Page 112 of Unspoken Promises

Men dressed in black uniforms and helmets sweep into the barn, but Enzo doesn’t let me go. They aren’t concerned about us yet.

Three officers head to Anton and the man Enzo called Sánchez, two with guns still pointed straight at the bodies and one bends down to check vitals. First, he feels Sánchez. My lungs are made of steel, not knowing if I want him to be dead and gone forever or alive to get the wrath he deserves. Still, when the officer drops his wrist and shakes his head, I know I’d prefer to never see this man again.

But when the officer grips Anton’s wrist in his hand, I can’t help but allow hope to creep in. It takes just four words to stop the world.

“We got a pulse.”

35

We wereat the hospital long enough for the nurses at the desk to go from sipping on straws in water bottles to the shift change with thermos mugs of coffee in hand. There were no windows in the depths of the ER, but I was fairly certain by the time we were done being treated and questioned, the sun would be warming the sky.

Miraculously, after a night where I could have been shot or had my hand chopped off, I only have to get six Steri-Strips out of this whole ordeal.

Four are on my knee from when Anton pushed me to the floor. I smooth a finger over them now as the doctor places the other two on the inside of my arm.Anton definitely saved my life tonight. He did. He pushed me to the floor before Sánchez brought down the ax. He risked his own life to save me, to allow those shots to be fired that ended Sánchez’s reign forever.

The doctor finishes placing my final two Steri-Strips on the inside of my arm. “Keep the area clean, but it shouldn’t be any trouble. Any redness, fever… make sure you see your primary care physician.”

I gaze at the two white strips across my skin where the doctor removed the so-called birth control which turned out to be a tracker. The grim discovery that I never was free before hangs a dark cloud over me, and yet how Penelope, and therefore Enzo, and the whole SWAT team were able to save me from my fate back at Father’s compound humbles me.

It’s eerie to know all those days at the ranch thinking I’d escaped were a mirage.

All of these thoughts will eventually fade into the past. I can get a therapist. I have the man of my dreams and a future doing something meaningful ahead of me, but the one outcome of tonight that I’m not as sure about is now in the operating room.

Anton is alive.

A sniper bullet got him in the abdomen. He ended up being rushed off to the ER and will endure multiple operations.

By the time we walk through Enzo’s door, it’s nearly dawn and breaking into the next day. I’m exhausted but somehow wired. It’s five a.m. I’ve spent the last few hours going through waves of undulating feelings— terror, sadness, relief, awe at being given this second chance at life.

“I don’t know how I’ll ever sleep.” I drop into the sofa. “I’m on overload.”

Enzo stands in front of me and takes my hand. “Come.”

I don’t think I can get up now that I’ve actually sat down. My body, mind, and soul are so disjointed I can’t seem to make anything happen. It’s like I’m empty and floating in zero gravity, and I hate it.

I need grounding.

Thankfully, Enzo takes charge and scoops me up into his arms.

He walks me to the enormous bathroom where somehow, the jacuzzi tub is filling.

“How…?”

He sets me down on a chair in the corner. “App controlled…”

I watch as he pours some liquid under the running water and the soothing aroma of lavender fills the room. Without a word, he undresses me one item at a time. He lifts my arms and smooths my shirt overhead. He strips my boneless body, and I’m glad to shed those clothes. I want to burn them and never see them again. I wish I could do the same with my past.

Sitting naked on the chair, I watch Enzo take off his own clothes. His t-shirt and jeans are now a heap on the floor, his herculean body bronze and strong before me. Still, I’m struggling to move. But Enzo doesn’t need me to do anything. I love that about him. He’s so capable. I can follow his lead with confidence that he’s taking me somewhere I don’t even know I want to be yet.

He hauls me up, ushers me to the now full tub, and holds my hand delicately, and soft, scented water floods my body with warmth as I lower myself into its comfort.

Enzo comes in behind me, sliding his warm body along my back. His dick smooths down my spine, the inside of histhighs align with mine, and eventually, he cradles me from behind.

“Lean back,” he murmurs.

I let my head fall onto him, and along with it, a sigh leaves my lips.

Silent tender hands brush hair off my forehead, caressing it backward and soothing my scalp with tiny waterfalls of water from his palm. He repeats the motion over and over until somehow, my sorrow drains away just a little. He washes me slowly, gently, with suds and gentle fingers and the stroke of his palm. His hands melt over every surface, urging me back to the present.

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