Page 14 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 4

Christophe grabbed our two small suitcases and we followed our rescuers into what turned out to be a luxury home. We entered a massive kitchen where a petite full-figured older woman of Latin descent was actively cooking a feast. The scent of spiced meat and Spanish rice filtered through the air and made my mouth water.

“¡Hola amigos!” a man said in a deep voice from somewhere behind us. We both turned around and were shocked to seeDiego Salazar in the flesh. “Welcome to my European home.” He pointed to the woman cooking. “That’sMamá.”

She turned around, spatula in hand and said, “Espero que tengan hambre,” and pointed the cooking utensil at us both before going back to her task.

“Mamásays she hopes you are hungry. She likes to feed people.”

“Diego? What are you doing here?” Christophe asked, for which I was grateful because I was honest to God speechless.

He was absolutely the last person I’d expected to see.

“What?” He held out his hands and grinned like a maniac. “And let you have all the fun?”

Episode 91

Only a Matter of Time

JULIANNE

My head hurt like a bitch when I slowly came to. Bright white, red and yellow lights flashed across my vision in a kaleidoscope of blurry streaks of colors. People were screaming commands as though they were speaking through a bullhorn. I was jostled around on what I believed to be a stretcher.

“Suspected blunt force trauma, deep laceration on the forehead, abrasions and first degree burns on forearms and hands,” a man in a medical uniform hollered as I was rushed through a series of hospital doors. Glaringly white walls blinded me, and I closed my eyes again.

“Miss, try to stay awake. Listen to my voice. You’re in the hospital. We’re going to take good care of you. Can you tell me your name?” a dark-haired woman asked. She was wearing scrubs and was using a stethoscope to listen to my chest. She spoke, but her words morphed and changed, sounding garbled and hard to follow. It felt like the sounds around me were getting louder and then fading away.

“Giovanni…” I whispered. My mouth felt as dry as the Sahara Desert, making it difficult to speak. “Hus-band,” I managed to get out.

“Two men were brought in with you. They are receiving help now. Let’s focus on you,” the doctor said, and I swear it was as ifshe’d screamed it right into my ear. I winced and tried to lift my hands, but they hurt too much.

“Gio!” I croaked finally putting the pieces back together of what happened.

We were at the office. My brother was being an asshole as usual. Then we heard that ominous beeping sound. Gio pulled me away from Brenden and pushed me down and underneath him. Then everything went black.

I need to get to Gio!

“Gio!” I felt myself open my mouth to scream his name but could only manage a guttural whisper.

Someone was putting pressure on my forehead. It hurt, sending fire bolting through every one of my nerve endings. My heart beat so hard I thought it might explode outside of my chest, and I couldn’t catch my breath.

Suddenly, everything around me became hazier and more blurred until I passed out.

* * * *

When I woke up the second time, I was in a hospital bed. The room was dimly lit. A dark figure approached.

“Gio?” I rasped.

“Sorry Julianne, it’s me, Bruno,” he said as my eyes acclimated, and his features became distinct. The wavy curls of his layered hair. The scruffy beard and mustache combo. The tight expression on his handsome face.

“Gio?” I croaked.

“They’re both in surgery. Gio’s being treated for a compound fracture in his arm, a series of lacerations from the explosion and second-degree burns along his back and legs. The doctors wouldn’t tell me anything, so I had my guy Jonas hack the system. I’m sorry to say it doesn’t look good for Brenden, Julianne. He received the brunt of the explosion. We don’t knowGio’s full prognosis yet, but based on what a doctor on my team read in his file, he will likely make a painful but full recovery.” He squeezed my ankle for emphasis.

The wave of relief hearing Gio would ultimately be okay brought tears to my eyes. “Thank you.” I looked down at my arms. They were wrapped from forearm to fingertips in bandages. “And these?” I held up my arms the best I could.

“I’m sure the doctor will go over the details with you, but from what we gathered in your chart, those are first-degree burns. You should heal up just fine. Though you received a concussion and a nasty cut on your head from smacking into the wall where a glass picture frame was. They stitched you up and gave you some medication for the pain.”

I winced as I lifted my right hand to my forehead and felt the bandage wrapped around my head.

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