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"He needs to eat." Vitto says grabbing hold of my arm and pulling me into another room. I sat down on the edge of the bed unsure of what to do next. "Don't move."
Vitto walks out of the room leaving Chance and I on our own. Even though I know there are other people in the house I don't remember the last time I'd felt this alone. So out of options. So scared.
He comes back in with my bag and Chance's food and grabs the child from my arms as he hands me the food to prepare. "What are you going to do?" I ask desperate to see any glimmer of hope in our situation.
"I'm going to complete my task." Vitto says without a care in the world.
"You didn't sound very confident when your father was explaining it to you earlier."
"I'm going to die Stella. There's no way for me to complete this and come out in one piece. I'm not deluded enough to think otherwise." Vitto speaks with such a calmness to his voice it almost feels unreasonable for me to be in such a panic.
I quickly finish making Chances bottle and bring it over to him. My hands shake as I lift the bottle to my son's lips. Vitto takes it away from me and gestures with his chin for me to sit back down.
"How are you so calm about this? I mean don't you care? Can't you think of a different way?"
"No, there's no other way." Vitto answers immediately.
"Vitto, I'm not going to let you-"
"Let me what! Protect my family? Not going to let me do everything in my power to keep you and my son out of an early grave? I told you the minute I had you that you belonged to me and no one is going to take you away from me. If I have to run through blood and bullets to do that, so be it. Don't begin to presume what I'd do for you two Stella." He hisses at me and finally, I start to see a bit of emotion from him. He may be resigned to his fate but I'm not.
"You think we'll survive on our own?" I question.
"Yes, I do. You survived more than a year without me before. You'll survive." he nods his head. Clearly, he's got more faith in me than I have in myself.
"Vitto, I don't want to do this without you. I'm...I'm scared." I admit and drop my head. The shame spread over my body like a flame. One I wish I could extinguish. I shouldn't be so attached to Vitto but I am. I can't help the way I feel about him. He's wormed his way into my soul and the mere thought of being without him feels like my skin is being ripped off my body slowly, painfully.
"Stella, all my life I've felt like I had to prove to the world that I was good enough. That I was more than just my father's son. A father who only thought of me as a mistake. A failure. The very moment I saw your face I knew you were perfection and I had to have you. If I could somehow prove to you and the rest of the world that I could hold onto someone as pure as you I wouldn't have to worry about what anyone else thought. I was meant to kill you but killing you would've been like killing part of my soul. If I have to give up my life in order for you to live, in order for our son to live, I'll do that without a care in the world. My father thinks this is going to break me but what he doesn't know is the moment you gave yourself to me I'd already won."
Big tears roll down my face as he bares his soul to me. Who would have thought I'd go from hating the man that had been stalking and planning to kill me to falling for him. He talked about being a failure but in my eyes he's the ultimate prize. All I want is him in my life. "I'm in love with you Vitto." The words are out of my mouth before I have a good chance to think about them.
It's sick and twisted. He's supposed to be my murderer. Yet from the minute I've met him he shown me more care and love than anyone else in my life. He's shown me what it feels like to be needed and wanted. He's willing to give up his life simply because he's had me for a few days let's me know that this man is exactly the man I've been waiting on my whole life.
"I don't know what love is but if you feel even a slither of what I feel for you then I'm the luckiest man in the world, death sentence or not."
I let the tears roll down my cheeks as I push myself up off the bed and rush to wrap him and Chance into my arms. I want to get all I can from him. If this is the last time I want to remember what it feels like to be genuinely loved. Even if it is crazier than anything I've ever experienced in my life.
* * *
"I need you to pay attention to what I'm saying Stella." Vitto grabs hold of my face and peers down into my eyes. That panic that I was looking for from him earlier finally peeking through.
After we finished feeding Chance and we got him down for a nap he informed me that I'd be on the run with his younger brother Diego. Someone I didn't know from a hole in a wall but was now expected to trust with my life.
"You'll do exactly what Diego says, none of this bullshit with you trying to get away. Don't run from him. I may not be on the playing field anymore but there's still a shit load of assassins looking for you."
I squeeze my eyes shut as the gravity of my situation continues to weigh on me. It's not just Vitto whose life is on the line. The contract is still open on my life. "If I couldn't hide out with you what makes you think I'll have any better luck with him? Does he do the same things you do?"
"No," Vitto smirks slightly before he looks over at his brother who is waiting at the driver's side door, "Diego's more of a lover than a fighter."
Great just what I needed.
"Still I have faith that you'll be able to hide out with him. He'll keep you and Chance safe." Vitto nods once and dips his head to kiss me.
I revel in the feel of his lip against mine. The passion instantly ramps up and I latch on to his shirt trying to pull him closer to me. I want more of him. I want him to consume every part of me. "Come back to me," I order him when I finally pull away.
"Dead or alive, you own every part of me."
It's not the promise I want but I know it's all he can give me. I nod my head and take a step back.
