AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Si. He's alive.”
“We need to grab him and go before more men come. We can't take them all on.” My dad glances behind him and back at us. “Apúrate.”
Fernando drops the heart to the ground and rushes my way. “Hola,pequeño.” He undoes the straps. “Are you able to get up at all?”
I shake my head, struggling to move my thick tongue out of the way to speak.
He lifts me in his arms, cradling me like I'm the most precious thing in the world. “I got you. You're safe now.”
“Are you coming?” my dad shouts.
“Si. I'm right behind you.” Closing my eyes, my stomach is uneasy as Fernando rushes toward the first exit with me in his arms. The bright sun hurts my eyes as soon as we are outside, and my dad opens the back car door as we quickly approach him.
“Where are we going?” Fernando asks as he sits me in the back seat, holding on to my arm as he slides in beside me.
“Home. The sooner the better,” my dad replies quickly before slamming the door shut.
Fernando holds me closer to him, using the situation to his advantage. No one would see it as strange for him to have me this close. Not when all they'd view is a caring man, attending to his recently rescued godson. His arm wraps around my body and I rest my head on his shoulder, my heart steadying in my chest.
No one talks again until we arrive at the airport. A little feeling comes back to my hand and arms but my legs are still useless. Fernando carries me inside the jet and lays me on one of the long seats in the lounging area. “I need to check you real quick,pequeño, and then you can rest.”
He walks to the front of the plane with a first aid kit in hand. He says something to my dad I can't make out before shutting the thin divider. “Hopefully they haven't hurt you too badly. The drugs should wear off in a few hours.”
He lays a blanket over my mostly naked body. All they left on me was a pair of mesh underwear. I'm able to finally move my neck enough to fully look down. Fernando smiles softly down at me and cleans my wounds. No stitches are needed since the doctor never had a chance to cut that deep. His lips press to my nose after he finishes bandaging me up. “All better now.” He briefly kisses my lips, not caring that my dad can walk in at any moment. “I have to tell you something I should have said at the hotel. I need to say it in case I don't get another chance. After they took you, I kept thinking about something happening to you and you never knowing how much—”
“No,” I manage to say. “Don't.” My throat burns from the small amount of words. My hand slowly reaches out to him, and I shake my head, ignoring the throb it earns me.
“It's what you asked for, remember? You were right, I owe you this at least.”
Wrapping my fingers around his, I squeeze his hand. “Not anymore.” My voice is groggy and unrecognizable.
He looks at me with hurt eyes and glances down at our joined hands. “Enrico—”
“Will it change anything?” I ask, desperation heavy in my voice.
He pauses, shifting in place. “What do you mean?”
“Will saying what you think I should hear allow me to kiss you whenever I want? Crawl into your bed at night and wake up next to you every morning? Will you always be able to hold me when I feel like my world is going to shit without worrying who might be watching?”
He swallows hard, his brows bunching together. “No.”
My heart falls into my stomach. “Then say nothing.”
“But—”
“I'll scream if you say anything else. I swear.” My voice cracks along with my heart. I'm not as strong as I thought I could be. I don't want to hear something I won't get to fully see. He's not allowed to show it. Not the way I need him to.
His lips press into a thin line and he lifts my hand to his mouth, pressing a kiss to the back of my hand, nodding slowly.
Lowering my hand, he releases his fingers from mine and lifts my covers higher, making sure to cover everything but my head. The divider slides open and he quickly slides farther away from me. My dad steps between the opening, glancing our way. “How is my son doing?”
“Fine,” I respond before Fernando can. “He can speak for himself.”
He chuckles softly, stepping closer. “I'm glad. It's good to have you back,mijo. I don't just mean physically. Your snarky replies are like music to my ears right now.”
“If this is your attempt at some father/son moment, can you please save it for after I've had food and sleep?”
Nodding, he presses his lips tightly together. “Sure. We'll have plenty of time to talk again later. Rest now. We'll be home soon. You'll be staying at the house for the next few days and don't bother arguing against it because I won't take no for an answer.”
