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“Yup,” Sammi replies, peering into her glass with one eye with disappointment before sighing and tossing it. “He rubbed my feet for at least an hour. I even fell asleep at one point. Best night ever.”
I snort before standing, swaying only slightly as I make my way to the toilet.
“Okay, so tell me more stories. What was the—”
A loud knock on the door makes us both jump and Brutus is on his feet in seconds.
“Ana, open up.”
Both relief and anxiety hit me as I unlock the door to see Ax standing there.
“Ax!” I exclaim as I take in the blood coating his body. My hand reaches out to touch him, to reassure myself he’s okay, and I feel a stab of rejection as he pulls away.
“It’s not mine, but we need to go now. Grab your things.”
“What happened?” I ask, even as I’m shoving our few belongings into a bag.
“Grab some bandages from downstairs,” Ax tells Sammi, ignoring my question completely.
“Ethan?”
He nods and Sammi’s body seems to deflate before she rushes past him and downstairs.
“Brutus, go help her.”
Once he leaves, I turn to Ax again, more hesitant this time.
“What happened?”
“Later. Ethan’s at Emilio’s for now but we can’t keep him there for long, they’ll realize what happened soon enough and we need to get him out of there.”
My eyes meet his and I see the apology in them but also the urgency and know now isn’t the time.
∞∞∞
It’s almost dawn as we make our way toward Emilio’s. A faint headache pounds behind my eyes and I know I’m going to pay for the evening of drinking today.
We are silent as we approach the house, going around to the back where one of Emilio’s men I don’t know is waiting. He nods at us as he ushers us in and through the house.
“Ethan!” Sammi exclaims, rushing over to where he’s lying on a cot with a blanket covering him. He looks filthy and scruffier than I’ve ever seen him. Splatters of blood cover his face and there’s fabric wrapped around his arm. Despite it all though, my heart warms when I see how he looks at Sammi. His eyes light up and any bit of pain is replaced with pure love. When her hand trails softly down his cheek, I have to look away, feeling like I’m intruding on such a moment.
I dart a glance over to Ax and see his softened expression, and knows he sees it too. He catches my eye. Stepping closer, he reaches out and takes my hand into his and a sort of understanding passes between us and I feel a hint of relief. We have a lot to deal with, to talk about, but it can wait. My hand squeezes around his, receiving one in return.
“What happened?” Sammi asks, as she peels away a bit of the rags on Ethan’s arm and wrinkles her nose in disgust. “This cut is filthy, but not too bad. Where is all the blood from?”
Ethan winces as he sits up slightly, pulling back the cover to reveal his leg. Even though I’ve seen plenty of blood and injuries in my life, I still cringe. A gash runs up Ethan’s thigh, deep enough I can see the parted muscle and fat beneath. A faint gleam of white I am quite sure is bone is the straw, and I feel my stomach flip.
My hand rises to my mouth and I rush outside.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Axle
Ana rushes off when Ethan reveals his leg and I hear the back-door slam. Sammi is murmuring something to Ethan as she inspects the wound.
“What’s wrong with her?” Emilio asks as he steps into the room, pointing behind him to where Ana ran off.
“Saw the wound and got sick,” I reply, and Emilio narrows his eyes at me. He’s seen Ana literally beat a man to death and I’m sure he knows the sight of blood or injury wouldn’t make her sick. I’m not ready to admit to myself much less anyone else what she told me, though, and luckily Emilio doesn’t press.
