Page 83 of No Saint

That voice.

That deep, accented voice, the baritone and timbre washing an eerie sense of calm through me.

“Mondo mia,” Gabriel leans over me, “You’re awake.”

“Am I dead?”

His mouth quirks a little and it’s like my eyes just home into that one expression, the smile enough to sink a single dimple into his cheek, “No,leonessa, you live.”

“What happened? Where’s Lincoln!?”

A darkness creeps across his face, banishing the smile, “You were in the pool. He’s safe, with my mother.”

I nod, relief flooding through me and that incessant beeping at my side slows. Lincoln was safe but his words affirm my memory, “I was.”

“You can’t swim, can you?”

I don’t bother to lie, “No.”

He sighs heavily through his nose.

“Did I hit my head?”

His expression turns thundery and he’s silent for a moment before he grits out one word, “Yes.” But there was more to it than that, something he wasn’t telling me. I open my mouth to ask more but the door opens and Atlas walks in.

His eyes clash with mine as he stills in the door.

“Atlas,” Gabriel growls, “what is it?”

I tune out their words, stuck in this vortex of panic that begins to well inside of my stomach. I didn’t just hit my head. I didn’t. Someone struck me.

They tried to kill me. Drown me.

The pain doesn’t register as I snap up, breath rapidly sawing from my chest, “They – he – they tried to kill me!”

Gabriel grabs my shoulders, trying to halt the thrashing but I’m not looking at him, I’m looking at his brother. I never saw them, I can’t even confirmwho.

“Amelia,” Gabriel grips my chin, forcing me to look at him, “You remember who?”

I shake my head frantically, “I can’t – I didn’t see!”

“That’s okay, it’s okay,” he soothes.

“Amelia,” Atlas says from the door, “Are you sure you can’t remember? It all happened quickly, maybe you did just hit your head.”

“Atlas,” Gabriel warns.

“Brother, we cannot blindly accuse our men of treachery based on the words of someone who can’t even remember what happened. It was a tense and dangerous situation, the mind can play tricks.”

When Gabriel goes to move, I lunge for his wrist, “Don’t.”

He stiffens but looks back to his brother, “Mymen.Mycity.MYFUCKING WIFE.”

His roar echoes within the room.

“Where were you when she was in the pool, Atlas?” He asks calmly.

Atlas scoffs and shakes his head, “I’m fucking done with you,brother.” He turns.

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