Chapter Five

Evangeline groaned as she shifted in bed. She slowly peeled her eyes open even though she felt like she had been hit by a bus. She frowned when she saw her room at Luca's house. She went to sit up when she noticed the thick chains on her wrists and ankles. As she took them in, images from the night before began flashing in her mind. She mumbled out several curses before she realized that she was not alone in the room. "Alessandro?" She whispered with wide eyes as she turned her head to look at him.

Her voice seemed to startle him awake as his eyes snapped open. "You're awake." He said softly as he leaned forward, placing his forearms on the bed.

She bit her lip as she avoided looking at him. She was too ashamed of herself. She wasn't sure how much he had seen of her blackout side the night before. She was worried that his opinion of her had changed. "How much did you see?" She whispered.

He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "Well, Luca came to me in a panic. Said you left him a voicemail." He shook his head. "You sounded terrified." He blew out a rough breath. "We had Jesse, my tech guy, hack into the cameras around your house and whatnot until we caught up with you in an alley. You had blood splattered all over you but you were alone. We tried talking to you but it didn't work. At one point you closed your eyes and I grabbed your arm to try and disarm you."

Her eyes went wide with fear. "Please tell me you didn't." She said in a hoarse voice.

He shoved his hair out of his face. "I can't because it's what I did. I ended up on the ground with one of your blades to my throat. I was honestly too shocked to do anything. I suppose Luca realized what was about to happen and tackled you."

Her spine went pin-straight as she leaned closer to him with tearful eyes. "Please tell me he's okay."

Alessandro nodded. "He's fine. You just punched him in the gut before running off."

She sighed in relief. "Oh thank god."

He blew out a rough breath. "After that we had Jesse find you again. We caught up to you and found you on top of a dead body. We tased you and brought you here. Luca made sure to grab your blades and I had my second in command and Jesse worked together to retrace your steps and clean up any other messes you may have made. Including the one in your house."

She shook her head as she leaned her head against the pillows with her eyes squeezed shut. "Do you know who the people that I killed were?" She mumbled out.

He shook his head. "Not yet. I have Jesse taking care of it. He's supposed to call me once he knows who they were."

"How many?" She whispered in a broken voice.

He inhaled deeply before saying. "My second in command, Richard, says that there were only six bodies, including the two in your house."

She felt her heartache. "I hope they weren't innocent."

Alessandro moved to sit on the edge of the bed. "I will help you through this. No matter what. I will take care of you."

"You don't know what happened to me though." She mumbled with sad eyes.

Alessandro took a deep breath. "Luca may have let it slip that you're the world's deadliest assassin." He said hesitantly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Her eyes went wide. "He did what?" She demanded with a clenched jaw.

Alessandro shook his head. "I don't think he meant to tell me." He tried explaining.

She glared at the wall for a minute before taking a deep breath. "Luca!" She shouted. "Get your ass in here right now!"

Alessandro wasn't surprised when he heard the two sets of rushing footsteps heading towards them. Luca and Aurora came through the door together. At Evangeline's glare, Luca looked at Alessandro. "You told her that you know she's an assassin?!" He exclaimed.

Alessandro raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I?" He questioned in confusion.

Luca shook his head as he looked at Evangeline. "Look, he needed to know so that he could be prepared for anything. I didn't want to be caught unaware if anything were to happen. That's all that I told him though."

She sighed as she relaxed into the bed. "That's fine."

Aurora went to her other side and sat next to her. "What happened, Evangeline?" She asked quietly.

"I thought Luca would've told you already." She mumbled.

She shook her head. "He doesn't tell me much anymore. Doesn't want me to be stressed."

"He's right," Evangeline mumbled. "Stress is not good for the baby." She said quietly.

Aurora scoffed. "Both me and the baby will be just fine." She sighed. "I need to know what happened."

Evangeline blew out a rough breath. "Fine. He sent another two assassins after me. These two broke into my house. I took them out." She shrugged. "I went into a blackout though. According to Alessandro here I killed six people, including the assassins."

Aurora cleared her throat as she wiped her eyes. "I'm so sorry Evangeline. I wish they would just leave you alone." She said in a sorrowful voice.

Evangeline gave her a sad smile. "We both know that won't happen unless I somehow manage to destroy all of them and what they have built."

Aurora sighed in defeat as she stood up. "Let's get you out of these." She mumbled as she started releasing the chains around Evangeline's wrists.

Alessandro and Luca helped with the chains. "Okay. We still have some of your clothes and stuff here so let's get you cleaned up." Aurora said softly.

Evangeline smiled softly. "Thanks, Aurora. You're the best but I think I'll be just fine on my own." She said as she threw her legs over the edge of the bed.

Aurora stuck her tongue out. "Fine. I'll make you some food then."

Evangeline giggled. "Food sounds amazing right now. You know I love your cooking."

Aurora smiled brightly. "I'll make your favorite while you get cleaned up."

Evangeline gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you."

Luca and Aurora left Evangeline and Alessandro alone.

Evangeline sighed as she sat on the edge of the bed. "Look I know that you've seen the worst side of me. I know that it isn't very pretty or charming." She blew out a rough breath as she stood up. "Now normally I would simply push you away." She scoffed. "I would have done that in the first place." She started pacing as she shoved a hand through her hair. "I don't know what you think of me now. Or if your feelings have changed but mine has not. There's a pull to you. I feel something for you that I have never felt before. If you don't want to see me again I would understand. If you do though then just know that it won't be easy. I can be difficult at times and I tend to have blackouts from time to time. I would never intentionally hurt you. I know that the only thing you know about my past is me being the deadliest assassin but if you're willing to give me the time I will tell you everything."

