Chapter 5
CHAPTER
FIVE
PREDATOR
LUCA
“She’s awake. You can check her out. But don’t get too carried away with the touching,” I warn.
“I’m a doctor, Dalonzo. I have to touch her.” Dr. Walters shakes his head.
“You heard what the fuck I said.” I stare at him until he nods.
Walters walks away mumbling under his breath about working for a psycho, but I let it slide. I mean, he’s not lying. Plus, he’ll do what I said; that’s why he’s here.
I lied to Mindy when I told her Dr. Walters made house calls. He’s one of the top neurosurgeons in Texas, andhe doesn’t have time to be my personal physician. But he’s a friend of the family, and he knows the Dalonzo’s well. So, when I called, Dr. Walters came.
The doc was unenthusiastic. But with the amount of money I had transferred into his account, he’ll get over it. Besides, Walters knows that I wouldn’t call for something frivolous. Mindy needs to be looked after.
Mindy.
Her name alone gives me feelings that I’ve never fathomed. I’ve always thought it was impossible for me to be interested in a woman to this degree. But from the time I laid my eyes on her, I wanted to know any and everything about her.
Even though knowing she has a piece of shit husband makes the silent killer rage, I manage to keep myself from peppering her with questions. I know that finding out everything about her will make my kill list longer, but I still need the information.
I head downstairs where Paolo is surprisingly still lounging. I told him he could take one of my cars and go back to his women, but he insisted on staying. I’m just glad he won’t want to talk about what happened.
Paolo is the cousin most like me. We have the same lust for killing, we just have a different way of expressing ourselves. He’s more flash and gore, and I’m more… silent.
I can’t say that torturing someone who deserved it isn’t delightful, but I like the precision of a kill. The need for me to have a plan and meticulously execute it should be studied. Ro thinks it’s all a part of my genius, I don’t dismiss his theory.
“How’s she doing?” Paolo questions.
“Seems okay, but her face—” I sigh.
It pained me to see her eye swollen and the bruises marring her beautiful face. I can admit that I’m a killer of the worst kind, but beating up a woman is something I would never do. And to think it’s his wife!
It was hard for me to take pictures of her bruised face while she slept, but something told me that she might need proof of this incident.
I have them just in case, even if she doesn’t want to press charges.
But if it’s up to me, he won’t have to worry about jail.
Death is too good for a piece of shit like him.
“Yeah, he did a real number on her. I can kill him,” Paolo nonchalantly replies.
“ I can kill him.” I raise my eyebrow.
“You could, but she might get mad that you killed her boyfriend. You know how women can be in these types of situations.” Paolo shrugs.
“Hmmm,” I give my cousin a noncommittal hum.
I can’t imagine Mindy wanting to go back to her husband. But like Paolo said, people’s behavior in these situations can be unpredictable. And if there’s one thing anyone knows about me, it’s that I like things to be predictable.
“What’s the asshole’s name? I can get Niro to look him up.”Paolo looks at me with a crazy gleam in his silver eyes.
“No, I don’t want anyone else involved in this. I’ll find out what I need to know. Dr. Walters shouldn’t be long, so we can know the extent of her injuries.” I immediately changed the subject from my cousin Niro.
If Niro knows about this mess, then Ro will certainly find out. I’m not hiding anything from my brother, but he has enough on his plate with the Giuliani’s and their bullshit. I don’t need him worrying about this petty mess. I’ll take care of it on my own.
“Okay, whatever you say, cugino .”Paolo makes a zipping motion over his lips and throws away the imaginary key.
I roll my eyes at him, but I know he won’t say anything to anyone. He might be a flamboyant asshole at times, but he’s a man of his word. I’ll take care of this little problem, and nobody will be the wiser.
“What happened to the asshole?”
Paolo shrugs, “He was gone when our men went back into the restroom.”
I frown because he was out cold. There’s no way he just got up and walked away. Somebody helped him, and I don’t like that.
I’ll have to ask Mindy about her husband.
“Interesting,” I reply.
Paolo’s phone beeps back to back, and I know he’s being summoned by one of his women. He treats them all like they’re the only one, even though he tells them they aren’t. I find it fascinating that he admits to being a fuckboy, and it only makes them want him more.
