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Chapter seven
Catalina
El Diablo!
That's what he looked like. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and although his hands and forearms had been wiped clean, he was covered in blood, his shirt more maroon than white and he had splatter all over his neck. With his dark hair slicked back and his glowering amber eyes, he truly looked scary.
How do I trust the devil?
Luckily, Atlas came to my rescue and led me away. Although I wasn't convinced they had my best interests at heart, they had never harmed me. That and the thought of a hot bath seemed like heaven to my bruised and battered body.
As they bundled me into the back of a car, I sat in a daze, trying not to think about how close I came to being raped tonight. I clenched my legs together, as if trying to defy the thoughts that kept invading my mind.
What if that hooded man hadn't been there to save me in time?
I shuddered at the thought, trying not to think about it and wiped away silent tears as I sat in the darkness of the backseat. I wasn't sure how much time had passed but when we pulled to a stop, I was surprised to see we were at the hospital.
"I thought we were heading back to the manor?"
Luca turned and glowered at me, his simmering look making me shrink back in my chair. "Well if someone hadn't caused such a scene tonight and gotten Nico shot, we wouldn't be here!"
My eyes widened. Oh no!Nico!
Through all that had happened tonight and being attacked, I had completely forgotten about him.
"I, I'm sorry. I forgot about Nico. Is he okay?"
He ignored me, spoke briefly with Atlas, and then slammed the door so hard, that I jolted in my seat. As Atlas drove home, neither of us said a word. I could see even from my position in the back seat that the usually smiley-faced Atlas, had his mind on other things. The worry lines on his forehead deepening as we drove further from the hospital.
When we eventually pulled into the underground garage back at the manor, he let out a worrisome sigh and smiled into the rearview mirror.
"Come on baby girl. Let's get you cleaned up." He jumped out of the car and opened my door for me. The first thing I noticed were the rows of cars lining the expansive underground area. Clearly someone was a collector.
"These are all yours?"
"Not just mine. My brothers' too."
"Let me guess." I pointed around the garage, "The R8 is Luca's, and yours is the hummer."
He chuckled. "Are we that obvious?"
I shrugged matter-of-factly. "Who rides the bikes?" I nodded to a row of six motorcycles. They looked expensive. I didn't really know much about bikes, but a distant memory sparked in the back of my mind. Going on rides with an older man. A father perhaps. I shook my head trying to remember, but the fleeting memory abandoned me as swiftly as it came.
Atlas smiled wanly. "Nico. He is our resident bad boy biker."
We fell into silence, looking over the shiny motorcycles neatly aligned to one side. He obviously took great care of them, and I wondered if he would ever ride them again. I'm sure Atlas was thinking the same thing.
"I'm sorry." My voice was barely a whisper. "I know it's all my fault."
"No. It isn't."
I turned in his direction. "I know you are only saying that to be nice, but if I hadn't tried to escape…"
"No!" He held up his hand, shaking his head. "He made that decision on his own. He could have easily let you die."
"How do you mean? Why would Nico risk his life for me?"
"You are more important than you realize." He smiled tiredly. "C'mon. Let's get you cleaned up."
