Page 70 of The Madman and his broken Princess
I carried Luciano inside, followed closely by Nestore, who only stopped when another car pulled up, and Niccolo got out.
“Go ahead,” Nestore murmured. “I’ll check on you later.”
When I arrived in one of the guest bedrooms, I ran a warm bath and helped Luciano out of his clothes, spotting more bruises on his upper arms and his back. My rage burned through me, and I half wished Nestore had captured the men who’d hurt Luciano and locked them in his basement. Even if death by chimps probably was horrific, a slow end by Nestore’s hands would have been even more deserved.
These vengeful thoughts stunned me, so I focused on Luciano and lifted him into the bathtub. He clung to my hand as if he feared I’d leave him alone. “I’ll stay, okay?”
He gave a small nod and sank into the bubbles with a shaky sob.
I grabbed a washcloth from the small rack next to the tub and began to wipe Luciano’s back and face with it. Ten minutes later, he was clean and a little less tense. I dried him off and carried him back into the bedroom from where I heard steps. I froze when I spotted the young maid, Milly. She held a package with diapers, wipes, and fresh clothes.
She put everything down on the sideboard beside the door. “Master ordered us to get this for the boy before he left.”
I smiled. Nestore had been sure he’d return with Luciano, and he’d thought of everything. Maybe my Nestore was in there after all. “Thank you. Can you bring us some food?”
“What does he like?”
Luciano clung to me, his face pressed into the towel as if he feared Milly would hurt him. “He loves spaghetti carbonara.”
Milly nodded. “It’ll be up in fifteen minutes.”
She hurried out and closed the door. I put Luciano on the bed. He let out a wide yawn. I stepped back to grab clothes and a diaper from the sideboard, but again his tiny hand stopped me. Fear filled his face as he peered up at me. “I’m just going to walk right over there to grab some stuff, okay?”
He released me, but he kept his eyes on me as I crossed the room to grab everything I needed to get him ready for bed. The staff had bought two sets of pajamas with fire trucks and helicopters, cozy socks, several shirts, pants, and onesies. I picked the fire truck pj’s because Luciano was obsessed with the fire brigade. When I returned to him, his face slackened with relief. “Can you lie down so I can put a diaper on?”
He lay back immediately. Last time I’d seen him, he’d been in his “no” phase and always thrown a tantrum when we’d tried to change his diaper. I really hoped the kidnapping hadn’t broken his spirit. I’d rather bear his terrible twos than this silent obedience. He was sore from being in his soiled clothes, so I put some rash cream on his skin before I slipped the diaper on.“Look what I have for you.” When I showed him the pj’s, his face lit up, giving me some hope. Once he was dressed, I snuggled up against him in the bed and stroked his brown hair.
A knock sounded. Luciano stiffened and pressed himself against me with a small whimper. My chest clenched.
“It’s the food,” I said softly, then louder, “Come in!”
The door swung open, and Milly entered with a tray. She put it down on the nightstand beside me. Spaghetti carbonara piled high on two plates, and next to it, two chocolate muffins waited to be devoured. “There’s warm milk with honey in the cup for a good night’s sleep,” she said, then backed away and left.
“Look at that,” I said. Luciano scanned the food and gave a small smile.
“When was the last time you’ve eaten?”
He shrugged.
“Do you want me to feed you?”
He nodded.
“Please sit up.”
He struggled into a sitting position, and I pushed a cozy cushion into his back for support. After pressing a kiss to the top of his head, I grabbed a plate and blew on the pasta for a while. It was too hot. Luciano watched the food with big, greedy eyes. I carefully tested a bite against my lower lip, then began to feed him the spaghetti. He ate the entire portion, then looked hungrily at the muffin.
“A sweet treat?”
He bobbed his head, his eyes fixed on the muffin. I handed it to him. He ate it eagerly, leaving crumbs all over himself and the bed, something I would have admonished under normal circumstances, but I was just happy to see him hungry and well. Keeping my eyes on him, I devoured my spaghetti. I hadn’t eaten anything since I’d found out he’d been kidnapped and was starving. Soon, Luciano’s lips and his cheeks were covered inchocolate, but he looked so content that it warmed my heart. I put away my plate and nodded toward my muffin. “You can have mine too, if you like?”
He gnawed on his lower lip, considering it, then he shook his head. “Milk?”
I smiled and handed him the cup with warm milk. He sipped it while I took a wipe and carefully cleaned his fingers, then his face. When he had downed the entire cup, he lay down. I stretched out beside him and wrapped my arms around him.
“Your mommy will be here soon.” I glanced at the clock. If she landed in an hour, she could be here in ninety minutes if things went really well. Not that Luciano had a concept of time yet.
Luciano nodded, but his breathing slowed, and his tiny fingers dug into my shirt. When I peered down, his eyes were closed and his mouth slack. He had fallen asleep. I pressed a kiss to his forehead but stayed where I was. If he woke from a nightmare, I wanted to be there to console him. I’d lost count of the times I’d woken from a bad dream without someone to assure me I was safe.