“Why the fuck is Alicianna texting me? I made myself abundantly clear that I wouldn’t fuck her trifling ass ever again.” Paolo scowls at his phone as his fingers fly over the screen.
There’s no telling what he’s texting Alicianna.
Paolo isn’t the kind of man you piss off, and Alicianna’s been skating on thin ice since the last time she was here.
Paolo hasn’t told me what transpired between them, but it had to be something serious because he didn’t try to hide the disgust for her at dinner.
“I don’t like that she’s here. Her presence makes me anxious.” I swipe my hand through my hair.
It’s a nervous tick of mine when I’m feeling apprehensive. I like order to things. I like control. I don’t like when people pop up out of nowhere, causing discord within my family.
“Hmmm. Me either cugino. Nessun problema. Mi prendero cura di lei ,” Paolo responds.
I nod. If my cousin says she won’t be a problem and he’ll take care of her, then Alicianna will be his issue to deal with.
But she better stay far away from me. Unless she wants to tempt death.
We cherish women, we don’t mistreat women, we don’t abuse women.
However, if a woman betrays us, she will meet her end.
Dr. Walters comes down the stairs, interrupting our conversation.
It’s okay, though, because I’d much rather discuss Mindy than Alicianna anyway.
I just hope Mindy is okay because my rage is simmering, but if Walters says she’s badly hurt then I won’t be able to control myself. I will have to kill her husband.
“Dalonzo, a word?” Dr. Walters stands at the entrance of the living room without entering completely.
I nod and follow him into the hallway by the door. He takes confidentiality seriously, so I understand why he didn’t want to talk in front of Paolo. I can respect a man who stands on his convictions. There are so many who don’t.
“How is she?”
“Her vision is blurry, her balance is off, her eye is bruised, and the swelling on her head will subside with ice. My professional opinion without an MRI is that she has a concussion. With that being said, make sure you keep her awake for another hour or so. I called in a prescription for her as well. Call me if she needs anything else.”
“Thank you,” I respond.
Dr. Walters nods, and I walk him to the door. The anger subsides a little at the news. Mindy is alright, but she really shouldn’t be in the situation at all.
I turn to walk back into the family room, and I see Mindy quietly watching me from the bottom of the stairs. I’m not sure how I missed her standing behind me because people don’t sneak up on me too often.
“Hey, how’re you feeling?” I approach her slowly.
I can see she’s skittish. I understand that although I may have saved her life, I’m still a stranger. No matter what I’ve done to help her, she has no reason to trust me.
“I’m okay. Uhh… where’s my dress?”
I’ve been fighting the urge to look at her body.
I even got through undressing her and putting her in my shirt without even a small glance.
I was a complete gentleman and didn’t ogle or touch her inappropriately.
But with her standing in front of me, tugging on my shirt with her plump, juicy legs on display, I can’t control how hard my dick is.
“It had blood on it, so I gave you my shirt. I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable.”
“Oh, no, I’m not uncom—”
“Well, it looks like you kids have a lot to discuss. I’ll see you soon, cugino. Have a good night, beautiful,”Paolo interrupts, smiling at Mindy.
I know there’s a problem when a flash of me choking Paolo for flirting with Mindy pops in my mind. I run a hand through my hair, and Paolo notices. His smile grows, and he pats me on the back before walking away whistling.
Asshole.
I left Mindy in the family room while I had one of the Dalonzo soldiers go pick up her prescription, and so I could get my raging hard-on under control.
I have never been one to be a knight in shining armor, but something about Mindy makes every primal urge I have multiply.
Especially my desire to strip my shirt off her and claim her as mine.
I know it’s crazy because she’s a married woman who has obviously been traumatized, but these feelings are the realist I’ve ever felt. This isn’t sexualizing a woman, it’s almost an obsession. And I’ve only known her for a few hours.
I suck it up and go back into the family room because I need to make sure Mindy is awake. It’s been a rough few hours for her, and I don’t want to make it worse. However, if she keeps insisting on leaving, my levelheadedness just might slip away.
