He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, above the blindfold he hadn’t removed for her. “Even if there were a bathroom in this place, it wouldn’t be clean enough for you. So, we’re going to have to hit the road. But I’ve got us a secret stow-away place for the night where no one will be looking, we’ll be fine. Except this part, baby. This part’s gonna hurt.”
Her brow furrowed, because she was lingering on what he could possibly mean by ‘secret stow-away place’ and not following his logic at all. Not until he tucked an arm beneath her knees, then wedged another under her neck and reached for her shoulders. Even that small amount of jostling hurt, and she sucked in a breath.
On reflex, she tried to bring her arms forward as Santino stood and her body rolled.
Pain—soreness, agitated muscles, relieved pressure—erupted through her all over again. Almost worse than when he’d cut her restraints. Her hands fell sloppily against what had to be his chest and she couldn’t hold in the scream.
His grip tightened and he tugged her close. “I’m so sorry, baby,” he said again. He almost sounded as if he were sharing the agony burning through her.
Somehow, that notion—as ludicrous as it was—helped her steady her breathing. Reiko even managed to move a hand and fumble with the fabric, one of his coats, to keep it over her more or less. Her head tipped into his shoulder and the smell of him cut through the building tang of other odors in the air. “Why,” she managed to start as he moved, his every step jostling her inuncomfortable but necessary ways. She cleared her throat. “Why did you … leave the blindfold?”
They started upstairs before he responded, his voice quiet. “You don’t need to see this.”
She remembered what she’d heard, and been left to imagine, of his fight with Danilo. The exchange had been in English, so she’d understood their dialogue. She knew Danilo had been using her to try and eliminate Santino, just as she’d feared. And she knew Santino had fought back, though she suspected he hadn’t prioritized himself.
She was also educated and aware enough to understand what it had to mean that the fight had ended after the undeniable, nearby explosion of a single gunshot. And Santino was clearly not only still alive, but well enough to talk clearly and carry her around.
No.She was assuming the latter. Reiko frowned. “Santino…”
He hummed softly, his pace never slowing. They’d evened out, so she assumed they were in a hall or perhaps on the main floor.
“Are you … okay?” She cleared her throat and tried again. “Are you hurt?”
His grip tightened and his chest inflated with a hard breath. “Nothing happened to me tonight,” he said, “that compares to what you went through. I’ll have a fun new scar to lie about, and a whole extra layer of trust issues. We’ll both have nightmares. But my pain, my upset, doesn’t rank. Not next to yours. And I won’t take that away from you, beautiful.”
Her lips cracked a little, but they lifted in a small smile. “I just wanted to … make sure you didn’t get … shot or anything.” She pulled in another steady breath. “You’re so dramatic sometimes.”
If she didn’t know better, she might have thought she heard emotion choking his chuckle.
Chapter twenty
No More Shields
Reiko became grateful forthe blindfold the moment she realized there wereother peoplearound. Other people who would, of course, have to see her in whatever terrible state she looked. Her imagination assured her it was beyond unimpressive.
She made only a minimal effort to catch the spoken exchanges. Her body was exhausted. Her mind was exhausted. She was less cold, though her joints still hurt and her wrists and ankles ached in a sharper way that probably meant actual injury. And of course, there was the issue of her bladder.
Santino said something about getting the car warmed up, then something else about fire. Only pieces penetrated Reiko’s mind. When they stepped out, into what she assumed was still the night, the open air assaulted her nose.
For a moment, it was nice. Perversely cleaner and refreshing. But it was also colder outside than it had been in the other space.
“It’s okay, beautiful,” Santino whispered as she tensed. “Dario’s bringing the car up now. You’ll be warm real soon.” She heard an idling engine and a door, and as Santino bent them forward, he spoke again—but not to her. “Get Ivers. I don’t care if you promise to fund his early retirement or his grandkid’s entire education plan, I want him at location not more than ten minutes behind me.”
“You got it, Boss,” Armando’s familiar voice replied. His tone was rougher than usual, but his words had been immediate and strong.
Reiko felt herself being shuffled, but even before they settled or the door clicked, she realized they were in the car. And as Santino had promised, the heat was on. She let out a small moan of relief at the warmed temperature of the air, her skin practically rippling against it. She leaned toward the source on instinct and Santino pulled her back in place over his lap.
“You can’t climb into the heater, beautiful,” Santino teased, his tone too light. He tucked her between his thighs, angled so she was directly in the path of the heat, and locked one arm around her. His other hand came up and his fingers brushed beneath the blindfold, where it rested at the top of her cheekbone. “Ready to lose this?”
She drew a shaky breath as the car rolled into motion. Not being able to see had been nearly as terrifying and infuriating as the gag stuffed into her mouth. She’d hated it. But then Santino had swooped in and rescued her, and in a strange twist, the scrap of whatever fabric over her face had become like a shield.
It was so easy to hide behind shields. She had arguably been doing exactly that all her life.
Reiko lifted a trembling, protesting arm, sloppily nudged Santino’s hand away, and gripped the blindfold between her fingers. She was done being the woman she had allowed herself to be made into, even when she’d thought herself free.No more shields.With a sharp movement, she tugged the blindfold down and let it drop around her neck.
It was dark in the car, and outside, yet still her eyes needed a moment to adjust. Filtered streetlight angled into the car, illuminating Santino and then receding from him as quickly. His beautiful blond hair was a mess, his blue eyes somehow remained smiling, and blood was caked along the side of his face.
Reiko felt her heart trip. “You’re hurt!” The words choked out of her, fresh tears burning her eyes.
