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I pray that time will be my friend, much like it was when I was held in that cold, dingy room. Back when I had to remember all of the good things in my life and the things I still wanted and hadn’t done yet, that’s what got me through it.
On the third night, I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I shriek, jerking my body into a sitting position as I pant.
It’s Rayne.
She slides into bed next to me. “Mia! Are you okay? You were crying and screaming.”
I let go of the covers and sink back down into the pillows. It’s then I realize how badly I’m shaking. “You could hear me?” I whisper.
“Yes, I was going to get a glass of water.”
“I’m sorry if I woke you.”
“Don’t be silly. Why would you say that?”
She lays down sideways, and we look at each other in the dark while she runs a soothing hand down my arm.
“Am I ever going to feel normal again?” I ask.
“Of course you are, I’m certain of it,” she says with so much conviction that hope blooms in my chest.
“I just feel so strange. Not like me at all.”
She pulls the duvet up to my shoulders so it’s covering me. “It’s going to be okay, and we can take as much time as you need. I’m here. I’ll always be right here. I’ll never let anything happen to you again.”
“How do we know we can trust these people? You hardly know them yourself.”
She smiles softly. “I know because Angelo could have killed me and left you to rot in that building … but he didn’t. He wanted to save you as much as I did. He knew how important you are to me, and that says everything.”
I feel a tear escape and roll down my cheek. “You must have been out of your mind with worry.”
“You have no idea.” She sniffs. “That’s why I hired Enzo. I had to try and find another way.”
“I’m so sorry for all of this.”
She frowns. “Mia, you have nothing to be sorry for. Not ever. You did nothing wrong.”
“It scares me,” I say quietly. “Won’t our lives always be in danger if you stay with him? He’s mafia.”
“I’ve never felt safer than I do with him,” she admits. “He also punched Dane and broke his arm when he accosted me one night outside of work. I’ve also reason to believe that Dane had something to do with giving information to your captors about me.”
My eyes go wide. “No shit.”
She shakes her head gravely. “I’m certain of it. I don’t know what Angelo will do, but I can’t think of that right now. I’m so sick of bad people getting away with hurting good people.”
“Well, as you said, it’s over now. If you trust Angelo, and his brothers, then I trust your judgment.”
“I love you,” she whispers.
“I love you, too.” I swallow hard, my throat thickening.
“I don’t want you worrying about anything. You just need to rest and get your strength back. If you feel like talking to Josie when the time comes, we can do that too.”
Josie Kingston is the family shrink that Angelo offered to me. I’m not opposed to the idea at all, even if it does make me uncomfortable having to relive it.
Maybe that’s what has to be done to get to the core of it. Then I can put it behind me.
“Okay,” I whisper. “Is Dante staying the whole time too? I don’t need a babysitter.”
