33. Luca
“ A bout fucking time,” I rasp out as I force my cracked lips into a grin, ignoring the painful splitting.
“Shit.” Lio’s stunned expression lasts for only a few seconds before they jump into action. My vision wavers as they move, and soon I’m being helped from the wall. I didn’t even notice that they went and got the keys. “Hey, careful.”
Wincing, I lean on Lio, my strength being sapped just from moving a few fucking feet. Turning to face him, I mumble, “Thank you.”
“Yeah, asshole, I got you,” he grunts, and thank fuck he does. It’s slow moving as we make it out, and hell, I’m not even sure I believe they’re fucking real. “Come on, Luca. I need you to fucking help me.”
My body is too heavy for me, and I want to apologize, but can’t. Everything is spinning, and I worry I’m going to vomit at any moment, even though I haven’t had any fucking food in so long that I can’t remember what it’s like.
Fuckers tried to torture me. Ha. They’ve got nothing on Il Padrone, or what I was going through before I answered the SOS text message. But shit, given the way I’m moving—well, shuffling—I imagine there’s another fucking trip to see Dr. Ranlen coming up.
By the time they get me into one of the vehicles, I’m covered in sweat and want nothing more than to fall asleep, but Marcus isn’t letting me. “You have to stay awake. We didn’t find you just to fucking lose you. You’ve got too many questions to answer.”
I lean my head against the seat, my body trembling as the car jumps forward.
Groaning, I clench my fists, desperately praying to stay upright and not throw up.
Every time I open my eyes, the dizziness increases, and I finally give in to it.
Hell, I don’t think I would have survived much longer if they hadn’t found me.
Fucking LEOs didn’t seem to give a fuck if I died or not…
especially when I wouldn’t answer their fucking questions.
“Come on, Luca. We need to get you inside.” Lio’s voice jars me from the semi-sleep I’ve lapsed into, and I struggle to move with him. I’m breathing heavily when they get me out of the vehicle, and just eyeing the steps into the mansion makes me want to cry.
“Yeah, fuck this,” Marcus grumbles as he lifts me up into a fucking bridal carry. I’d laugh if every inch of me didn’t hurt right now. “Inside we go. Let’s hope Dr. Ranlen or Doc are available.”
I want to ask about Doc, and why he’d be here, but fuck, I can’t manage to make my tongue work. I try to move my head when I hear Il Padrone’s shouting, but it’s too difficult.
I thank fuck when Marcus gets me to the medical wing, which looks very different. I add it to the never-ending list of questions that are piling up in my head.
“How the hell do you manage to get into so much trouble?” Dr. Ranlen grumbles as she comes forward, after Marcus sets me down on an examination table.
I don’t bother responding at the moment. It’s too much, and the light she shines in my eyes fucking blinds me. Her strong grip doesn’t let me go as she briskly but carefully checks me over.
“How is he?” I jolt at Allesandro’s deep voice.
Fuck, it’s been a long time since I’ve been in the same room as him. This isn’t the type of homecoming I wanted… I thought I was coming to help him, not ending up with my ass needing to be saved.
“He’s going to need x-rays. Maybe an ultrasound.
” I grunt when she palpates my stomach. “I want to make sure there’s no internal bleeding.
He’s definitely dehydrated, and from the weight he’s lost, they obviously haven’t been feeding him.
He’s got bruises over most of his body. It looks like they mostly focused on the rib area, which means they’re fucking stupid. ”
“Yeah, it’s effective, but dangerous if you want someone to stay alive.” I don’t recognize the person’s voice, but I let it roll over me as they use my body like a puppet, moving me whatever way they need. I hope they give me the good drugs soon…
“What the fuck happened, Luca?”
I struggle to answer, keeping it short, but hopefully, coherent. Fuck knows if I succeed. “Got text. Needed help. Came. Kidnapped. Airport.”
A crazy beeping noise and yelling fills the room. I groan against the noise invading my head. It fucking hurts.
“That’s it. I’m putting him under. If you have questions, you can ask them later. He needs to be examined further and put on fluids. He needs fucking nutrients. Not you guys crowded in here, demanding answers.”
I want to smile at Dr. Ranlen, but everything is going fuzzy, and while I swear I feel the poke of a needle, I can’t be completely positive. Not with how everything aches. Soon, it doesn’t matter, and I’m embracing the darkness that rolls over me.
Fuck . People are going to be pissed if I don’t get home, but right now? The idea of losing conscious sounds fucking delightful…