He nodded his head, “As long as no one will suspect anything.”
“We are all cleared.”
They both leave wearing attire that would blend them into the crowd around here. A chill ran down my spine. Once they left, I busted out of the closet and headed for the door, but it opened it again. This time it was Emilio.
“What’s going on?” I ask in a panic.
“Aria is passed out in the other room with burn marks.”
“What?! How?”
“I’m going to look into it. Right now I need you to stay with her in the other room. The spa called an ambulance, so you need to go to the hospital with her. I’ll meet you there with your brother.”
“He’s not going to be happy about this.”
“We need to get our story straight,” Emilio fixed his suit jacket. “I’m supposed to be across town right now. So wait 15 minutes before you call him. I’ll text him now that I’m heading back into the area.”
“Why am I calling Luca?” I could feel the sweat form on my body.
“Because I’m off the radar. So if you called me first, I wouldn’t have answered. But his call I would.”
I nod my head in understanding. “Is she going to be okay?”
“She’ll be fine. The burns weren’t too deep.”
“Good, I’ll see you in the hospital then.”
Emilio opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He had turned around for a second but then turned back and pulled me into him. It took me by surprise, but what shocked me more was when he kissed me. It wasn’t a peck or just a lips-to-lips kind of kiss. The back of his hand was on my head, pressing it further into his as our tongues danced with one another. I was on cloud 9. When he pulled away, I was breathless.
And in a blink of an eye, he was gone.
Chapter 36
I had to stay in the waiting room until my brother showed up. It was written all over his face that he was livid. Emilio followed closely behind him, scanning the area as they stormed through the hospital, clearing anyone who would question their presence as they disobeyed the protocols put in place.
I got to my feet as he got closer. “The doctor said– “
Before I could get the rest out of my mouth, Luca grabbed my arm and dragged me with him. Slamming me into the wall, he got in my face.
“How did this happen?”
I’ve seen Luca angry before, but he never took it out on me and was never this aggressive with me.
“She wanted to go to a spa.”
His hand slammed the wall beside my head. It made me cringe, but he didn’t seem to care. “Then take her to one that I clear. Do you understand the shit I now need to deal with?”
“I–“
“You what?” Luca spat out, cutting me off. Nothing I could say would help the situation. “You fucked up. Big. All I asked was to distract her for the day. You can’t even manage that.”
My face was getting wet as tears streamed down it. Unable to speak, Luca opened his mouth again, but Emilio approached us, breaking the tension.
“Lorenzo should be here soon.”
Luca huffed. “Get the fuck out of my face and go home,” he said, dismissing me.
Shaken by my brother’s reaction, I run off. Where to, I didn’t know. My car wasn’t here, and this hospital is huge. Making it out the front, I opened the door to inhale fresh air, but Chicago's hot, humid summers mixed with anxiety made breathing difficult. I stood in the middle of the street, looking like a lost child.
