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Mooney nodded once.
“I was rescued from the hellhole a couple of weeks ago,” he said. “The information was shared
on the news, and I got to thinking about Malachi and Luca. We were all really good buddies, and the shit that happened in… yeah. Not going there. But we got tight,” he said. “I wanted to check on Luca.
Knew he got out because I overheard the guards saying that he was ‘rescued’ but he’d never be the
‘same’ again. I wanted to make sure that he was okay, I guess. And everyone got all confused when I asked for Luca. One thing led to another, and yeah. That’s how it got to this point.”
Luca still hadn’t said a word.
I looked over at him to see him staring blankly forward.
“I don’t remember you,” he said finally. “I’m sorry.”
Hayes stared at Luca for the longest of times before saying, “It’s understandable. What all you
went through…” He stopped when he looked at me, staring at him intently. God, I wanted to know
everything that happened. Everything.
But it looked as if Hayes didn’t think that I needed to know those particular details.
“Bomb,” I said, touching Luca’s shoulder where the scars were mottled. “Torture.” I touched a
straight slice that bisected Luca’s cheek. “Neglect.”
The table was deathly silent.
“I can guess,” I finally said. “But no, you’re right. I don’t think that I want to be here for that.”
I absently started spinning the diamond engagement ring that I’d yet to take off of my finger since Luca had put it on there.
With that comment, I stood up. “I’m going to see if I can find some coffee. And some air.”
And I did.
Forty-five minutes later, I was on my back on a stone bench staring up at the sky.
It was so hot that I had sweat running down my cheeks and into my hair.
Yet I stayed exactly where I was, not sure what to do next.
Then I felt him—just like I always did when he was around.
He sat down on the bench next to my head, and I glanced up at him.
“Hey,” I said softly.
His eyes caught mine.
“You… hey,” he finally settled on.
I didn’t know what to say.
What to feel.
But I knew two things. It was my Luca sitting beside me. My Luca who I was still engaged to. My
