Chapter Eight

Raphael



Sophie was still in shock. Her eyes were now closed like she was afraid of what she might see once she opened them, but the tears continued to fall. She was conscious, I could tell, she felt so delicate in my arms, almost lifeless, pale, and I was to blame. How unfortunate that the first time I got to hold her was in such a circumstance. Walking quickly to where I had parked my car, I opened the back door and carefully laid her down on her back. She still looked quite pale. I didn't have time to linger. I needed to clean up the mess I had created after shooting that SOB, but I was an expert at cleaning such a mess. I had done it a million times in the past, dragging dead bodies within minutes without breaking a sweat.

Opening the driver's door, I heard silent sobs, Sophie's. Her eyes are still closed, though, and the tears hadn't stopped. I didn't have the time to placate her, so I drove out and headed to my house.

Driving as fast as I could and not because I carried a dead body in my trunk, I didn't care about that, but I cared about Sophie. I drove like an ambulance, like the devil himself was after me, and within no time though, it felt like a million years I was on my gate keying in the credentials. By the time I brought the car to a halt, Sophie had stopped crying, and she had taken a turn for the worst, which scared the shit out of me. Nothing much could ruffle or scare me, but looking at her scared me to death. She needed to come out of it, she was afraid, and she will probably start having nightmares.

What am I thinking bringing her into my fucked up life? But at the moment, I had no choice.

Before I could even open my door, Bruno was already standing at my side, giving me an accusatory look.

What the fuck have I done now?

"Whatever it is, I don't have time for it," I tell him

"Where the hell have you been?" He asks

"I don't answer to you, B, and I told you I don't have time for this" I glare at him turning to open the back door. I could see Sophie's dry tears forming at the corner of her eyes. I suddenly felt protective and possessive at the same time, emotions I had never felt before.

Jesus, what the hell am I doing?

Picking her up, I can almost feel Bruno craning his neck, trying to see what I was trying to pull out.

"Fuck. Raph. "Please tell me you did not do what I think you did?" Bruno starts cussing at me

"I don't know what you think I did." I know I am a smart ass, but I'm out of my lane here. What am I going to do with her? I have never been in such a situation before; every woman I have had was a convenience, to scratch an inch. But this one mattered.

I decide to carry her to my bedroom. She felt so good in my arms; her scent was lavender or jasmine, her face buried in my chest; her left-hand fingers gasping my shirt in a tight grip. Did she feel safe in my arms? I hope to God she did because from now on; she was under my protection. My enemies will want to use her to get to me, and I can't let that happen. She was mine.

I laid her down on top of the cover, took off her shoes, and dropped them on the carpet.

"You need to elevate her legs," I heard Bruno say.

"Why?" I ask as I turn around to look at him. Romano is now with him, and I know they are both wondering whether I had gone crazy or mad. I know I'm either one of those two or both; I just haven't decided which.

"She is in shock..just do it, Raph" I can tell he is becoming pissed. Bruno hated being left out in the dark it must be killing him right now, not knowing what is happening; if I weren't so afraid for Sophie, I would let him burn of curiosity just for the hell of it. Carefully I put a pillow under her beautiful dainty feet.

Is there anything about this woman I didn't find beautiful?

" We need a doctor; call Charlie now. " I shout at the both of them; I didn't care who made the call as long as Charlie came.

"He is on his way," Romano tells me.

I let out some breath and look at them. They are curious to know what happened and how Sophie ended up in my house; of course, Bruno suspected it; that's the downside of growing up with someone they can read you almost like a book. Bruno knew I was attracted to Sophie, but he also knew I wasn't stupid enough to bring her to the house; those are the dots he wanted to be connected to.

"Someone tried to kill me," I begin. I now had their full attention. Bruno rubbed his forehead, and Romano just stands in his usual military stance, arms on his chest, looking at me with an unreadable expression.

"I was having coffee in an Italian cafe downtown when this guy appears on us out of nowhere pointing a fucking gun at me."

"Downtown..us, who is us?" Bruno asks

"Me and her," I point at Sophie, "and it was an Italian cafe," I insist, which in my opinion justified driving downtown.

"What is so special about that cafe that you left several Italian cafes in the city to go to that particular one?"

" That is what you're concerned about? Someone tries to shoot me, and you get fixated on a fucking cafe?"

" Someone is always trying to shoot at you," Bruno fires back, looking at me, still waiting to hear why a downtown cafe.

Bruno is like a dog with a bone.

Of course, I don't answer its not his fucking business

"What happened? Seeing that you're alive means there is a body somewhere. Where is it?" Romano asks me; he is a straight-to-the-point kind of guy.

"In my trunk, I need it disposed, and l need the cafe's front security cameras destroyed; you guys can figure out how while I wait for Charlie to come to check her up."

"Alright, Romano says without argument. They both start for the door, but Bruno turned to look at me; I knew he couldn't let it go.

"Do you realize what you just did to her? You brought a sweet girl from god knows where to a life she can't handle; you signed her death warrant because you want what..fuck her? She fainted at the sight of a gun. Raph; how is she going to survive when she finds out what we do? What about her life, her friends, have you thought about that?"

"No, I haven't thought about that Bruno, I was too busy trying to get her here. And nobody is going to kill her because I swear to god I will kill anybody who even looks at her the wrong way," I'm now shouting. I knew he was right, my selfish actions robbed Sophie of a normal life, but that was inevitable from the moment we met. She was meant to be in my life; she was meant to be mine; call me selfish; I don't really give a fuck as long as I get to keep her.

Bruno looks at me like I have suddenly grown some horns on my forehead.

" Oh god," he says and leaves, banging the door so hard I thought he would break it.

He was pissed. No, scratch that...He was angry. But what is done is done, and I can do nothing now, not that I wanted to change anything except how I got her. She would hate me once she woke up; I needed to find out what to say to convince her I didn't mean it when I told the gunman to shoot her.

Contrary to what I made Bruno and Romano believe, Sophie wasn't in this state because she saw a gun; neither was it because it was pointed at both of us. She was in this state because I told the fucker to shoot her. With no expression on my face, a hardness in my voice, and a don't care attitude, I told someone to shoot her. I will never forget the look on her face; as long as I live, I saw fear, panic, and sadness, and I wanted to shoot myself.