“Put the gun down, don’t make me hurt you,” Gio warns, but the gun doesn't move at all. So I feign surrender and raise my hands in the air.
That's when I hearher.
“Why the fuck did you do it?”
Gio gasps before muttering, “Katarina?!”
“I asked why the fuck did you do it?!” She shouts.
I see Gio in my peripheral vision take two steps towards her. But before he can grab her, I turn around and pin her to thewall beside us. It happens fast; she could only gasp. I should be snatching the gun from her, but I don’t want to scare her further.
When I see her, the blood rushes to my head, and hot rage takes over.
Her face is pale, and her right jaw is bruised. Her left eyebrow has a gash that is still bleeding. Her top lip is busted. Her right arm stays limp on her side, while the other one tries its best to keep the gun pointed at me.
“Who hurt you?” I ask, watching her wide eyes darken.
“You did it! Didn’t you! You sent those men to kill Mateo and me!” She shakes violently as she yells at me, followed by shallow, hurried breaths as if she’s struggling to get oxygen.
“What?! Why would I do that?” I try to touch her face, but she responds by removing the gun’s safety instead, and I’m reminded that it’s still pointed at my right temple. Her lips pull into a line, and her chin trembles, like a scared child trying to be so brave.
“Dolcezza…” I whisper.
Her brows knit together, and she bites her lips, trying hard to stop a sob from escaping.
In one swift move, I lift her hand and point the gun at my forehead. Not the way to respond to any threat, but the fear on her face is doing something to me I can’t control. I want her to trust me. She gasps, and a tear falls down her left cheek. Her eyes fly back and forth between mine and the gun.
“Look at me. I will never hurt you or Mateo.” She glares at me, but it feels as if she can’t see me at all, like an animal falling into a trance. I shake her body a little bit and say, “Look at me, baby. It’s me. I will never hurt you.”
Her eyes slowly focus back on me, and she pushes the gun against my temples in an attempt to faze me. I let her search my eyes for the answer she’s looking for, her fear and confusion stirring an unbelievable rage in me.
What the fuck did they do to her?
I slowly reach for my phone in my pocket and play the voicemail Mateo left me.
As soon as she hears Mateo’s voice, I feel her arm bend, slowly pulling the gun away, not breaking eye contact. She swallows, and a tear escapes her right eye, but she doesn’t cry. I wipe it with my thumb, and she flinches hard from pain, making me feel it too.
Christ.
“Tell me what happened. Where is Mateo?” I cup her cheeks gently, and suddenly, all her strength leaves her. I catch her by her waist before she drops to the floor.
“Get us out of here,” I tell Gio. I pick up Katarina and place her on the leather couch to inspect her injuries. As soon as she’s lying down, she starts trembling violently, and a sob escapes her.
“Let me see,Dolcezza. Where are you hurt?”
I take off the hoodie she’s wearing carefully and see that she has blood all over her arms. Her top is ripped on the straps, too, leaving her bra showing.Fuck. I check for any bullet wounds, but I don’t find one. Still, she winces when my hand grazes her left side. Then Julian comes barging through the door.
“Katarina!” Julian calls out and appears beside me. “What the fuck happened?” He yells, and I lose it.
“Yeah, what the fuck happened, Julian?! Aren’t you supposed to be keeping her safe?!” I say, and watch guilt replace the anger on his face so fast.
“Stop, please.” Katarina murmurs; the pain she’s enduring is too obvious in her voice. I kneel beside her, and Gio appears with a glass of water. I try to give it to Katarina, but she doesn’t even notice it.
“Mateo,” she sobs, and a wave of cold passes through my body. She holds on to my arm as she shakes her head frantically.
“Where is he?” I brace myself for the answer even though her mere state tells me enough.
“They shot him. God, they shot him, and I left him there.” She sobs violently, the sound ripping my chest. I put my arm around her in an attempt to calm her down, while Julian freezes beside us, and Gio curses.
