Page 84 of Light It Up Red
I cup her face. There are bruises forming on her right cheek, and my fingers tremble with rage.
“I’m okay,” she says.
“I… I’m so fucking proud of you, Liliana.”
“For what?” she asks as her eyebrows draw down.
“For how strong you are, how resilient you are. You saved yourself, babe. You didn’t need anyone to save you. You did that all on your own. And that strength is something to admire.” I kiss the middle of her forehead and her body leans into my touch.
“I killed someone, Travis. I killed Gray’s uncle. I should feel something, right? I took a life.” Lili’s hands start shaking, and despite the warmth of the water, I can feel goose bumps rising all over her skin.
“No, you survived, babe.”
“No, I ran. He was unconscious and I ran out of the room. But then I went back up there when I saw the knife. And I stabbed him, over and over, until I couldn’t stab him anymore. He wasn’t even conscious and I kept going,” she says.
“You did what you had to do. That’s all.”
“Maybe…”
“No fucking maybes about it.” I tip her chin up and force her to look at me. I want her to see what I see when I look at her. How in awe I am.
Once we’re both clean, I turn off the water and grab a towel from the shelf. I pat Lili down before getting another towel and wrapping it around her. After I dry myself off, I take her hand and lead her out to the bedroom. I pull a shirt out of the closet and tug it over her head as the towel drops from her body.
“Do you want to go downstairs?” I ask as I pull a pair of sweats up my legs.
Lili shakes her head and her eyes flick to the bed. “Not yet. I just want to lie down.”
I take her hand in mine again, lead her over to the bed, and pull the blankets back. I climb in after her, covering us both up before pulling her into my arms. “How long do you think they’ll leave us alone in here?”
“Not long,” she says with a yawn. “I’m so tired.”
“Go to sleep, babe. I’ve got you,” I tell her.
I lie still while holding the girl who has become my whole fucking world in my arms. I watch as her body relaxes and she drifts off to sleep. I don’t move an inch, not wanting to disturb her.
My head turns to the door when it opens a few minutes later, and I bring a finger to my lips, telling her father and brother to be quiet. Their eyes drop to Lili before landing on me again.
“How is she?” her father asks, keeping his voice low.
“She’s okay.”
He nods, and it looks like he wants to say something else. I also get the feeling he wants nothing more than to reach into this bed and drag his daughter out of it. He doesn’t, though, which I’m grateful for. Because he’d have to pry her from my cold, dead hands. And there’s been enough bloodshed around my girl today.
“My men found a marriage certificate at the house. That bastard forced her to sign it,” Mr. Valentino says after a long pause.
“He what?” I ask through gritted teeth, a new bout of rage boiling beneath my surface.
“It’s not legally binding, but she wouldn’t have known that,” he says. “Let me know when she wakes up.” He turns and walks towards the door. Stopping before he leaves the room to glance back at me over one shoulder. “Travis, don’t fuck this up.”
I nod my head at him. I’m guessing that’s as good as an approval I’ll ever get from the man. Well, that and the fact that he’s not actively trying to get rid of me or threatening to kill me anymore.
Alessandro lingers at the end of the bed for another minute before he follows his father out of the room.
“I will never fuck this up,” I whisper my promise to Lili. “I love you.”
She stirs in my arms, and I tighten my hold on her. I don’t dare fall asleep, though. Instead, I watch her while I plan out the rest of our lives.
A few hours later, Lili blinks her eyes open. “Travis?” she questions.
