Page 20 of Mafie Trials

“What else?” I reluctantly ask as I shake out my hand and pin him with a furious glare.

He sighs, rubbing a hand down his face while he tries to rein in his control. “I didn’t get a lot of time to dig everything up. I was so disgusted once I found out the truth about the man I pledged my life to serve that I had to get out of there. As soon as I went down the rabbit hole, I knew I needed to get to her right away. I found the tracker and a few files. I found out he sent her to the prison to be tortured and not our own men. I found out he had been lying to all of us for quite some time. The depths of which I’m not even sure I want to know.”

I nod in response, and he shakes his head. “He sent her there?” I question, knowing only part of the story from Damien. He wouldn’t tell me everything, saying it was her choice to trust me with it or not. But he told me enough. Enough to have me thankful I didn’t eat breakfast with the nausea that set in.

“He did. It was insane how he made me feel like it was this crazy rescue mission when he said he finally found her. But I found out he owed a debt to the prison guards and when they didn’t return her after the third week as agreed upon, that’s when he started planning to kill them all. I have no idea if his intention was even to get her out. I remember him being more focused on making sure they were all dead than picking up the nearly lifeless girl tied down to their torture table. At the time I thought it was just him being so angry at them for hurting her, but now I’m starting to see everything for what it really was”

My hand is numb from the pain of hitting the solid wall and when I move to do it again, Havoc stops me.

“I know you’re angry,” he says, and I open my mouth to yell because that’s all I can do. But before I can, his grip tightens around my arm, keeping my attention firmly on him. “Butthis, this is the last thing she needs. Focus on what you can do right now. Nothing more. And the main thing you can do is go to her and vow to keep her safe. I see your love for her, and it’s stronger than any weapon she will ever carry because I know you will stand in front of every threat that comes for her. But this,” he gestures to the wall I was about to hit, “this will only bring you both pain. And I think you’ve suffered through enough. So has she.”

I have no words for him. He is right.

I think about her laying in that bed, then allow myself to recall what she looked like as they wheeled her into surgery, how gray her skin was. I focus on it because she doesn’t need to see us fall apart. She needs to know that we can pick up those pieces and help her feel strong again.

I straighten myself and when Havoc sees I’m not going to hit the wall, he lets go and takes a step back. I don’t know many men that would have helped me when I get in that head space, so seeing that he doesn’t know me at all makes me pause.

“Thank you,” I say as I adjust my shirt.

“You remind me a lot of myself, I won’t let you make the same mistakes I did with her. I lost my family because of my anger. Don’t let it happen to you too.”

All I can do is nod. I won’t let anything happen to her. But I can’t find the right words to say. So I do what I do best. I get to work.

“You can stand guard at her door, but you have to get some rest first.” He tries to argue but I hold up my hand to silence him. I might have let him take control for a moment, but now that it’s over, it’s time to get shit back on track here. “There is a room down the hall with two beds. Take it. There is a shower as well, which you need by the way.” He smells like salt water and sweat, and the nurses out there don’t need him stinking up the place. He turns to sniff himself and doesn’t argue. “One of us will be with her at all times, so you can rest and we will come up with a better alternative tomorrow if Evie is feeling better. In order to help her through this and come up with a plan, we’re going to need her input and for that, we need her better. We need everyone well rested as well so go.”

He doesn’t argue, and I thank the demon god himself because I have no more energy to fight. I just need my princess.

I slide open the door to her room and see Damien holding her while she sleeps.

“Lev needs you,” I tell him softly, careful not to wake Evie. Lev clearly wanted to run away when I was leaving, and I could see how much he needed an outlet. He might not want to see Damien right now, but he needs him. Hell, they need to fix what’s broken between them before Evie gets out of here. I’m not letting her come back to a place of tension and hostility.

Damien doesn’t look up from Evie’s face, a frown etched into his brow. I already know he knows how much he messed up. I don’t plan on making it worse, but I do want to make one thing very clear.

“If you go to liquor like that again, I will personally lock you in the dungeons,” he looks up at me then so I continue, “and I won’t hesitate to throw you back into a program. I know you only said what you said because you were hurt, but that can’t happen again. Not withher.”

I repeat the same words he said to me when I snapped with the email.

“She’s not just yours,” he said, shoving a finger in my chest, “and we won’t let you have her if you keep this shit up. I know you did what you did because you were hurt, but that can’t happen again. Not with her.”

“I know,” he finally responds. “It won’t.”

He stands up so I carefully slide into the bed to replace him. Evie’s eyes flutter open and I think she’s going to tell me to leave. But she takes one look at my mess of an appearance and instead curls into my chest as I lay back next to her. Damien watches her closely before leaving, and I hope like hell he and Lev can fix what was broken between them.

???

I watch her face as she sleeps curled into me. The bruises are starting to turn a dark shade of yellow, and the swelling in her face is nearly gone. She hasn’t eaten much, but the fluids they are giving her seem to keep her healing even without the food. I know if it were a real issue Lev would make them do something to fix it. The guy reads her medical charts like he’s a lawyer looking for something to sue someone over.

I keep thinking about Havoc’s words and how she’s going to cope with all of this moving forward. How she’s still here with us I will never understand. She’s so fucking strong.

Evie’s hand moves up my chest, “Please stop thinking so loud.” she whispers. My mouth tugs in a grin because I fully believed she was dead ass asleep.

I take her hand in mine, the freshly changed gauze catching on a few calluses and rubbing against the three-day-old stubble of my chin as I kiss the back of it. Her hands are so small compared to mine, but the fight within them is immeasurable.

“I can’t help it, you give me a lot to think about.”

She groans as she rolls over and winces slightly at the change of position. I grab the button for the medication, but she just shoves it away.

“Prin…” I start, but she cuts me off.

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