AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Stay put, killer!” His voice is loud and commanding in the cabin of the car.
“No. Fuck that, Finn. What is going on? What do you see?” I try to yank my arm out of his bruising grip, but he doesn’t relent. Fuck this shit. I’m tired of them manhandling me. I drop my face to his outstretched arm and bite down hard on his hand. A loud shout leaves his lips, and finally, his grip releases me. I immediately yank the door open and slip out of the vehicle.
Theo’s broad back still blocks my view of whatever has them all tense and ready to fight. I try to shift around him, but his hand snakes out, wrapping around my wrist, then pulling me hard into his body. I struggle in his harsh clasp but finally give up. I divert my attention to the sight up ahead in the wooded area.
Two dark shadows are creeping out of the wooded area. They’re barely moving more than a foot at a time, both holding each other up. Two of Diego’s men yell at them in English and Spanish to stop where they are and put their hands up, but the shadows keep moving slightly forward, ignoring the commands. What the fuck am I seeing? Is it a threat, or are ghosts escaping this creepy forest?
A beam of moonlight breaks over their faces, and the air gets trapped in my lungs. It’s Mateo, or at least I think it’s Mateo. His face is covered in blood and bruises. His dark hair is all matted and in lumps around his head. He sways on his feet, his body looking painfully thin in the clothes just hanging off his six-foot-one frame. A gasp leaves my lips, and I lurch forward only to be pulled back by Theo’s unrelenting hold.
My sight travels over Mateo’s body and then connects with a pale hand gripping him tightly. Small pale fingers are interlaced in his in a locked grip. My gaze follows upwards until I’m scrutinizing the face of a battered young woman. One with terrified eyes and a thin body enveloped in blood and dirt-stained clothes. Her whole body is shaking like a leaf in the cold wind. I observe as Mateo pulls her closer into his body, wrapping himself protectively around her. He lowers his head, speaking to her in low murmurs that I can’t make out from the distance between us. Her chest rises and falls with rapid breaths at whatever he says to her.
“Primo…holy fuck.“ The harsh cry leaves Diego’s lips, but I can’t take my eyes off the vision in front of me. Mateo is alive, or barely alive, from what I can see of him. Who is the girl? The one he won’t release his hold of, even to comply with Diego’s men’s instructions.
I see Carter charging toward the pair from the corner of my eye. I want to call out to him to stop, but the words don’t seem to leave my lips. He reaches them in quick strides, sliding his body between Diego’s men and Mateo. He moves forward, his arm outstretched, and reaches for Mateo. He never makes it before Mateo’s harsh voice echoes through the forest area.
“Don’t fucking touch her.” His voice is hoarse and filled with fury. I watch as the female cowers at his harsh words and plasters her body against his until he has her wholly wrapped in his arms. What. The. Fuck. There was no way Carter was going to even touch her.He was reaching for Mateo; I’m positive of it.
“Bro, it’s me. It’s Carter. I’m not going to hurt her or you.” Carter takes a step back, looking back over his shoulder and his gaze connecting with mine. I can see the shock and surprise in his eyes.
I pull on Theo’s hold, and he finally releases me. As I take steps forward toward Mateo, unease fills me. The girl is watching me with frightened tear-filled eyes. As I move closer to the pair, further details are apparent. They are both incredibly malnourished. Their faces are gaunt and splattered in blood; Mateo’s more than hers. It trails down his face to his neck and coats the thin shirt he is wearing.
She’s small, Mateo’s body dwarfing hers, but she stops shaking and straightens her body when her eyes connect to mine. I see the fierce warrior behind her dark irises. She’s prepared to fight us if we mean them harm.
“Mateo…” I don’t even recognize my voice as it fills the space between us. My eyes drag away from the young woman, meeting Mateo’s smokey green eyes. He shakes his head a few times, his eyes closing and reopening like he’s trying to clear a fog from his visions. His high cheekbones are covered in a dark ragged beard, and his lips are covered in sores. A sharp lance of pain goes through my body at seeing the condition he’s in. They almost succeeded in killing him. Vincent Saint-Lambert almost took another one from me.
I use the most soothing voice I can muster, my words struggling to leave my lips and my throat clogged with suppressed sobs. “Mateo, you’re safe now. No one is going to hurt either of you. I promise you; you’re safe.”
His eyes finally connect with mine, and I notice when his brain makes the connection and lets him see who is in front of him. “Mia…” His voice comes out as a breathy whisper. I watch as the young woman’s stare shifts from him to me. Then she releases her grip on his shirt, but still, he makes no move to release her.
