Sold to Moretti Mafia

Julian

I’ve been alive for twenty-eight years. Almost three decades, and I can count on one hand the number of times I was scared, truly scared.

Struck with a fear so intense that you can’t breathe, that your heart stops beating in your chest, and an ache forms in your gut that is so deep you think it’s going to kill you.

Last time I felt anything remotely close to that was the day I lost my mother. I wasn’t scared of dying, but I was scared of living a life without her. I was scared of living in a world where no one loved me unconditionally. That was five years ago, and I didn’t think I would ever feel this frightened, would ever feel that kind of loss and dread again.

I had no idea how wrong I was.

I feel it now, feel it in my soul.

The moment my elbow connects with her chest, my heart stops beating. Everything happens in slow motion from that moment on. Turning, I reach out for her. Every fiber in my body tells me one thing: save her. I have to save her.

My hand extends, my fingers stretch into the air, and I lunge for her, but it’s too late. Her beautiful face is riddled with horror.

Her green gaze widens, and her soft pouty mouth opens on a gasp as she falls backward. The organ in my chest thunders to life, beating so fast I swear it’s going to escape my chest.

Do something! I scream inwardly.

Forcing myself to move faster, be quicker, stronger, I lunge forward, but it’s futile. Fingers grasp onto nothing, and I have never felt so powerless in my life. Not even when my father died. Not even when I found my mother.

Helplessly, I watch with a deep ache as her back hits the stairs, and she tumbles down them. Every step she hits, every limb that twists, and every bump her head takes, I feel it. Feel her pain so deep in my bones, I fear they may crack.

My body moves on its own, and I find myself running down the staircase after her while still watching her fall into the abyss like a ragdoll.

When she hits the bottom step, her body becomes motionless, and I fear the worst. She is so still, too still. My feet make little noise as I rush to her aide.

Only when I get closer, do I see her chest moving. Rising and falling with each breath she takes. A sense of relief washes over me, but it’s not strong enough to calm the tsunami of fear. She could still be in danger. Mentally, my brain goes into protective mode. She could have a number of internal injuries, bleeding in her brain, broken bones, or an injured spine… the list goes on, and with each thought, I get more frantic. Just because I don’t see blood, doesn’t mean there isn’t something wrong.

Terror rips at my flesh, tearing me apart from the inside out. All I can think about is how I could lose her, the one person who has the power to make me good, who sees good in me when no one else does, and all because of her father. A man that once already took so much from me.

The coppery tang of blood explodes against my tongue as I grit my teeth.

Kneeling beside Elena, I lift a hesitant hand to touch her, but I’m scared to do even that. What if doing so hurts her more? She needs a doctor, a hospital, not my gentle caress.

Lifting my gaze from her still body, I peer around for my guards and find the hallway desolate. Glancing up the stairway, I realize it is empty as well.

Red hot rage burns through me. Fucking Romero left. He left his daughter. Left her to die on the steps inside of our home.

My hands tremble as I reach for my phone and retrieve it from my pocket. I don’t think, I just act as I dial nine-one-one. As soon as someone answers, I tell them my address and yell at them to hurry. I drop the phone onto the marble floor and look down at Elena’s pale face. I did this to her. I wanted to hurt her, and now that she’s hurt, I can’t bear it. It kills me to see her like this. Clenching my hand into a fist, I feel the need to destroy and rip the life from someone’s body. Romero will pay.NôvelDrama.Org content.

Footsteps approach from behind me, and a moment later, a handful of guards show up. Their normally emotionless faces are filled with nothing short of fear and regret.

They know what’s coming. I’ll fucking kill all of them for this.

“How the fuck did Romero get into the house? You had one fucking job! To keep the place secure, and make sure no one got in. Find him!”

They disappear, dispersing in different directions as they start searching the house. I let the sounds around me fall away, the entire world disappears around us.

If there is no Elena, there is no me, and I realize that now.

Holding Elena’s hand, I stroke her hair gently, afraid even that will hurt her. I have to do something, anything to make myself feel a little less helpless.

