AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Theo doesn’t speak as he meets my gaze. Instead, he cups either side of my face and leans into me, pressing his forehead against mine. After what seems like a long while, Theo pulls away and finally whispers, “I missed you so fuckin’ much.”
Tears well in my eyes and spill down my cheeks. I open my mouth to say something, but my throat feels dry and tight. The only thing that comes out is a croaking sound. Theo pulls away long enough to pour some water out of a pitcher into a little cup and open a straw. He brings it to my lips, and I slowly take a few sips. When I’m done, he places it back on the tray and comes back to me.
“You had me scared out of my mind,” he confesses, swiping the tears.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, my breath hitching. “I’m so, so, so sor—”
“Snowflake, you have nothing to be sorry for,” he murmurs, interrupting me. “I don’t ever want you to apologize for any of this. It wasn’t your fault. None of it.”
I nod, though, not feeling as if it were true. Leaning into my pillow, I don’t take my gaze off of him, but exhaustion starts to take over. I don’t even think of the pain or anything else overtaking my body. Nothing else matters right now.
“Rest, baby, you’re still healing,” Theo says, pressing his lips to my forehead before pulling away slightly. I grasp his arms, stopping him from moving any further, and stare at him with wide eyes.
“I don’t want to sleep anymore,” I complain, not taking my eyes off of him. “The dark scares me.”
Theo’s eyes flare at my comment, but he doesn’t respond. At least not using words. No, my man doesn’t need words in a moment like this. He uses his body.
Ever so gently, Theo slides me over a little and climbs on the hospital bed and wraps his arm protectively around me. “Now, you don’t have to be scared. I’ll keep the monsters away,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to my hair.
“I love you,” I whisper, breathing in his woodsy scent. His cologne always has a way of soothing me. Okay, so maybe it’s him that’s able to do it.
“Love you too, Snowflake. Now rest. We’ve got a lot to talk about, and you need your strength.
“Okay, Theo.” I snuggle into him and close my eyes. There’s a lot we’ve got to talk about—none of it will be pretty. Especially when I know, he’ll want me to tell him everything I endured at the hands of Ethan.
ChapterThirteen
THEO
Holding Blake in my arms for the first time since finding her is like a weight is lifted off my chest. I know this is nowhere near over with, but my woman finally opened her eyes after a fucking week of my sitting at her side waiting for her to come to.
During the time she slept, I visited Mia’s room which is right next door. I never went anywhere else. Leo and Christian have been rotating between both rooms. Neither of them looks good. Guilt is written all over their faces, just as it is mine. We weren’t able to save them from the torture they both endured.
Where Blake didn’t wake up, Mia did shortly after her surgery. She ended up telling us that my woman and her were held in separate places. The only time they saw each other, Ethan and Federico used her as bait to get what they wanted the night before we finally found them. Mia didn’t have to confirm what she herself had been through. Dr. Langsten did it for her. My beautiful cousin was raped repeatedly, whereas Blake was abused and tormented.
Dr. Langsten isn’t just a staff member of the hospital. He’s on our payroll and a cousin on my mother’s side. My mother also sits on the board of directors here, as well as our family gives large donations to the facility. Because of this, both Mia and Blake have been very well taken care of. But then again, most of the staff we’ve met in the last week have been nothing if not considerate to them.
When the doctor told me about Blake and the baby, I couldn’t have been more shocked. I didn’t want to believe, hell, I’m still having a hard time coming to terms with it. Mainly because I could’ve lost not just my woman but our child.
After doing an ultrasound, they confirmed Blake being eleven weeks at the time, and now a week later, she’s hit the three-month mark.
Sighing, I press another kiss to the top of Blake’s head as she sleeps against my shoulder. For the first time, I close my eyes and finally allow myself the chance to at least rest. I told Blake we’ve got a lot to talk about, and I know it’s going to be a struggle for her. I can’t blame her either. She’s been through hell. No one wants to talk about something so traumatic, but I need to know if it was only Ethan who hurt her. Which I don’t think it was. My gut’s telling me there’s something more to it, and whatever she tells me, I won’t like it.
Either way, I’m here for my woman, and that’s where I’m going to stay. No one, and I mean no fucking one, will ever take her from me again.
Leo, Christian, and I have already agreed that safety measures for the women are to be a high priority. They’re not to go anywhere without us unless they’ve got someone with them at all times. Not just watching from a distance.
A soft knock on the door pulls me from my thoughts, and I glance toward the doorway to see Christian stepping inside, his gaze coming to mine. “She wake up?”
“Yeah, for a moment.” I keep my voice down, not wanting to wake Blake up.
“Good.” Christian nods, moving further into the room until he throws himself in the chair on the other side of Blake’s bed. His eyes stay on his little sister as he speaks again. “Nicolo called said someone was following him and Diego this morning. They caught the tail right off the bat, but he thinks they’re looking for Bianca, Federico, and Ethan.”
“Fuck,” I grumble under my breath. “We need to handle that situation sooner rather than later.” I don’t want to. Unfortunately, it’ll have to be done.
Another soft knock interrupts Christian from retorting. The door opens to Leo coming into the room. His gaze moves directly to the bed, and the corner of his lip quirks slightly. “Has she woken up yet?”
Nodding, I look back to Christian. “Who do we have watching over those three?”
