Chapter 192
We found Luca an hour or so later, close to falling unconscious.
“Oh Jesus Christ,” Leo cursed as we looked upon the paled, weak man in the front seat of his broken
down car with blood still oozing out of his shoulder.
“Ella,” he croaked, looking up with dozy eyes. “You’re okay.”
“Yeh and you’re not,” I replied as Leo lifted him like a huge baby out of the car. “You need to go to
the hospital.”
“We have to get out of Mexico,” he mumbled. “Guillermo wants to kill me.”
“He’s right Alpha,” Max said looking cautiously around. “And when Andrea’s men find out their boss
is dead, they’ll do one of two things: piss straight off or come after us.”
“Luca, do you think you can manage to stay alive for two hours whilst we drive to the border?” Leo
asked carrying him to the functioning one of the two cars.
“Sure thing dude,” he said throwing a peace sign up before his head lolled back.
Leo rolled his eyes and lay him down in the back the seat.
“I’ll take care of him,” I said getting into the car beside him. “You two just focus on getting us back
to the US.”
Leo and Max then got into the front seat and the began driving the car fast whilst I ripped Luca’s
shirt off him and used it as a bandage in an attempt to stop the bleeding on his shoulder. It seemed
to be working as he came around a little and a bit of colour returned to his face but it was still a
huge relief when we arrived in the hospital of the closest pack to the border we could find.
When he regained consciousness he was very apologetic about this entire thing but all the same,
Leo looked like he could have murdered him for what he got me into.
“Out of all the places you could have taken her!” I heard him say to Luca as he still lay in the hospital
bed. Max and I had gone to get coffee and left the too alone. “To pick up the drug export from
Mexico from a gang of fucking thugs! Are you insane? She’s not even supposed to know about
that? And what did you think they were going to do? Turn a blind eye to the attractive young
woman that you brought with you?”
Max and I exchanged looks and decided it would be better to leave them to it and wait outside the
room.
“I thought we’d already done this days ago, Alpha?” he asked. “And if she was ugly, would you be
less mad?”
I rolled my eyes. He really is incapable of taking anything seriously.
“Sometimes I wish, for her own safety, that she was. Every man seems to want her for her beauty
which puts her in so much danger. Which is why from now on, she’s staying on pack territory unless
she is accompanied by me. In fact, I don’t want her even going to Halimede or anywhere else like
that on her own. This CAN’T happen again. Do you understand?” Leo said deeply.
I raised my eyebrow at Max and he knew exactly what I was thinking.
“Alpha, you’re overreacting. She won’t like that and besides, she’s usually safe with me.”
“USUALLY is not good enough,” he growled. “You know that he almost raped her, right? Do you not
see how bad that would have been. She’d be traumatised forever.”
“Okay, okay,” Luca replied. “I understand, Alpha. I won’t take any more risks with her. I promise.”
“Good,” he said shortly.
When Luca had recovered enough for the journey, we drove home with me sat beside him, closely
monitoring as Leo and Max took it in turns to drive.
Things were tense in the car for a number of reasons. Here they are:
1. Leo killed my brother
2. Max and I trapped in a small car together for a long time could never not lead to arguments
3. Leo was still fuming with Luca
4. Everybody was tired and groggy
5. Leo was just generally in a foul mood after what Andrea did and it wasn’t making anything better
So unless Max and I were arguing or Leo was snapping at Luca, the car was dead silent.
It was a long journey but nowhere near as long as it felt. Needless to say, arriving home was a
blessing.
“Mama!” A voice shouted the second the door opened. “Papa!”
It was Lili’s. She ran forward and jumped into my arms.
“Hello!” I replied hugging her tightly shortly before a small army of children entered the hallway
followed by their captain, Rosa Loren.
There was a chorus of greetings and the whole house was filled with the squeals and excitement of
our offspring.
“Did you get the candy, Mama?” Cato asked.
Shit.
“Um-” I began before Leo cut me off.
“It’s right here,” Leo said presented a bag of candy with French words on the packaging.
Cato took it delightedly as I mouthed a “how?’ to Leo.
He smiled and shrugged as we watched Cato dish out the little pink sweets between his siblings
“Mommy,” Francesca said tugging on my hand. “Are you going away again?”
“No, sweetheart,” I said crouching down to her level as Leo took Stefano and Zacharias from his
Mother. “I’m not leaving anytime soon.”
She smiled and hugged me before accepting the piece of candy Cato was holding out to her and
rejoining her usual position twin sister.
That evening, after the kids were all cuddled out and fast asleep in bed I sat on the sofa wrapped in
my favourite fluffy blanket. Leo sat beside me and handed me a mug of hot cocoa.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” He asked. “There’s nothing else I can get you?”
“I’m fine, Leo. Stop worrying. Andrea is dead and we’re both still alive.”
I then leant onto his chest and allowed him to stroke my hair.
“You aren’t yourself,” he observed.
I shrugged, “I just need a good night sleep.”
He leant forward and put his head in his hands.
“Do you want me to sleep somewhere else tonight?” he asked.
“No, no, no,” I replied, putting my hand on his shoulder. “That is the last thing I want.”
“Ella, I killed your brother! How are you okay with that?!” he shouted.
The volume of his voice and his frustration made me jump a little and I sat quietly not quite sure
what to say.
“I’m sorry,” he said leaning back. “I shouldn’t have shouted after everything that’s happened.”
“Firstly, we agreed we’d go back to normal,” I said. “And secondly, I just want you around me,
okay?!”
“But why?” he questioned adamantly.
“Because Andrea scared the shit out of me and you are my mate and the only person that can every
truly comfort me no matter what you do or what happens,” I replied taking his hands in mine.
“Don’t you dare try to distance yourself from me. Last time we tried distance, things went horribly
wrong, remember? It’s best if we stick together and work through this as a pair.”
He nodded and pulled me into his chest.
“Tell me if you ever need space,” he said. “I don’t want to suffocate you.”
I smiled and kissed him gently on the lips, “Of course.”
END OF PART 1
Hint: it’s far from over yet…