AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’re gonna have to take it easy for a while,cuore mio.”
The balm morphs into napalm, and my eyes fly open. I lock eyes with the man leaning over me. I always knew this day would come, the day when I’d be face to face with one of my tormentors. I just never dreamed it would behim.
“You were there,” I accuse, taking in the bruises on his face.
I did that. I recognized him and fought. But I didn’t win.
“Where, Pep?” Harlow asks as she steps closer to the bed. “Where was Nico?”
I roll my neck to face her. “Why did you stop me?” I ask, my voice thick with emotion. “Why didn’t you let me kill him?”
Harlow’s gaze darts from me to Nico and back again. “Give me a good reason why I shouldn’t have stopped you.”
I swallow past the lump in my throat. “Because Har, he was there.” I close my eyes against the memory, against the wave of nausea it brings. “The day your mom rescued me, Nico was the one who drugged me.”
Nico stumbles back, his eyes wide. “No.” He shakes his head and repeats that one word. “No. No, no, no.”
“Get him outta here,” Harlow barks.
Malachi moves from his position by the door and grips Nico’s shoulders to guide him out.
“I didn’t hurt her,” Nico cries. “I swear I didn’t.”
Malachi kicks the door shut once they cross the threshold, but it doesn’t drown out Nico’s protests. I do my best to ignore his voice, but even if I could in reality, in my memories, it’s always there.
I’m sorry.
Hi, cuore mio.
Harlow sits on the edge of the bed and lifts my hand into her lap. She glances at Nate, who’s still standing to the side and looking very uncomfortable.
“Nate, are you finished?” she asks him.
“Uh, yeah,” he responds distractedly. He begins to pack up his supplies as he addresses me. “Pep, you might feel drowsy for another twelve hours or so. The sedative won’t be completely out of your system, even though it’s not keeping you asleep. Your cheek will heal on its own, but it’s gonna hurt like a son of a bitch so I’m leaving you some pain meds. As for your hands, I restitched the cuts from earlier. The swelling will go down in a few days.”
“Thanks, doc.”
“Anytime.”
Nate grabs his jacket off the chair in the corner on his way out, leaving Harlow and I alone. Usually, I can read her like an open book, but at the moment, she’s as closed off as a nun’s cunt.
“What?” I ask after a few minutes of awkward silence.
“You know I love you, right?”
“Cold-cocking me is a helluva way to show it,” I gripe.
“What the fuck was I supposed to do, P? You were losing your shit, and nothing was stopping you. I had to do something.”
Unable to stand the concern wrinkling her forehead, I glance away. I brace my hands on the mattress and, ignoring the agony, push myself into a sitting position. Silently, Harlow helps me scoot back to lean against the headboard.
“I know you love me,” I finally concede. “Hell, even when you couldn’t say the words, I knew.”
“Then I need you to listen to me.” Harlow tips her head back and rolls the tension from her neck. “I know your story, Pep. Most of it anyway. I’ve always suspected there’s more to it than what you’ve told me, and I’ve let you keep it to yourself. Everyone has secrets, right?” She shrugs like it’s no big deal. “But no more. What happened downstairs can’t happen again.”
Annoyance flares. “I can’t believe you’re taking his side.”
“I’m taking your side, P,” she snaps. “I willalwaystake your side. But letting you deal with your past on your own isn’t working.”