Alessandro stood and walked over to her. He firmly but gently took her face in his hands. He looked into her eyes and softly said. "I will not abandon you, angel. I will stay by your side as long as you will have me. There is nothing that you can do that would make me change my mind or my feelings." He inhaled deeply. "You belong to me as much as I belong to you." He whispered against her lips.

She shuddered with tears in her eyes. "Thank you." She whispered.

He pressed a feather-light kiss to her lips. "I would do anything for you angel."

She grinned as she grabbed his wrists in a loving caress. "Let me get cleaned up."

He nodded and kissed her forehead. "I'll be right here." He said quietly.

She gave him one last smile before disappearing into the bathroom to take a shower. She set the water as hot as she could take it. She scrubbed at her skin and hair, washing away all of the blood that had ended up on her skin. By the time that she was done her skin was red and raw but she felt better knowing there was no longer any blood on her.

When she was done she stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body. She grabbed a smaller towel and started drying her hair as she walked out of the bathroom and to her closet. "I didn't think you would be done so quickly." She heard Alessandro say from behind her.

She spun around with wide eyes. "I thought you were in the kitchen with Luca and Aurora." She said quietly as she continued drying her hair.

He ran a hand through his hair as he blew out a rough breath. "I was going to join them but I wanted to clean up for you." He gestured to her freshly made bed.

She felt her eyes tear up as she looked between the bed and Alessandro. "No one has done that before." She said in a rough voice.

He frowned. "Not even Luca or Aurora?" He asked in confusion.

She shook her head. "They do enough to help me. They do not need to be burning bloody clothes and washing my sheets." She said in a low voice.

He understood where she was coming from. He never wanted Luca to help him clean up any mess that he made when his beast got loose. It was enough that Luca was the only one that could bring him back from the edge. He didn't want him to be cleaning up after him as well. He knew that was exactly how Evangeline was feeling.

He walked over to stand directly in front of her. He gently caressed her face as he softly spoke to her. "I can understand that. I'm not Luca or Aurora though. I'm Alessandro. I know that I was meant to take care of you in every single way that you need me to."

Evangeline felt the tears slide down her cheeks as she quietly said. "You don't know much about my past though."

He shook his head. "It's alright. I don't need to know anything about your past until you're ready to tell me. I know, deep down in my very soul, that you belong to me though. You belong to me and I belong to you. One day, when we know each other better, I will explain more thoroughly. I know that we belong together though." He leaned his forehead against hers and quietly said. "If you'll let me I would love to be able to take care of you and love you the way that you deserve."

She looked at him with wide, hopeful eyes. "You mean that?" She asked in a whisper.

He pressed a featherlight kiss to her lips before looking into her eyes. "Yes. You deserve to be loved and cared for. I would be honored if you could give me the chance to love and care for you."

She let her forehead fall onto his chest as she gripped his shirt tightly. "You have no idea how much that means to me." She said in a hoarse voice.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "I promise that I will do everything I can to take care of you and keep you safe."

She looked up into his eyes and gave him a sad smile. "One day you'll understand why no one can keep me safe, but the support and love are all that I need."

He kissed her forehead. "I'll let you get dressed." He said softly as he took a step back. "I'll see you in a minute." He grabbed her dirty sheets and left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

Evangeline stood in the middle of the room for a minute, collecting her thoughts and calming the racing beat of her heart. She took a deep breath and turned to the closet. She quickly threw on a pair of short jean shorts and a tight camisole that stopped just above her belly button, exposing her belly button ring and her dragon tattoo that wrapped partially around her belly button. She threw on a pair of black stiletto heels that had straps wrapping around her ankles. She went back into the bathroom and blow-dried her hair before brushing it out. She applied a bit of lip gloss before nodding at herself in the mirror.

She was determined as she walked to the kitchen. She wanted to let Alessandro in. She wanted him to love her and care for her like he had said he would. He didn't even seem to care about her past. She knew that he would wait for her to talk to him about it. He wouldn't push her. He would wait until she was ready. However long that would take.

She walked into the kitchen, suddenly feeling worried and ashamed about what she had done. She took a deep breath before clearing her throat and walking further into the room. "Do we know who I hurt?" She asked quietly.

Both Alessandro and Luca shook their heads. "Not yet," Alessandro said quietly. "I have a very good friend that's good with computers though. I have him tracking your every move from when you left your house to when we found you. My other friend Richard is picking up the bodies. Once we're sure that all evidence of the messes has been fully cleaned up my tech friend, Jessie will look into identities."

She raised an eyebrow. "You seem to be a very powerful man." She said softly.

He shrugged. "I'll explain it to you one day." He said in a whisper.

Aurora interrupted them as she carried a heavy pot to the table. "Here's some Fettuccine alfredo with chicken." She said softly. "Your favorite Evangeline."

Evangeline's eyes lit up as she grabbed a plate and a fork. She piled her plate high with the pasta before digging in. She scarfed down her entire plate before getting more. Alessandro sat there in shock as he watched her eat like he had seen so many of his men eat after a long job. She had just taken another bite when she caught him staring at her. She blushed as she looked down and finished the food that she had just stuffed in her mouth. "Sorry." She mumbled.

Luca chuckled. "She's always starving after a blackout." He muttered to Alessandro. "You better make sure your house is fully stocked at all times." He said with a smirk.

Alessandro let out a laugh as he started eating his food. They sat in silence as they all ate their food, Evangeline eating at a much faster rate than the others.