“Hi,” she shyly whispers.
“Hi,” I respond, smiling.
“Luca, you’ve done so much for me, and I want to say thank you again. But I can’t stay here. Hell, I don’t even know your last name.”
“Dalonzo. You can stay here for as long as you want. I know I’m a stranger, but I promise I would never hurt you.” I clear my throat and look away.
My voice is full of emotion, and it’s an unusual reaction for me. I don’t get emotional about much. But the thought of Mindy leaving, and me not being able to protect her is a devastating thought.
“Dalonzo. You’re Italian… that’s the accent.” Mindy slightly smiles.
“ Si, bella . I am Italian.” I smile back.
Mindy’s eyes go to my mouth, and I can’t help but smile wider. Her brown eyes shift up to mine, and I wink at her. She quickly looks away and dips her head.
Mindy looks back at me before taking a deep breath, “I’m not some helpless girl, no matter how it may seem. I just— don’t want to be a burden.”
Mindy’s words serve to convince me further that my intervention was worth it. I’ll help her out of the goodness of my blackened heart even if she doesn’t return my infatuation. Even if she can’t ever return my feelings.
“You could never be anyone’s burden, Mindy. And I would never think you were helpless.” I shake my head.
I can tell she’s lost her self-worth, and I can only attribute that to her good-for-nothing husband. I only hope that she has family outside of him.
If not, I don’t mind being there for her.
The thought alone makes me feel like I should have a therapist on speed dial… but I don’t.
“I know how Ross is. He will make your life a living hell just like he does mine. I can’t be the cause of any problems for you just because you decided to help me,” Mindy says as I tune back into the conversation.
“It’s unfortunate that you married such a culo , but I won’t hold it against you,” I joke. “Believe me, I hate a bully. He doesn’t want to mess with me.”
Especially since I let him live.
Mindy worries her bottom lip, and I know she’s afraid for me. However, she’ll soon learn that the only person who should be afraid is her husband. The thought of another man being her husband pisses me off. But I’ll soon remedy that.
“Luca…”
“Shhh. I said what I said. Now, it’s been about an hour. Are you hungry? Are you sleepy?”
“I think I’d like to lie down if that’s okay. I probably need to call my parents. Speaking of calling, where’s my purse? My cell was in it.”
“We didn’t find a purse,” I respond. “But, if you need to call your parents, there’s a phone in my bedroom.”
Mindy nods, and I’m glad she doesn’t push the subject.
I told Paolo to get rid of her purse. She didn’t have much in it anyway, not even an ID, and I didn’t want her husband to be able to track her phone.
I know guys like him well, and they never want anyone else to have their wife, even if he doesn’t want her.
“I’ll head upstairs, then. Thanks again. I should be out of your hair by tomorrow.”
I don’t argue with her. I can see the woman is stubborn, and I don’t want to be too pushy. If she wants to leave, I will let her. But that doesn’t mean I won’t continue to watch over her.
It may sound strange, but I feel connected to her. A connection that I’ve never felt toward anyone. It’s an uncontrollable urge not to let her out of my sight. I haven’t known her for a full twenty-four hours, and I’m already obsessed.
This is not going to end well.
I wait another fifteen minutes before I head upstairs after Mindy.
She’s in my bedroom, so after I quietly look in on her to make sure she’s asleep, I go to the room next to mine to get some rest. I know I won’t fall into a deep sleep because of my guest, but I will be a bastard if I don’t at least try to catch a few z’s.
I slip into the ensuite, and although it isn’t as luxurious as mine, it will do. I take a long, hot shower to try and calm my nerves, but as soon as I lie down, I have a flash of a pair of pretty brown eyes.
Mindy has the saddest eyes I have ever seen.
For the first time in my life, I want to make someone happy other than my family.
It pains me to see how down she is behind a man who doesn’t deserve to breathe.
Although I plan to remedy that very soon, I want Mindy to feel safe.
I want her to know she’s safe, whether her husband is alive or not.
I want he to know she’s safe because I would never let any harm come to her.
I just hope she understands that although her husband has been her biggest tormentor, I’m an even bigger predator.