Page 21 of Lies like Rubies, Part Two (Savage Jewels)

I took the cloth out of her hands, then washed her wounds before washing the rest of her body, keeping my touch gentle and impersonal as my hands brushed over the bruises on her breasts and the insides of her thighs. Sofia stood there in silence, her gaze vacant as I rinsed the dirt and blood and soap from her body until the water ran clear.

She didn’t move to dry herself, so I carefully patted her dry with my fluffiest towel, shaking my head at the thought that I’d been saving them for guests.

“I’ve got to change, okay? I’ll bring you?—”

She tangled her fingers in my soaking shirt. “Please don’t leave me alone,” she begged hoarsely.

I looked her up and down, frail and bruised, overwhelmed by the towel that enveloped her. “All right, sunshine.” I took her hand, twining our fingers together. “We’ll get dressed together, and then I want to look at those wrists, all right?”

Seeing Sofia in my clothes twisted my heart, creating an odd pressure in my chest that felt suspiciously like longing.

“I need to let Dante and Nick know you’re okay,” I murmured, keeping my voice soft.

“I can’t see them tonight.”

“You don’t have to, sweetheart. But they care about you, and they’re going to want to know you’ve escaped and you’re safe.”

Her gaze collided with mine, terror and pride and indecision mixed together. “Okay,” she whispered.

I settled her on the couch with her head in my lap, and a soft blanket draped over her body.

“Go to sleep, and in the morning, we’ll go see your daughter.”

Lorenzo

Sofia’s at my apartment.

Dante

On my way.

Lorenzo

No! She doesn’t want to see anyone else right now.

Nick

Why?

Lorenzo

Doesn’t matter. Sofia’s in charge. Bring her some clothes and breakfast in the morning.

My phone rang, and I quickly answered it, worried the sound would wake Sofia.

“How is she?” Nick asked.

“She’ll survive,” I answered, stroking my fingers over her shoulder. “She refused to see a doctor.”

“Rape kit?”

“What part of ‘she refused to see a doctor’ did you not understand?” Sofia shifted on the couch, and I shushed her. “Go back to sleep, sunshine.”

She murmured nonsense and cuddled up against me, clutching her fingers in my sweatpants.

All I wanted, all I’d ever wanted, was to keep this beautiful woman safe, and time after time after time, I failed her. We all did. Over and over again.

“All right,” Nick placated me, his longing for her thick in his voice. “Give her a hug for me, all right?”

---