Velvet Lullabies

He pulled the blanket back just enough to see her face. “Addy, it’s time for tough love. You had two days to mull over these feeling. Listen, I’m not saying it’s not warranted. What happened was awful, it should have never happened to you, and I’m sure my brother will be making amends for it for the rest of his life. Right now, you need fresh air, you need food, and you need normalcy. Most of all, you need to shower.” He gave her a lopsided grin at his last remark.

“Asshole.” She grumbled.

“I want to take you somewhere.” He finished. “And this is not a negotiation.”

It was the intrigue that finally lifted her from the bed. Enzo wasn’t wrong, a shower was much needed.

The hot water washed over her sore muscles providing some relief. She scrubbed her hair with a peppermint shampoo and by the time she left the shower she was already starting to feel normal again.

She traded sweats for a pair of jeans and a loose-fitting t-shirt before heading downstairs to meet Enzo.

“Gorgeous.” He smiled genuinely at her. “You look great.”

“Thanks. I already feel a little better.”

The step was leaving the mansion. This one was more painful for her. She hadn’t been outside in days, and she quite frankly didn’t want to. She followed Enzo out to his BMW. The May sunshine hit her face and brought her warmth. She stood there for a moment, breathing in the fresh air and letting the sun hit her face. Maybe the outside world really wasn’t that bad.

???

After lunch at one of Enzo’s restaurants, he drove them to a shooting range.

“Enzo,” she eyed him skeptically. She hated guns, she wasn’t a huge fan before Theo and her father were shot, but ever since that moment in the Marzano house she couldn’t stand the sight of them.

“Listen,” he inhaled deeply “I know they’re not you’re cup of tea, but I want you to learn how to shoot. You don’t have to carry one or use it ever if you don’t want to, but try it. You have power in this world, Addy, you just need to figure out how you want to use it.”

“Okay,” she conceded.

Enzo fit her with a Smith and Wesson 9mm hand gun. “Sorry it doesn’t come in pink.” He chucked as he taught her how to hold it.

She only glared at him in response.

The gun felt heavy in her hands.

Enzo taught her how to aim it, prepare for the kickback, and set up her target. The white paper at the end of the range had a black silhouette with circles acting as targets for her. She squinted her eyes narrowing in on the kill-shot, which Enzo told her was the center of his chest. Her finger rested on the trigger.

All she saw was Niall O’Connor.

Niall with his taunting laughter.

Niall kicking her in the gut.

Niall asking “why” over and over again.

Niall fucking O’Conner.

Even after being warned, the kick back startled her when she shot the gun, and the bullet pierced the silhouette with slick movement.

Chapter Twenty-Four

“Hey it’s Enzo, not here right now, so- uh- leave a message.” Lucian found comfort listening to Enzo’s voice. It would have been better if he’d answered, but he’d take what he could get.

“Hey Enz,” he sighed into the phone. There were so many things he wanted to say, yet he couldn’t quite place them into words. “I guess, I’m calling because I just wanted to tell you... Uh, incase anything happens, take care of her, okay? Just make sure she’s okay. She’s strong, she’ll make it through but it will probably be hard for her. She’s in a lot of pain right now, but it will pass. Tell her that, okay? That it will all pass. And, tell her I love her. Okay, love you.”

He hoped to go those wouldn’t be his final words.

“Ready?” Nico asked him.

He took a deep breath.