25. Chapter 24
Chapter 24
Marcus
The other side of the bed is empty and cold when I wake up. I finally make it out from under the covers and downstairs wearing one of my usual suits. Germo is drinking coffee, leaning against the kitchen counter, and confirms all my worst fears. "Miguel left this morning and wanted to let you know he wouldn't be coming back again. You can finally be free of him. We all can. I’m sure none of your guards will be too hurt by the news."
My face tenses. Gone? He can't be. Not after he made me a promise he swore he'd never break again. Even if he's gone, I'll never be free of him. He wasn't here for a long time. I continue to drown in our memories together and sometimes it's the good ones that helped get me through the day. I don't know what will now. He'd walked away willingly this time, taking more of me with him. There wasn't much of myself left to give to begin with. "These words actually came from his mouth?"
"Yes. He seemed to be in a hurry and couldn't leave fast enough. It didn't take much convincing from me to get him off the property."
"Are you sure?" I bite my tongue to keep from letting the doom I feel take over my expression.
"Positive. Unless he was lying when he said I didn't have to worry about him ever coming back."
I shake my head, turning around to reach into the fridge, blocking my body's response in case I'm unable to continue to remain unaffected by everything Germo is saying. I clutch onto the creamer, struggling to breathe.
"Miguel Juventino is a lot of things. A liar isn't one of them." I inhale sharply, grabbing the carton and closing the fridge. Steam rises from the hot liquid as I fill my cup. "I guess that's that then." I sip my coffee, not meeting Germo’s eyes.
I must have had one of my nightmares. He must have seen the real me in the light of day surrounded by evidence of my eternal demons. I'm no longer worth the fight. I clench my fists, holding back the tears and shoving the emotions away. I'm good at hiding everything else, this won't be an issue, but how long can a man walk around pretending to be someone else, hiding behind a facade.
"Yes. Miguel Juventino should be the least of your problems now."
I nod, forcing a smile on my lips. "We all know I could use less of those. Make sure to have my car ready in ten minutes."
"Have you watched the news yet?"
"No, why?"
Germo, hands me a news article from the paper. He refuses to be a part of the generation who gets their news from social media and television is too time consuming for him. He says he can take the paper with him anywhere and gets everything he needs to know in one go. "They found Mario's body this morning. Something about reports of screams coming from the room and after he didn't respond, the hotel manager let himself in."
"Good. We will give the news time to circulate."
"And the boy?"
"Give him a choice. He can live if he works for me or he can die in a similar manner as his father."
Germo sighs. "What if he agrees and runs anyway?"
"He won't. His mother asked for our protection and with that comes a price."
"I'll make sure to relate this back to him so he knows the situation at hand. Anything else you need today?"
"To not be bothered."
A loud knock comes to the door. Germo rushes to open it and Isaiah is standing on the other side. "Where's Miguel?"
"What do you mean? Didn't he go back to your place?"
"No. He was supposed to call Able or Cesar when he was ready to leave. He never did and his car was found in pieces a few blocks from here."
My eyes widen and my stomach twists. "And he wasn't with it?"
"Able is still looking. How long ago did he leave?"
"Nearly two hours ago," Germo responds. “He said he was going back home.”
Isaiah shifts in place. "He didn't make it very far."
Isaiah's phone vibrates and his forehead wrinkles with worry. He takes a deep breath before answering the phone, preparing himself for the worst. Something which we find ourselves doing often in this life.
"Where? Is he alive?"
My chest quickly rises and falls.
"I'm on my way. Get Dr. Mitchell on the phone. Tell him to meet us at Marcus's house. You know the address? Good."
He slides the phone back in his pocket. "My father was found twenty feet from the vehicle. He rolled down a hill and is barely breathing. The trees hid his body, so they didn't notice him at first. We need to move fast. Able doesn't know the severity of his condition yet. It doesn't look good."
My heart pounds viciously in my chest. "I'm coming with you."
Germo's brows furrow. "Are you sure you want to do that boss? He might be…"
"I'm sure," I respond too quickly, cutting him off. "I'm not staying behind when the man I love is barely holding onto his life."
The room is quiet and neither Germo nor Isaiah appear shocked by my revelation. "Let's go then. We are only wasting time standing here."
I follow Isaiah to his car after grabbing a few blankets to lay in the back. Germo grabs the first aid kit and any medical supplies he can find.
Miguel is lying in the same place he was found when we finally arrive at the scene of the accident. Only nothing about this was accidental. Someone wants him dead.
I swallow hard, laying a blanket on the ground and we carefully lift his battered body onto it and carry him to the car. His face is bruised, bleeding, and one side is covered in burns. I don't touch him much, afraid I'll break him or add to the damage.
It doesn't matter if he had tried to leave. I will do everything in my power to make sure he lives and if he does, I won't ever allow him to walk away again. "You promised me," I say in hushed tones, staring down at his limp body. "You can't protect me if you're dead."
The doctor's car is already pulling into the gate when we get back to the house. He rushes toward us, telling us to keep Miguel's head and neck supported in case he suffered from a spinal or head injury.
We get inside and the doctor has Able helping him move furniture around in the living room. "Lay him flat on the floor and get his clothes off."
We do as he asks and I cut Miguel's suit from his body. "Come back to me." Tears well in my eyes. "Please, Papi." I press a kiss to his cool forehead that leaves a metallic taste on my lips. I step back, letting the doctor get to work and we get him everything he asks for. "We may need to get him to a hospital." He starts an IV and uses a pole he brought with him to hang a bag of fluids.
"You know we can't do that, doctor. There will be way too many questions. We called you here for a reason."
He nods. "I'll have to call for more supplies."
"We can get you whatever you need," Isaiah says, trying his best to appear confident. "Name it and I'll have it delivered."
The doctor gives us a list and Isaiah makes a call. We get Miguel moved to the bed the moment he becomes stable. "Looks like he jumped out of the vehicle and wasn't thrown. He suffered a few third degree burns from the explosion, but looks like he got away before too much damage could happen. Leaving the car quickly saved his life."
"So he'll be okay?" Isaiah asks, gripping the door.
"He will need rest and time to recover, but yes, he'll live. Most of his injuries are external from what I can see. He does have some bruising and tenderness all over his body, a few broken ribs, a broken arm, and some injuries to his head. When he wakes up and is able to move more, we should get him to my office for x-rays. He is sleeping now and his vitals are getting better."
"Thank you, doctor. When do you think he'll wake up?"
He shrugs. "Could be hours or days. He's heavily sedated. Call me if there are any major changes. I'll be sure to check in regularly."
We thank him again and Isaiah pays him, showing him to the door while I crawl into the bed beside Miguel, clinging onto him anyway I can. It's the sounds of his breathing and beating heart I use to comfort myself. It isn't enough to completely settle me, and I won't leave his side until he opens his eyes. The rest of the world can wait forever if it has to.