Chapter Forty-Three
Mac had to drag her to the car, but once he did, she climbed in and turned to look back. All she could see were the lights from the building. Mac took off, speeding away before anything went down. As he drove, he muttered to Mia—or perhaps to himself.
“He’ll be fine; he’s always fine.” Mac was white faced, his knuckles gripping the wheel. She worried he would melt the plastic with how tight he held on. The car sped through the night. She blinked, and suddenly they were at the loft.
They sat in silence for what felt like hours, each in their own minds, unsure where to go from here. Suddenly, mac spoke.
“I need to go see Amy.” He looked to Mia, his eyes red and blood shot. Mia nodded, lifting a hand to open her door. She got out, her mind pulsing as she moved on autopilot. Mac gave her pleading look as she closed her door. She stood there, watching as Mac drove away.
As the car drove off, she turned toward the building, her legs feeling like jelly. She made her way up the stairs the quiet of the lofts unnerving as she moved slowly up. She pulled her keycard out, swiping it quickly before moving into her hallway. The silence around her was suffocating. She could hear the sound of her heartbeat as she moved to the door.
Somehow, she managed to get into the loft, her body collapsing onto her knees by the front door. Her eyes throbbed as she sat there, her mind blank. She didn’t know what to think or what to tell herself. She couldn’t reassure herself; she had no idea what she would say. Seeing him there, knowing he could have walked away but chose not to hurt more than she thought it should have. Aurelio had held her, had kissed her, yet he still went back inside.
She stood, knees threatening to give once more and wiped her face. There were no tears, but maybe, she thought, she had none left to spend. Sliding, the door closed, she made her way to the bed. The numbness of her body was translating into tiredness. Without taking off anything, Mia curled up and fell asleep.
A loud thud jolted Mia awake. She was still in bed, curled up under the covers. The darkness of the room told her it was still night. Reaching for her phone, she found the charger empty and had no idea where she had left it. The crash came again, louder this time, from the front door. Mia’s heart thudded in her chest as her eyes slowly adjusted to the dark.
She slipped from the bed, her feet hitting the cold floor with a soft thud. Moving to the door, apprehension paused her steps as she reached the threshold. Just as she lifted her hand to the door, the crash came once more, like a tree falling in the hallway. Throwing caution to the wind, Mia slid the door open, and Aurelio fell into the loft. He was bloody and beat up, his eyes closed. Moving quickly and gasping, Mia pulled at him, lifting his arms, but he didn’t budge. His eyes fluttered open, and a smile broke across his face.
“Hello, beau…” he tried to say, his eyes closing briefly before popping open again.
“Aurelio!” she exclaimed, her arms wrapping around his chest. She maneuvered around him, helping him sit up against the wall next to the door. He looked at her through half-lidded eyes, one mostly swollen shut. His light brown eyes shone as he watched her move around him, that same smile still on his lips.
“I need to get you in the loft,” she said, her mind switching to emergency mode, her eyes dry for now. She couldn’t let her emotions take over; she had to focus on getting him inside.
“Mm, kay…” he murmured softly, attempting to stand. As he did, Mia noticed the bruises covering the left side of his body. His hand instinctively went to cover it. She placed her shoulders under his arm, helping him up as they moved to the doorway. Slowly, she assisted him to the couch, each step feeling like a mountain they had to climb. Aurelio dragged his feet, letting out soft grunts and groans as he moved. Finally, she managed to help him sit, running to turn on the light. The sudden brightness made Aurelio cover his eyes, then grimace as he did, his side still bleeding.
“What happened?” Mia cried, rushing back to him. She moved to lift his shirt to see what was going on, but Aurelio stopped her, placing his hand on hers. She looked into his eyes, his smile pained but real.
“I did it, beautiful,” he said slowly. “You are safe.” He sighed, his eyes closing for a moment.
“What? What did you do?” she asked, trying to keep her voice calm, her emotions bubbling to the surface as tears fell.
“They are gone…all of them…” he said, his voice trailing off as he fought to stay awake.
“Aurelio,” she said, lifting a hand to his face, sweat and blood covering her fingers as she held him. “I don’t care about any of them; I care about you.”
“We… we can be… free…” he murmured, his head nestling into her palm. “You… you are free.”
Mia crouched before him, leaning forward until their foreheads touched.
“Aurelio,” she cried softly, closing her eyes as her tears fell. “Please stay with me.”
“Oh, beautiful…” he whispered, his eyes fluttering shut. She felt him go slack against her. Mia’s eyes shot open, panic racing through her as she scanned his face.
“Aurelio!” she yelled, shaking him. He groaned lightly, and Mia jumped to her feet.
“Where’s my fucking phone?” she yelled, running around the loft. She threw her bed apart, a soft thud echoing as the phone hit the floor. Grabbing it, she rushed back to him, dialing 911 while holding his hand, trying to find his pulse. He lay back on the couch, his face paling as she watched. She could feel the soft thump of his pulse in his wrist, her heart pounding louder and louder. A click, and then the operator answered.