18. Adriana

Chapter eighteen

Adriana

My head hurts as I roll on the bed. I feel more pain in my stomach.

"Ahhhh!"

"Easy there, Poppy." I stop moving to stare at the person watching me. He is seated on a chair facing me. His eyes look red and tired.

"Where am I?"

"Safe. How are you feeling?"

He stands to his feet and walks closer to me. My stomach still hurts as I try to adjust to the bed.

"Sore. Hungry."

Alessandro sits on the free space at the edge of the bed and stares at me. He hands me a plate of sandwiches.

"I had this just in case you woke up hungry."

I smile, grabbing the sandwich and taking a little bite. It's cold and tastes awful in my mouth. I force a smile, swallowing the bite in my mouth before placing the rest back on the plate. "I'm okay."

"Are you sure? You've been asleep for hours. Maybe another bite?"

"I'm fine."

"You're so strong, Poppy." He touches the tip of my lips and pushes my hair behind my ear. My skin tingles from his touch. His eyes look worried as he stares at me.

A knock lands on the door, which catches both of our attention. Alessandro's demeanor changes instantly as he stands to his feet, whispering a curse loud enough for me to hear. He doesn't walk to the door but back to the chair instead.

"Come in," I say, staring at Alessandro, confused. Daniel opens the door slightly and peeps through the space first before walking in. Alessandro is staring into an empty space with his jaw clenched tightly.

"I came to check if you were alright, I didn't know you weren't alone." He stays by the door and turns to leave immediately. He shuts the door gently behind him.

"What was that?" I question, surprised by the awkwardness between them.

"Nothing to worry about. We have to leave for my apartment soon. Are you good enough to move, Poppy?"

I try to get off the bed but I'm met with stings of pain. Unable to help it, I groan, giving up, while shaking my head in response.

"No rush, Poppy. I will carry you to my car."

"Where are we?"

"Daniel's home. I brought you here thinking you'd be safe."

"Why do we have to leave so soon? I don't feel strong enough yet."

He remains quiet and avoids eye contact. "Alright, Poppy. Get some more rest. I'll go get you some proper food." He stands on his feet and tries to walk out of the room, but I stop him midway in his tracks.

"Ale, please don't go."

He turns to look at me.

"I don't want to be alone."

He nods as he walks back to me. He strolls to the other side of the bed and lays on it with me. I pull the white sheets closer to myself. Our heads are facing each other as we stare into each other's eyes.

I want to kiss his gray eyes to sleep, seeing how tired they look. He watches me closely and it makes me wonder what he's thinking about. If only I could read his mind.

"You stayed up all night?" I ask instead, breaking the silence.

"Someone had to watch you," he replied with a tiny smile. It's barely noticeable.

A warm feeling spreads in my chest, knowing he does care about me. Although I still recall the fight and everything he said after, these mixed signals confuse me a lot. I hold a firm gaze to not show any emotion yet. I don't want him to think I'm the weak one here. Not after he made it clear that I'm just a deal to him.

"How?"

He raises his eyebrows, confused. "How?" he repeats.

"I remember getting shot. How did you save me?"

"Daniel. I had him bring over a doctor. He said it looked worse than it actually was."

There's an uneasy silence that passes between us as we continue the staring game.

"I wouldn't have forgiven myself if you died."

I try to cough out a laugh. It makes my stomach hurt even more. "I'm sure I heard your words clearly—nothing but a deal to you, remember?"

Alessandro squeezes his face in a frown instantly. I can tell he is angry.

"Poppy, don't."

I want to say something but I remain silent, not wanting to piss him off anymore.

"What are you thinking about?"

"You. I want to kiss you." He inches closer to me while I don't move.

He kisses my nose, then my forehead, before planting a soft kiss on my lips. His lips graze mine with caution. Like every move against mine meant something. I shut my eyes, savoring the moment. My chest feels empty with a longing ache as his tender lips leave mine. I want him to kiss me some more.

He stares at me instead. "Horny eyes," he laughs.

I try to look to the other side but he stops me and gently guides my chin back so my face is next to his. "If I kissed you any longer, I'd lose all self-control and want to sink myself deep inside you. And that, Poppy, would only add to your injury."

I swallow hard, feeling a coiling sensation on my inside. Ale makes me lose control all the time. But I need to be more cautious. We need to, at least, use some kind of protection the next time we have sex.

"No stupid deal could make me want you more than I do right now." He moves closer until I can feel his breath on my skin. It makes my breath quicken with a throb in between my thighs. I squeeze them together to reduce the pressure.

"I want... I want you, Adriana," he whispers. His fingers graze mine and it feels like they are on fire.

I let out a breath, watching his lips move closer to mine again. I feel a pang of disappointment when he kisses my cheek instead.

"Go to sleep, Poppy."

He falls asleep beside me with his fingers locked with mine. I feel safe with him this close to me and fall asleep watching him.

***

My eyes are forced open, hearing a loud noise. Alessandro isn't here with me anymore.

Oh God!

My hands begin to shake in fear, with my insides tingling. I'm scared they are here again. I flinch with a loud gasp as I hear another sound.

As I slide down the bed, a groan escapes me. I can't let them shoot me again. I gather my strength to walk close to the door, hearing yells from outside. They are in Italian.

I recognize those voices.

They're Alessandro's and Daniel's. Knowing it's them eases the tension a bit, so I open the door and walk out of the room. The pain seems more manageable when I am distracted.

