Page 35 of Painted in Sin

"Now, give her some space," I hear, but I don’t see the face attached to the voice. It's male, warm baritone, but Victor's form dominates my view.

"Victor?" I say, but it comes out as a whisper. My throat is sore too, probably from shouting. I remember screaming at Marco Gallo, being in his car with his weapon pointed at me.

"My God, Bella, I thought you were going to die." His lips rain more kisses on my hands before falling on my forehead and cheek.

"What happened?" I ask hoarsely, and Victor backs away abruptly.

"What happened was a severe car accident." A burly man in a white coat sits on the edge of the bed, and it shakes. He presses a stethoscope to my chest and says, "Breathe deeply, please."

Anxiety swirls around and inside me. My eyes search for an anchor, Victor's caring face over the man's shoulder. "Dr. Pence is here to check on you, Bella. You're safe now." The worry begins to fade from his expression as I tear my gaze away.

"You've been in and out of consciousness for hours, Ms. De Luca. I'm just checking to make sure you don't have a concussion."

"Hours?" I ask, my voice creaking.

"Yes, Ms. De Luca. It's been a very long night for all of us," Dr. Pence says, his voice firm but kind. He shines a small flashlight in my eyes and has me follow his finger from side to side. "Now, I'm going to ask you some questions, alright? Do your best to answer them as clearly as possible."

"Okay," I reply.

I immediately think of Marco, the way he shoved me into the car, the cold, metallic taste of fear in my mouth as the gun was shoved into my stomach. "Is–Is Marco…?"

Victor's hand returns to mine and tightens around it, squeezing reassuringly as if he can read my mind the instant the doctor backs away. "He's dead, Bella. He won't ever hurt you again.”

Relief washes over me, but it's tainted with ambivalence. I’m not a killer, and I don’t wish the man dead. But I’m glad I’m safe, and maybe I can get my life back in order.

“Ms. De Luca,” Dr Pence starts, “where do you live?”

My mouth opens and closes like a fish, but no words come out. I’m having a hard time recalling facts. In fact, I can’t answer any of Dr. Pence’s myriad of questions. He seems concerned by it and shines the light into my eyes again, but Victor edges him out, taking the spot on the edge of the mattress.

“It seems like you have a minor concussion, but it’s nothing to be worried about. I’ll prescribe you some pain relievers and rest is all you need. You’re fine outside of that.” His eyes are warm with sincerity, but I feel too tired to thank him properly. Tired and overwhelmed. I don't remember much, but I do remember leaving the table at the restaurant after telling Victor I can’t be with him.

“Thank you, Dr. Pence. I’ll handle it from here.” Victor shakes the man’s hand and he nods.

“I’ll come by to check on her at first light. She’ll need lots of rest to recover.” The doctor hovers for a second and nods again before walking away, and I’m alone with Victor. Except this time, I don’t feel the anxious emotion nagging at me. I only feel safety.

“Victor—”

“Shh, you heard him. You need rest.” Victor’s hand curls hair around my ear, and I realize as his fingers trail over my shoulder that I’m not wearing a shirt. It makes me think about the sensations in my body that aren’t from pain. I'm naked, under his covers in his bed, fully nude.

“Victor, where are my clothes?”

“Drenched in blood in the bin. I’ll have my maid bring you clean ones. For now, you need rest.” His fatherly approach isn’t pleasing me. I understand what the doctor said, but there are so many missing facts I don’t think I can rest unless I know what has happened.

“A car accident?” I ask again, forcing my body upward to a sitting position. Victor is so close, I barely have space to move. His hips pin the blanket down, but he helps me steady myself as my head spins and pulls me into his arms when I sway.

“Gallo took you, Bella. That bracelet on your arm led me to you. There was a chase, and an accident, and…” His words trail off, but I get the picture. He used a tracking chip in the bracelet to make sure I was safe, and here I am.

The past twenty-four hours have been a whirlwind of trauma, but his arms are comfort. Tears well up, and I get the feeling that I’ve cried a lot, despite not being able to remember much. What I do remember haunts me, though. Things I never understood but now know are the reason Victor’s fate and mine are inextricably linked. My father and his only wanted the right thing—for the truth to come out.

“Papà,” I whimper, and Victor’s hand soothes circles on my back. Tears spill over my cheeks and I cling to him. My father was killed trying to uncover the truth, and I could’ve been Marco Gallo’s next victim. It could’ve been the end of me.

“I know, Bella, it’s okay.”

“Victor, he killed my father.” I pull back, looking him in the eye as I sob. “My father wanted to find the painting and track it back to the truth of what really happened. He wanted thefacts to come out about the painting’s true owner, the diamonds, everything. And whoever sent Gallo to do this to you and me, he’s still out there.” Suddenly, snippets of our conversation in the back of that limo come into focus. I’m lucky to be alive.

“They won’t stop the truth from coming out, Bella. I know where the ‘treasure’ is.” He presses a kiss to my temple and pulls me back to his chest. “I’ve decoded the message in the frames, and all that’s left is to retrieve it before someone else finds it…”

I can’t believe what I’m hearing. It might finally be over, the quest for the truth, the torment of being blackmailed and hunted, and everything my father worked for and warned me about. I’m shocked and comforted at the same time. His arms are so strong as he holds me, and I feel like for the first time in my life, I have been seen for who I am and not as a means to an end.

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