Vanessa crosses the room and flips on the living room light. The sudden brightness makes my head throb harder, the punch Gino landed catching up with me.
“That’s going to swell pretty badly,” she says, studying my nose.
She disappears into the bathroom and comes back with the first-aid kit. Stopping in front of us, she looks between the two of us and points at the table.
“Sit.”
We both comply. I take the chair directly across from her, while Gino drops into the seat beside her. She turns her attention to the cut on Gino’s eyebrow, gently dabbing it with gauze.
Once she is done with Gino, she drags her chair over and settles right in front of me. She grabs fresh gauze and presses it gently to my lip, then shifts it to my nose to catch the blood that’s still wet. She disappears into the kitchen and comes back with a damp cloth, carefully wiping away the dried blood from my face.
Her fingers are warm and gentle as she moves them over my skin.
She straightens and pulls a bag of frozen carrots from the freezer, handing it to me. “Put this on your nose and lean back.”
I do as she says. She leaves the room, closing the bathroom door behind her.
“What the hell were you two doing that neither of you answered your phones?” Gino demands. “And then when I get here, neither of you opened the door.”
I don’t answer.
“You asshole! Did you fuck her?” he snaps.
“No,” I say flatly. “Jesus, man. I didn’t fuck her. And wouldn’t you want us together, considering what you’re planning?”
That gets him to shut up for a second.
“Good,” he finally says. “Then why didn’t either of you open the door?”
“Is this a fucking interrogation?”
“Yes.”
I groan.Great.“We were sitting on the balcony.”
“Doing what?”
“Seriously, she’s been your sister for a few days and you’re acting like you’ve known her your whole life.”
“Answer the fucking question, Mateo,” he grits through his teeth.
I’m a fucking dead man if I tell him the truth. “We were sitting out there talking.” Not a total lie.
“Is that why she was crying?”
“What?” I snap, caught off guard. Shit. He saw her red and irritated eyes.
“Why was she crying?” he yells.
Great. At this rate, the neighbors are definitely calling the cops—if they haven’t already.
I don’t answer, and the silence is all it takes.
Gino’s expression darkens. He stands abruptly and, in one swift stride, crosses the room. Before I can react, he grabs me and slams me against the wall.
“What the fuck!” I shout.
The look in his eyes is pure fury—I’m going to fucking kill you—and I don’t doubt it for a second.
