Page 71 of Neverland

He kissed the top of my head, which thankfully Laura had helped wash. “I know. It was obvious you were high on something. It was also obvious you were petrified. And you certainly scared the shit out of me. I’ve seen a lot of messed up shit working Vice. A lot of things that shook me to the core. But nothing like seeing a ghost from the past walk in. A ghost I loved and then mourned for. I studied every inch of your face, looked for any clue to tell me it was definitely you. Then you were so close that I just became lost in your touch, your scent, the softness of your hair. Everything.”

My heart swelled.

“It wasn’t until I saw the heart-shaped scar on your hip, and having you abruptly torn away from me at the end, did the sting turn into a rescue mission. And with me in disguise, there was no way of telling you who I was, without potentially getting us all killed.”

“So what now?” I asked, almost too scared to know the answer. “Is Dominic dead?”

Romeo exhaled heavily. “Unfortunately, no.”

A hand reached down my throat and twisted my insides, while the other wrapped around my throat. I couldn’t breathe and started to panic. Pulling away from Romeo, I sat on the edge of the bed and rocked back and forth struggling for air.

Romeo sat behind, his legs either side of mine, and pulled me against his chest. “Hey,” he soothed. “The boys are working on it. Just breathe.”

I couldn’t. I escaped his hold and stood too quick, the room spinning around me. “You don’t under—”

“Whoa, I’ve got you,” Romeo said, catching me as I fell sideward. Wrapping my arms around him, I held tight. “Jesus, Lucy, you’re trembling.” He lowered me to the floor, my teeth chattering.

“He’ll find us, Romeo. He will. And he’ll come after us both.”

Romeo held tighter, whispering in my ear the same way Mrs. Sanchez did when Mom died. Realizing my nightmare wasn’t yet over, I started to sob. I’d made the mistake of assuming he’d been shot and killed.

“I promise he’ll pay for everything he’s ever done to you. I’ll make him hurt.”

Wiping my cheeks, I faced Romeo. “The man is a monster, I’ve seen what he can do. I’ve seen him make others pay for less. If Dominic gets to us first, we’re dead. It’s only a matter of time.”

~~~

I couldn’t settle. The more I thought about Dominic Salvatore still living and breathing, the more I lost control. Laura held my hair when I vomited in the toilet, my nerves bringing up everything I’d eaten. It was like the mere thought of him still being alive brought all the pain he’d ever inflicted on me back in folds. So bad it was crippling.

“Come on, Lucy,” she soothed, rubbing my back. “We need to calm you down.”

That was easy enough for her to say. Laura hadn’t seen the atrocities committed by his very hands. She hadn’t seen the way his insane mind unleashed wrath in all its frightening glory. But if she stuck around, she just might.

A knock sounded at the door, Romeo opening it far enough to peer in. “Can I come in?”

“Not yet,” Laura said. “She needs time.”

When I was able to stand, Laura helped me freshen up and guided me back to the bedroom where she tucked me under the comforter. Rummaging in her medical kit, she filled a syringe and found a vein in my arm. “You need more sleep, Lucy. This has been a big day for you. In the morning, you’ll feel better.”

She was wrong, but I didn’t argue. There would be no peace until I saw Dominic Salvatore take his last breath.

The only thing missing was Romeo. I wanted him by my side because I wasn’t sure how or when that would be taken from me. The euphoric relief coursed through my body, the hands around my throat allowing me to finally breathe.

Laura turned off the lamp and left the room, the kitchen light and their voices filtering through.

“She’ll be fine,” Laura said, trying to put Romeo at ease. “Whatever he’s done to her is creating a PTSD response. It will take some time.”

A glass smashed against the wall in a fit of rage, but I didn’t startle. My body was too numb, but my heart wasn’t.

Romeo wanted revenge.

And Dominic would be relentless in his chase, throwing Romeo into a war he was only just learning about. Tears slipped down my temples because it would surely be a war we’d both lose.

~~~

“We need to hit them where it hurts,” Charles said, wiping a cloth over pieces of his disassembled Glock. Having woken only a few hours later from plaguing nightmares, I followed the voices to the kitchen and listened to the four agents talking options.

“We have enough testimony from Lucy to put him behind bars for the rest of his life,” Sol offered.

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