Page 32 of Because I Need You
“The guy asked me about the truck, I told him my dad died, he said something about protection or being protected, I don’t know.” I shook my head. “Then, I drove back to my dad’s house.” I looked at the dark gray comforter beneath us. “I parked outside, and I was on the phone because someone broke into my dad’s bar back in Queens.” I looked up at Giovanni to see if there was any sign that it could have been him, but his face was blank. I kept my eyes on him because it felt like they were anchoring me right now, and I couldn’t seem to look away. “I finished my phone call, grabbed the extra water bottle I had, and walked inside. The door was locked, so I unlocked it and went inside. I took off my shoes by the door and before I even turned around they ambushed me.” My lip wobbled. I tore my gaze from Giovanni’s and looked at the comforter between us. “There were three of them. They wore black ski masks over their faces and like camo clothing otherwise, like military attire but they were definitely not military. One of them had blue eyes. He was the one that stood out the most because his eyes were so blue.” I swallowed. “He tied my hands behind my back and told me he wouldn’t hurt me.” I clenched my jaw, pausing again when I felt a new wave of tears form in my eyes. I tried to bat them away quickly, but they just kept falling. Nadia moved, crawling over to me and pulling me into her arms. I cried openly.
“Did they touch you?” The question came from Giovanni’s lips. Venom laced his voice. I glance up and saw the fury behind his eyes now. I knew what he was asking. Did they rape me, but he repeated, “Did they touch you?”
I shook my head, wiping my face as I pulled away from Nadia. She stayed near, though. “They tied me up and put a gun to my head before they put a bag over my head. They didn’t even tape my mouth. They let me scream. No one came.” I let out a harsh laugh. “Obviously, no one came. I screamed some more, but then they shoved the gun a little harder against my head and I stopped.”
Giovanni’s jaw clenched.
“What did they do next?” Nadia whispered.
“They started asking me for a briefcase. I told them I didn’t have a briefcase. They yanked me by the rope behind my back as they walked the house, holding a gun against my back the whole time.” I paused again.
When I closed my eyes earlier, trying to rest, I could still feel the barrel of the gun against me, I felt their rough hands on me, the way they carelessly dragged me everywhere. I rubbed my wrists together. They were still red, still sore. Giovanni took two steps and was at my side, lifting my arm to inspect. He didn’t mean anything by it, I was sure, but his touch did things to me, nonetheless. His jaw working even harder now.
“Go get aloe,” he said, looking at Nadia. There was something in his voice that made it impossible to argue with. She climbed off the bed, leaving the room. His hand closed tightly around my arm, just beneath the marks. I looked up at him and my heart hammering at the look on his face. He was pissed off. He was pissed off that they’d hurt me, and that meant something to me. Stupid, maybe, but this was the product of growing up in an uncaring environment. “Whoever did this will pay.”
“I don’t know what to do now,” I whispered, ignoring that. “Do I get to go home?”
“You think I’m letting you go home after what you just told us?” He let go of me.
“If they wanted to kill me, I’d be dead.”
“True.” He cocked his head like he agreed. “Which means they want something and if they didn’t find it while they went through the house, they’ll come back soon enough.”
“What do they want, though?” I whispered. “What briefcase?”
His face was still so close to mine, I couldn’t find it in me to speak any louder than that. If he wanted to, he could move forward and kiss me. His eyes searched mine, heated, and I instantly knew he was thinking the same thing. He pulled away quickly. For some stupid, some crazy reason, my galloping heart deflated. I screamed at myself for that reaction. I had a boyfriend. Giovanni had a girlfriend. I’d been attacked not even twelve hours ago. What was wrong with me?
“I don’t know,” he said, finally, as he stood and began pacing the room. “Maybe the keys and locations to the warehouses are in the briefcase.”
