He dashes over to help me the rest of the way up. After he looks at the bastard on the floor he looks at me and raises his eyebrow. “You need to get that bleeding stopped.”
“Soon.” I’m overwhelmed with the need to get to Carla.
Seeing her standing up against the wall reassures me she isn’t as bad as I originally thought.
“The cops are on their way. Are you okay?” Ramon asks, but I shake him off me.
I stagger to where Carla is, with my head throbbing and my knees feeling as though they’re about to give way. The side of my head is still bleeding with blood trickling down into my eye, which I try swiping away, but more follows.
“Sebastian–”
“Stay where you are,” I quickly shout, “there’s glass everywhere and you’ve no shoes on.”
Reaching her, I crush her in my arms, holding her as tight as I can. “Please tell me you weren’t hit?”
She shakes her head, wrapping herself around me just as tight before bursting into tears. Hell, my tears are mixing with the blood.
“I’m sorry,” she says muffled into my chest. “I should have trusted you. I just saw her and didn’t stop to think, until I nearly stepped in front of an eighteen-wheeler.”
What the fuck?
“Explain. Eighteen-wheeler.” I take hold of her face and make her look at me while using my thumbs to try and stem the flow of her tears.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m okay, but you’re not.” She takes my hand and leads me to my bedroom with Ramon stopping us on the way there.
“Um. You two planning on leaving me alone with the bad guy?” he smirks.
“Thanks Ramon.”
The bedroom door is already open so we enter and I sit on the side of the bed where Carla pushes me down. I watch her walk into the bathroom to retrieve the medical kit I point to.
“You don’t have much in here.” She roots through, but is hiding her face from me. “Carla. Come here.” She shakes her head and ignores the hand I’m holding out. “Woman. I love you and only you. Please look at me.”
Lifting her head slowly, she meets my eyes looking heartbroken.
“Oh baby.” I stand slightly and reach over, catching her wrist in my hand before pulling her down onto my lap. “I’m okay. A bit dizzy, but I’m fine. I nearly freaked when I spotted you standing in the hall.” I lean in resting my forehead against hers, until I remember the blood. “Can you put a band aid on, so we can go back to Ramon’s and I’m not letting you go all night.”
“Okay.”
Reaching for the medical kit again, she places it on the bed beside me, so I root through passing her the antiseptic wipes, which she uses to start cleaning me up and, yeah, it stings like a motherfucker.
“Nearly finished. It’s still bleeding some. You might need stitches.”
“Hell no.” I see her startled expression. “I mean. I’ll survive with you nursing me.” I grin. There’s no way I’m admitting to being a * and scared of needles.
“Hmm.” She places strips over the cut and starts tidying up.
“What does, hmm, mean?” I reach for a clean shirt and pull it over my head with my muscles aching. Not only was I tense, but it’s been a hell of a long time since I’ve taken anyone down, apart from one of my brothers, which would be a light move as opposed to what had to happen in there.
“You’re not by any chance scared of needles…are you?” She bursts out laughing.
“Of course not.”
“Yeah, he is,” Ramon gives his two cents worth as he walks into the bedroom.
“Did you want anything in particular?”
“Thanks would be nice, and the cops are here. They’ve taken him away, but they want to talk to you both.” Ramon informs us on his way back to the living room.
“Shit.” I sit back on the bed before looking at Carla. “I just wanted to take you away from here…and explain properly about Jacky.”
“Shush.” She covers my mouth with her fingers. “I know all about Jacky. I’d already realized something was off with my earlier visit, so I’d turned around and made my way back outside your apartment building when Ramon phoned me and explained. I should have trusted you to begin with. I’m sorry.”
I follow a lone tear as it trickles down her face before answering her, “Baby. None of today is your fault. When Jacky arrived I was only in a towel, so I left her out in the hall while I went to shower. I locked the bedroom door, not trusting her. I wasn’t gone long, although I did try and prolong having to face her. When I opened the door she was wrapped in my gym towel. Her dress was underneath.”
She nods her head looking sad. “I know you weren’t being unfaithful. I didn’t think and by the time I did Gary was already here. I’m so glad I came back.”
I wrap my arms around her waist, burying my face in her stomach inhaling her. She always smells delicious of some light flowery fragrance. Something I can’t get enough of.
“Let’s forget about it. What matters is that we’re together and Gary is locked away, hopefully for a long time. Let’s go and get the statements over with so we can leave.”
Chapter 43
Carla