. It’s strange to experience this with another man.
The thought makes me shudder. Aiden’s sniper eyes don’t miss it.
“Are you in pain?” he asks.
I cough, trying to clear my throat. It goes hoarse quickly when I haven’t spoken for a while.
“They’re managing it. I’m not afraid of pain, even less since I decided what I’m going to do. To be bothered by pain would mean to be bothered by joy. And I’m not going to waste my last moments with Ella and Mateo.”
Aiden’s eyes widen, and his posture stiffens, but he doesn’t respond.
“How is Ella?” I ask.
“She’s asleep. She would like to ignore how exhausted she is, but her body won’t let her.”
Aiden regards me for a long while, and I’m not afraid to stare back.
“If anyone would have told me a few months ago I would feel a strange connection to a Mafia Don, I would have laughed. But I can’t deny that there is something about you… But don’t worry, I’m not attracted to you. You’re more like a brother to me.
“Brothers don’t always get along, often don’t see eye to eye and I suppose they could be like chalk and cheese, but the connection would always be there.”
I watch him as he speaks. He’s calm and collected, his body still. Nothing betrays the nerves that I know he’s battling with beneath the mask.
“Perhaps there is truth in our souls being connected,” he says, looking thoughtful, and I sense there is so much more to this man than the specialist killing machine his government tried to make of him.
I chuckle. “That has to be it. It’s the only thing that would explain why I didn’t put a bullet through your brain the second I realized you touched my girl.”
He gets up to get a bottle of water from the mini fridge. “Would you like one?” he offers.
“No.” I shake my head. “I’m well hydrated through this drip,” I say, pointing with my eyes at the many tubes going into my body.
