Page 27 of Sweet Union
CHAPTER13
Luca
Alek rips the door open when I knock. “Are you all right?” he asks Nat, who’s in my arms. I carry her inside her parents’ house. I figured she’d be safer with Alek than with me at the moment.
“I’ll be fine,” she responds as I lay her down on the couch. “It’s just hard to walk at the moment.”
Her mom rushes into the room, tears streaming down her face. “I thought I might lose you.” She peppers kisses all over Nat’s face.
“Mom, I love you, too.”
Katia takes a step back to let her daughter breath. “When Luca called us and told us you’d been shot, my heart dropped right to my stomach. I can’t see you get hurt. I can’t lose you, honey.”
Nat’s eyes water. “I know, Mom. I don’t want to lose you either. Either of you,” she says looking between her parents.
“I thought it would be a good idea to bring Nat here,” I say. “Romeo is still out there looking for us. He almost got me. I need to go finish things with him.”
Alek nods. “I understand. I’ll help in any way I can.”
“Have your men out looking for him. I don’t know where he could be. He managed to find us at the second safehouse. He’s smarter than I give him credit for.”
“He’s not getting in here,” Alek says. “If you don’t kill, then I’ll do it. He shot my daughter. I’m not letting that fucker live.”
“Wow. I’ve never heard you cuss, Dad.” Nat winces as she leans back in her seat. Katia flutters around her, checking if she needs anything, but Nat shakes her head. “You’ve always kept that side of yourself away from me.”
Alek smiles wryly. “You’re a grown woman now. I think you can hear me cuss.”
“Now that I know the truth about everything.”
“You two can stay here until things settle down,” Katia says. “I don’t want to see you get shot again. Either of you.”
I smile at her gratefully. “Thanks, Katia. But I’m not staying.”
Nat sits up in her seat so fast, she groans in pain.
“Be careful, honey,” Katia murmurs.
Nat ignores her mom. “Luca, you’re not going anywhere. You’re staying right here, with me.”
“I need to be out there looking for Romeo. I can’t risk him finding you again. I can’t risk him hurting you again.”
“He hurt you, too. I’m not the only one who got shot. How are you not in pain like me?”
I shrug. “I have a higher pain tolerance. And it’s not my first time getting shot. You get used to it after a while.”
Alek grunts. “You sure do.”
It’s a little strange for Alek and me to agree on something, but I guess it makes sense that it would be gunshot wounds to bridge the gap between us.
“No,” Nat says. “No. Luca, I won’t let you leave. Wait until my dad has found Romeo, and then, you can go kill him. But going out there now without a plan will only get you killed.”
“I’ve managed to survive somehow.”
“Yeah, by sure luck. Luca, don’t leave me. Please.”
I can only look into her sad blue eyes for so long before I feel like my heart is breaking. “Baby, I’m going to kill Romeo. I’ll end this once and for all.”
“But you promised me that you’d always choose me over Romeo.”