The hallway doesn't look familiar, with a hanging bulb at the center. I follow the sound down to the living room.

Daniel and Alessandro are throwing punches at each other. My eyes widen in shock. I've never seen them like this.

Daniel has a bloody nose, while Alessandro's eyes look swollen. Daniel reaches to punch Alessandro again when I scream. They both turn to look at me. Alessandro wipes a stain of blood on his busted lip.

"Stay out of this, Adriana," Alessandro grunts. He punches Daniel unexpectedly, making him lose his balance.

I run to Daniel to help him. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Alessandro grunts harshly. "Step away, Adriana. I don't want to hurt you."

Letting go of Daniel's hand, I walk to the space in between them. "You'll have to hit me first if you want to get to him."

"Adriana," Daniel says.

I turn to look at him. He has a cut on the edge of his left eyebrow. It's bleeding.

"Please, go away," Daniel adds.

"I'm not leaving here until someone starts talking and you both stop acting like children," I yell.

"This fica (pussy) doesn't deserve to live," Alessandro yells in response.

Daniel lets out a guttural laugh and wipes his bloody nose. "And that bloody hell of a man you call Father does?"

"Don't you dare talk about him like that!" Alessandro fumes.

"I should have put a fucking bullet through him earlier."

Alessandro leaps to punch Daniel but I remain on the spot, partially afraid he might hit me as well. He holds himself back just in time.

"Fuck! Adriana! Get the fuck out of here."

Probably a good idea, but instead, I look him in the eye with a stern gaze. I can hear my heart pounding in fear but I don't show it. "No."

Alessandro hisses roughly and goes to punch a wall.

"What happened, Daniel?"

"I only wanted revenge."

"This ungrateful bastard tried to kill my father," Alessandro repeats.

I stare at Daniel in disbelief. He doesn't deny Alessandro's accusation.

"Daniel?"

"His fucking father killed mine."

I blink repeatedly, confused by the situation.

"You fucking liar!"

I exchange glances between Daniel and Alessandro. "Can you both please calm down already!" I groan, holding my stomach from the pain.

"Adriana," Alessandro says.

Daniel reaches for my arm to help me.

"Get your fucking hands off her!" Alessandro yells at him.

"Can you both please stop?" I take a deep breath and let it out to ease the pain. It does nothing much.

"Daniel, how do you know this?"

He looks at Alessandro, enraged, with his fist clenched. "I saw the same fucking tattoo of the man who killed my father on Thomas' arm—a fucking arrowhead."

"Bullshit!"

"Alessandro, shut the fuck up!" I tell him.

"How do you expect me to stay fucking calm? Fucking bugiardo (liar)," Alessandro is pacing the room furiously.

"Ask your asshole of a father! Although I'm not surprised; coming from a family of killers… you faked a marriage with the daughter of the woman you killed," Daniel retorts.

My heart stops for a moment.

What?

My feet are glued to the spot as Alessandro runs past me and connects his fist to Daniel's face.

" Figlio di puttana (Son of a bitch)!" Alessandro yells. Daniel falls to the ground with a busted lip. He spews out blood and saliva.

"Daniel?" I say, not wanting what I just heard to be true.

"Adriana," Alessandro calls. He tries to hold my arm.

"Don't fucking touch me," I seethe, ignoring the throbbing pain in my stomach. My chest feels like it's on fire.

Fucking fire.

"Daniel, please tell me it isn't true."

Daniel wipes his mouth with the sleeves of his shirt. The blue sleeves are already deeply stained with his blood.

"Ask your loving husband, Adriana."

Daniel tries to stand on his feet. I hate how he refers to Alessandro as my fucking husband.

I'm breathing heavily. My chest heaving with emotion… and anger. So much anger.

"Alessandro," I say, turning to face him. He doesn't look into my eyes.

"Fuck!" I hear him whisper.

"Tell me Daniel is fucking lying!" My eyes sting from holding back tears. It's getting hotter. I can feel heated rage running crazy in my veins. "Tell me!" I yell at him.

He squeezes his eyes shut and turns his back to me. His silence infuriates me. Only confirming Daniel's right. Daniel is fucking right.

My God!

"You killed my mother, Alessandro?" I whimper. I am still in shock. I don't hold back my tears any longer. My cheeks feel hot as the tears keep on flowing.

The pain in my stomach doesn't match the pain in my chest. I can't get the flashes of the night I lost her out of my mind. The bullet in her chest. Beatrice and I screaming.

"Adriana, please."

He turns back to face me, his eyes full of worry; or is it fear? I can't tell from my glassy vision as I cry my eyes out. I don't want to fucking see him. I walk back slowly, shaking my head in disbelief.

All this time I have been with my mother's killer. Fell in love with him, fucking had sex with him. No, worse; I gave my fucking innocence to him…my dignity as Mother would say. Not just to a Malgeri, but one that killed my mother.

How stupid could I be? How much more fucked up could all this be?

Alessandro tries to touch me again.

I take a huge step, moving away from his reach. Daniel stands to his feet and wipes off some more blood on his face. His nose looks broken.

I see a gun on the wooden TV cabinet.

"Adriana," Alessandro calls again.

I run to grab the gun. Alessandro strolls towards me with sad eyes full of regret. He tries to take the gun away from my hand.

I point the gun at him, flicking off the safety and put a finger on the trigger, pulling it backward.

"Don't you fucking dare," I warn through gritted teeth.