I keep moving until I stand no more than a foot away from him. My heart is hammering in my chest, and my breath quickens. The sound of my blood rushing in my ears is so loud that it drowns out all other sounds. Up close, even in the meager light of the pale moonlight, you can see the amount of damage they’ve done to him. I watch as he struggles to speak, his throat bobbing up and down, then a tear slides down his cheek. “Is it really you? Are you real?” His voice comes out shaky and filled with desperation.
“I’m here, Mateo. You’re safe now.” I reach my hand up tentatively to touch his cheek, and he closes his eyes when my hand makes contact with his thick whiskers. I shift forward, wrapping my arm around his neck and pulling my body carefully against his, my own eyes stinging with tears. He never releases his hold on the girl next to him. She ends up in the middle of our bodies connecting. I pull back from him, turning my gaze away from him to hers. I want her to know she’s safe. She looks like she has been through hell. “You’re safe, both of you. We won’t let anyone hurt either of you.”
“Thank…you.” The words seem to be a struggle for her to speak, her voice so soft that I can barely hear her. I reach forward, wrapping her in my arms and trying to transfer some of my strength into her. Whoever she is, she was obviously tortured right along with Mateo, and he has saved her. Or maybe she’s the one that saved him.It doesn’t really matter. She’s important to him, so she’s important to me.
She doesn’t return the pressure of my hold, but her petite body shakes. I can hear her breath wheezing from her chest.Fuck, we have to get these two to a hospital right now.I pull back from my grasp and turn towards Diego, who has moved up next to me and has Mateo in a one-armed hug. Mateo’s grip on the girl is tight, and I watch as a grimace crosses her face.
“We need to get them medical attention right now, Diego.” My words have Mateo’s glance returning to me. He shakes his head, pulling the girl closer into his body and taking a step back from us. Fear is instantly etched across both their faces.
“No, no one touches us. No one touches June.”
Chapter 39
Mia
“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” George Lucas
“June.”That’shername.The girl he’s clutching as if his life depends on it. A moment of worry and envy fills me before I squash it down.What is the matter with me?This girl and Mateo have just been through hell. He feels very protective of her. Whatever she endured at the hands of Vincent Saint-Lambert must have been horrendous. They both survived together. There’s a bond built in the fires of hell there, and that is not a reason for me to be envious.
It’s a reason for me to ensure this girl is treated with love and protection. Whatever happened to them, they went through it together. She helped my Mateo survive, and return to me. For that, I owe her a life debt. No one will ever hurt this girl again, I swear it.
“Stella has a full medical team on standby back at the estate; let’s get them there to be assessed. Then if they need further medical care, we can determine what’s best when we reach that point.” Finn moves in closer, approaching the pair like they are frightened animals and not one of his best friends barely standing there. He reaches out his hand, leaving it up to Mateo whether he takes it. His body is locked tight, all the muscles rigid, and I can see the fear in his eyes. There’s a moment of hesitation on Mateo’s part, which has my breath stuttering in my chest. Then he grasps Finn’s hand and pulls him towards him. They embrace, both clutching at each other, and the sight has tears trailing down my face.
Finn pulls back and steps aside, wiping his own tears with a look of relief across his face. His whole body seemed to deflate from the tension that was riding it hard. A slight grin crosses his face. “I’m so glad to see you, Mat.” Then he turns his gaze on June, who is staring at him, her features less frightened but still wary. “Hello, June. Thank you for returning my best friend to me.” He doesn’t attempt to touch her; he just nods his head respectfully at her.
“We need to get them out of here.” Theo’s harsh voice sounds from behind us. I turn to stare at him and realize he still hasn’t moved from his spot by the car. He looks like he’s seen a ghost, his face pale in the moonlight and sweaty despite the cold air. His eyes are large and filled with untold horrors. I watch as he clenches both his hands, before wrapping his arms around himself. Fuck, I forgot how traumatic it would be for him to see Mateo like this. To know his father did that to Mateo. He almost killed him, just like he almost did to him and Carter.
Mateo’s eyes search behind me and connect with Theo’s. They stare at each other, both with frightened, anguished looks on their faces. After another moment, Theo moves forward; no words are exchanged as he moves up to Mateo, and both his hands reach up to cradle Mateo’s face. He leans his forehead against Mateo’s, and they both stand there with their eyes closed, lost in the moment. It’s heart-wrenching watching them both struggle with their emotions. Knowing that Theo is reliving all the painful horrors he survived at the hands of his father, just by looking at the condition that Mateo is in.
