Page 17 of Charity's Redemption

“Huh?”

He tipped his head forward and pointed towards my chest. I glanced down at the deep purple bruise embedded beside my left nipple, showcasing an imprint of Luca’s perfect teeth.

“You have bite marks all over you. Did you see them in the mirror?”

“No. But this one is from you.” I pointed to a striking violet bruise on my right breast. “And this one is from him,” I said, pointing to the left breast, surprising myself that I could remember… or did I remember it accurately?

Between these three men and their uncanny need to mark me each time, I’m astonished there isn’t any more bruising to present.

I plodded back to bed, hating each step I took until I collapsed face-first on the mattress with a bounce. I moaned with regret as daggers plunged their dull blades into my eye sockets.

“Come on, get back in the sheets.”

“No.” Moving hurt, breathing hurt, and just the thought of wriggling back into bed had me balking at the idea. “I don’t want to move.”

“Then you should’ve fallen in the right place.” Nico patted the space I’d occupied all night. “Come on.”

Moaning in protest, I rose to my hands and knees and crawled across the bed towards him, then fell across it in no better a position than I was before. “This is the best I can do.”

“Good enough.” He chuckled as he dragged the sheet out from under me, then tucked me in. “Stay in bed and do as the doctor ordered.”

“Yes, sir,” I said, swiping the hair from my face.

Nico tucked the remaining strands behind my ear, then leaned over and kissed my aching forehead. “I’ll be back later to check on you. Love you.”

My chest swelled as his attentive words left his lips, flowing over me like a lover’s caress. “I love you, Nico.”

He walked out of the room, leaving me to combat the symptoms alone, which was what I needed. Holding a conversation when all I wanted to do was sleep away the ache in my bones was too difficult.

I closed my eyes and took a staggering deep breath until my lungs burned, then released it in a quick expulsion.

How could I feel like this for a few days? How do people do this all the time?

My mind drifted away to the neglected assignment… Senator Adams. They were still undecided about what to do with him, but they needed to decide quickly.

The deadline was fast approaching, and I was running out of patience.

Luca helped me learn just what he thought about unsanctioned hits… they were grounds for a cement drum in the middle of the river. The only thing I had on my side at the time was their unspoken love for me and Arturo’s support.

I don’t think forgiveness would come so easily a second time.

So that meant I needed to pay a trip to Arturo and hope to God he gave me his blessing because there was no way in Hell Luca would give it to me.

“Did you send inthe stipulation on Nash’s case?” I asked my secretary, Martha, who stood in my doorway with a stack of files in her arms.

“Yes, sir. The judge already came back with a response, granting your request for a three-week extension.”

Excellent.

They did not prepare me for his domestic case against his partner. She’d filed a restraining order, claiming he’d hit her and the judge granted it despite a police report that stated the contrary.

“Thank you, Martha. I’ll be heading out soon. Why don’t you wrap things up?”

She responded with a look of delight, then backed out of my office, shutting the door behind her.

Calling it early on any day in a law office was always a treat. There wasn’t anything that needed to be done here that I couldn’t do at home while I took care of Charity, provided she listened to the Doc for once in her life and stayed down.

I was still at a loss for words about how she’d miraculously gotten herself high on cocaine while trying to teach a man a lesson. But I’ve learned that with Charity… anything was possible.

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