Page 153 of The Devil's Fire

Giovanni stepped away when Damiano stood in front of me, splattered in blood.

“That fucking son of a bitch.” Damiano’s eyes were blazing with anger, holding such a murderous look on his face. “Are you hurt?” He pulled me into him, holding me tightly, and felt around my body to see if I had any injuries.

“I’m okay.” I breathed out. I was shaking as I held him tight.

I was somewhat… okay. It was a close call. A really fucking close one. I took a deep breath as I tried my best to compose myself. I had to find out if Laila was okay.

“Damiano, I’m okay.” I leaned back to look at him, even though I was sure it didn’t look like I was.

“He touched you. He fucking touched you!” Damiano cupped my face, his chest rapidly rising and falling with anger the more he looked at me. “Are you in pain? Fuck! Do you - Let’s get you to a doctor.”

“I’m okay. I don’t need a doctor. I need to find Laila.” I stepped away from him before he could carry me. “Oh, God…” I gagged when I made the mistake of looking over at the man. He was in a massive pool of blood, his face decorated with bullet holes.

I had to try my best not to puke.

“Who’s Laila?” Damiano asked, blocking my view and led me away from the mess.

“Did you see a woman run out?” I asked Luca. He was standing near the door, making sure everything was okay from his end. I stopped in my tracks, confused, when he shook his head.

If they didn’t see anyone go out, then where did she go?

“Althaia.” Damiano grabbed my hand and turned me to look at him. I let out a sigh.

“Laila, she was -” I stopped, noticing a shadow from the desk. I hurried over there and crouched down. “Hey, Laila. It’s okay, you’re safe now.” I said quietly and got down on my knees to be on her eye level.

She had her ears covered and eyes squeezed shut. I carefully placed a hand on her shoulder, trying not to scare her too much, but she still flinched.

“I-I’m so-sorry.” She whimpered, opening her teary eyes. My heart couldn’t take it anymore and I embraced her tightly, whispering she was safe.

Laila sobbed in my arms, and I glanced at Damiano, who met my gaze with a frown before turning his attention to Laila.

“She needed help. I had to do something.”

forty-eight

Althaia

After she had calmed down a bit, I handed Laila a bottle of water. We remained on the floor under the desk, not wanting her to witness the awful sight of that man.

“Are you okay?” I asked her quietly. She clutched the water bottle to her chest as she kept glancing at Damiano but would quickly look away again.

She nodded, taking a deep breath before speaking.

“You have blood on your face…” She whispered.

“Oh…” I said in surprise and blindly tried to wipe my face with Giovanni’s jacket.

“Did…” Laila swallowed hard, then whispered. “Did he do this to you?” Her wide eyes darted quickly to Damiano. I followed her gaze, forgetting his hands were covered in blood.

“Oh, no! No, he’s with me. He won’t do anything to harm me. Don’t worry, we’re safe with him.” I promised with a smile.

She let out a breath of relief, and her whole body seemed to relax.

“Laila, stay down here for a bit, okay? I’ll be right back.” She nodded and pulled her legs into her chest. It was obvious to see how broken she was, and I didn’t dare to imagine what she must have gone through.

I pulled Damiano away to talk to him quietly, being careful not to look into the other room.

“You should probably wash your hands. You look kind of scary right now.” I grimaced as I looked at his hands and clothes. “And I need you to take us back to my place.”

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