Seconds turn into minutes, and it feels like an eternity until the ambulance gets here. A buzzing fills my ears as the front doors burst open, and three EMTs come rushing to her side. I make space for them by moving out of the way, even though everything inside me tells me to keep holding her hand.

They work over her, their hands moving fast, and every move is precise as they carefully slip on a neck brace and slide the gurney beneath her. They ask me questions in between, and I answer each one like a zombie.

I follow them out as they carry her outside and rush her into the back of the ambulance. For a brief second, I consider getting into the ambulance with them but know I’ll only be in the way. My feelings and fear are the least important things right now. I need to make sure Elena is okay, that she is still with me, and that she will make it through this.

Getting into my car, I pull behind the ambulance and follow them to the hospital. With light and sirens, they fly through the streets, and I stay close behind. When I pictured our wedding day, I never expected it to be over before it even started.

Clenching the wheel tighter, there is only one thought running through my mind, like a cassette on replay as I stare at the back of the ambulance.

Please, don’t let her die.

* * *

Since the moment they rolled her back into this room, I haven’t taken my eyes off her. They ran every test I demanded them to run, but even I couldn’t make the MRI machine work fast enough. Now, I sit beside her, watching… waiting for her to wake, for the doctor to return with the test results. All of this is out of my hands, and I feel like a plane spiraling out of control, nosediving into the ground.

Forcing my thoughts to slow, I look down at Elena’s unmoving form. She looks peaceful, her face relaxed, and her head slightly turned into the pillow as if she’s simply sleeping. I wish it was mere sleep she was experiencing and that there wasn’t a risk I could lose her. The thought leaves a fist-sized hole in my chest.

A quiet knock filters through the door that has me tearing my eyes away from her still body. The door opens, and the doctor steps in, his movements are cautious. He’s an older guy with graying hair and dark eyes. Apparently, he’s the best the hospital has, and he better hope so.

“Mr. Moretti, I’ve got your fiancée’s test results,” he explains. “I’m happy to tell you, her MRI came back good, considering the tumble she took. There are only minor injuries. Her right ankle is twisted badly. We’ll keep the foot raised and put a brace on it for a few weeks. Her left ribs are bruised, so we recommend that you keep them wrapped and iced to help with the swelling, aside from that, there is not much more we can do for her.

Her head looks good. No bleeding or swelling in the brain, she does have a concussion, which is to be expected. Again, that is something that will heal with time. It’s like a very bad headache. I’m recommending she stay here for observation for at least one more day.”

“But she’ll be fine? Make a full recovery?” The words rush past my lips.

“Yes, she should be completely back to normal in a few weeks,” he confirms, and I suck a deep breath in, oxygen fills my lungs, for what feels like the first time today. “We’ll keep her on IV pain medication while she is here, and of course, send some home with you as well. Her body will heal on its own, but she will be in a good amount of pain for the first week.”

A deep primal possession rips through me. I’ll take care of her. Make sure she only moves if she needs to. She will be taken care of, and her father will pay for hurting her.

“She has all the time in the world to recover,” I say, a little gruffer than necessary.

He merely nods and walks out of the room. I return my full attention to the angel in front of me. I stare, my gaze burning into her face. All I want is for her to wake up, for her to be okay. I know the doctor said everything is going to be okay, but I can’t believe that until she’s awake.

A few moments later, her eyes flutter open, but her vision seems unfocused like she doesn’t really see me.

“Hey, everything is okay,” I whisper, squeezing her hand in mine as gently as I can.

“Julian…” she croaks, and I cradle her face, turning it toward me.

“I’m here, just relax. You’re safe now. I won’t leave you, and I won’t let anything happen to you either. I’m sorry, Elena.”

Her eyes flutter closed once more, and she falls back to sleep.

Over the next few hours, she slips in and out of consciousness. I don’t think she knows where she is or that I’m here, but that doesn’t mean I’m leaving her side.

I don’t care about anything but her right now, and I never thought I would say that.