Elle’s eyes fell closed as her mind slowed down, trying to shut off. She felt a commotion going on beside her and heard the sound of flesh hitting flesh. Elle attempted to say a name as darkness fell upon her.
Chapter Thirty
The Clock is Ticking
Nero sat in the chair beside his bed, trying to steady his hands. His eyes never moved from Elle as she lay there, unmoving. He kept telling himself she was going to be all right; he just wished he could believe the doctor’s words.
He had called the doctor his family used—legally and illegally—to come to the house as fast as possible. He’d told Nero she would be fine, and that she just suffered from a concussion. Nero wondered how many more times her head could take a hit before serious damage was done. God only knows how many times she’s been hit in the head.
Nero ran his hands through his hair as he got up to stand over her. He had never seen anything more beautiful in his life. He ran his fingers across her tan skin on her cheek, feeling the softness. She looked peaceful to him, and he would have thought she was actually at peace if she didn’t have a bandage on her head.
Nero had been waiting for Elle to be in his bed, and here she was, in one of his old t-shirts she had been changed in to. The feeling wasn’t what he had hoped, though.
Nero looked at his now-fucked-up hand. He had beaten the guy to a bloody pulp and left him there to live or die. I really don’t give a shit.
The past few days had confused Nero. One thing had happened after another where it concerned Elle, and he knew he had been missing something. Moreover, he had only grown further confused when the douchebag who had hurt Elle looked sorry for what had happened.
Nero took a deep breath as he reluctantly left his bedroom. He headed down the stairs and went through his house, going up to the door he was seeking. Nero turned the handle of the office door and went inside.
“I was wondering when you would finally figure it out. I hope you’re not too mad, brother.”
Nero walked toward the edge of the big desk holding Lucca’s feet.
“Mad that you slashed Chloe’s tires? No. Mad that you paid guys to make me jealous? No. Mad that you hacked my phone and texted Elle so she could catch me with another girl? No.”
Lucca put out his cigarette. “Technically, Sal hacked your phone; I just told him to.”
Nero flexed his jaw. His brother’s nonchalant attitude was getting the best of him. He thought about Elle lying upstairs and that was when he hit his breaking point.
Nero reached out and slammed the back of the leaning chair down as hard as he could, making Lucca fall with it. Nero’s feet were then swept out from under him as Lucca grabbed his ankles, making him join him on the ground.
“Motherfucker, he could have killed her!” Nero moved on top of Lucca, trying to hold him down.
Lucca laughed in his ear as he maneuvered Nero off him. “Yeah, but he didn’t. The moment I saw her, I knew you’d like her. So, I had to see how much you actually cared. I just didn’t know she would have you whipped so quickly.”
Nero elbowed Lucca in the gut to get the upper hand. “Why did you do all this to fucking prove that I liked her?”
Lucca quickly got Nero on his back and tightly held his neck. “Careful, brother. This has to do with the family, and I’m your underboss. We’re not fighting over some girl. This one saw me, Sal, and Dad murder a man. And anyone else who fought me over a job wouldn’t live with both of his hands.”
Nero did know that was the truth. He was breaking a lot of rules right now just because Lucca was his brother. Nero relaxed under Lucca’s hand at the realization, done fighting, and Lucca let go of Nero’s neck as he stood.
“The clock is ticking, Nero. You need to find out if she saw any of our faces. If she did, then you gotta figure out a way to keep Dad from killing her. She needs to trust you, and you need to move things along at a quicker pace.”
As Lucca put out his hand to help him up, Nero took it. “And you paying the broke college fucker to kidnap her was supposed to do all that?”
Lucca smiled at his brother. “She was dragged into an alley and you rescued her. Sounds like some great fucking makeup sex to me.”
Nero ran his hands through his hair, pulling back the mass from his eyes. Lucca had placed Elle right where Nero had wanted her.
“What do you get out of all this?”
Lucca picked up his chair from the ground and sat back down in it. “Nothing, besides my brother’s happiness.”
Nero snickered. “Yeah, right.”
Lucca shrugged. “Okay, I might gain something out of this. Just remember what I’m doing for you and Elle.”
Nero walked toward the door. He knew Lucca was trying to help him not get Elle murdered by their father. It’s just a shitty way to do it.
Nero turned the door handle to leave.
Lucca smiled through his voice. “You’re welcome.”
Nero slammed the door on his way out. He knew exactly what his brother meant by ‘you’re welcome’—Nero had been waiting for Elle to end up in his bed for what seemed like a year now.
* * *
As Elle’s mind started to flicker back to life, she didn’t remember her bed feeling so big and warm.
She sunk into the bed, loving the feeling. Elle’s mind flickered again. Her head felt heavy and sore; she didn’t even want to attempt to move it. Why does my head hurt so badly?
It all came flooding back; she remembered being pulled into an alley. Or was that a dream? Her head screamed at her, and the taste of salt entered her mind as the memory of biting the man’s hand returned.