Page 92 of Jump-Start
leonard
I’m running through the hospital with my heart racing in my chest. My job includes racing the fastest cars on a racetrack in the world, but it has never beaten at this speed. Adrenalin is coursing through me as I rush toward the front desk and ask where the hell Chiara de Luca is. Graham told me he took her here after Tim showed up at the gallery. It was right when I saw that even though he deleted the security footage at the gallery, it backed up into the cloud. So, I found his smug smile as he walked into the gallery with a sledgehammer and paint. If he’s capable of that, I don’t want to know what else he’s capable of. Fuck. I’m going to be sick.
“Where is Chiara de Luca? Please, I need to see her,” I tell the nurse at the front desk, who frowns at my frantic behaviour.
“And you are?” the nurse asks, making it my turn to frown.
“Her husband. Now, tell me where she is.” I’m done playing nice.
Graham’s phone must have died because when I asked what happened, the message didn’t even go through. At least that’s what I’m telling myself. It’s an easier pill to swallow than the possibility that something worse might have happened.
“She’s getting stitched up right now. You may come with me. I will bring you to her,” she says, but my head is so stuck on the first sentence, I can’t move my legs for a second. Chiara is getting stitches. As soon as it registers in my head, I sprint after the woman.
Horrible thoughts about what awaits me in the room where Chiara is fill my brain. I might actually throw up. Please let her be okay. I don’t know what I’ll do if she isn’t. I might rip off Tim’s head and feet it to the fish in the Thames.
Her laughter fills my ears as we stop outside of a room with a white door. Relief spreads across my chest, but it’s multiplied when I step inside and see my beautiful girlfriend smiling at my brother. There is a small cut above her eyebrow taped together already, but the biggest one is down her left arm where a nurse is currently stitching the skin back together. Relief is replaced by anger, but when her green eyes drift to my face, all I feel is a panging desire to wrap her up in my arms. Place my lips on hers. Tell her how much I love her. Anything.
“Hi,amore,” she says, and I remember I still have to breathe if I want to do any of the things I listed in my head.
“Sweetheart,” I croak out, closing the distance between us. I see another small bruise on her left cheekbone, giving me the urge to punch someone in the teeth. I’ve seen her in worse conditions when she was younger and still fighting, but this, knowing where it came from, it makes it so much worse.
“Don’t worry, he looks much worse,” Graham chimes in when I attempt to lift my fingers to Chiara’s cheek but fail. I can’t manage to touch her while she’s in pain because I’m scared I will hurt her more.
“You let this happen?” I ask and grab my brother by the collar.
“Hey, I don’t get in the middle of Chiara’s fights, I never have. Plus, he attacked her first, so it was self-defence. If anyone can press charges, it’s her,” Graham explains, and while it makes me feel a little better, I’m still furious with him for not calling me sooner.
“She’s getting stitches, Graham! How could you let this happen?” I ask, and he lifts his hands to my wrists, wiggling on them to release my grip on his collar.
“Hey, Leonard, remember how I have a voice too? A brain that makes decisions and such?” Chiara interrupts, and I shoot her an upset glare.
“Well, your big brain doesn’t always make the right decisions, especially because you’re stubborn. What you pulled was fucking dangerous, Starling,” I say, but she merely shrugs, giving me a small smile.
“He attacked me first. I defended myself, and in the process, I finally got to beat him up for everything he’s ever done. It’s not my fault that he underestimated how strong I am, what a skillful fighter,” she replies and gives me a shrug I wish would ease my nerves. Instead, my gaze drops to where the nurse stabs at her skin, and I feel ten times worse.
“Baby, I can’t fathom why you’d put yourself at risk like that. Why didn’t you run? Why didn’t you come home to me? I—I—” My voice breaks off, but she takes my hand and pulls me toward her.
“I’m okay. Everything’s fine, and now, we’ll finally be rid of Tim. We can get restraining orders and—”
“And get him locked up for vandalism. I have the footage,” I say before explaining that it was backed up.
“See? It’ll be fine. He will have to pay for the damages. We will be rid of him now,” she says, and I finally see the hope in her eyes. “You won’t have lost anything and you won’t have to invest more,” she says, but I shake my head at how bloody clueless she is.
“You think I give a shit about the money? Chiara, no. The only reason why I was angry was because you put so much hard work into your gallery, and he tore it all down. I was upset because you were in pain. Would you please stop worrying about money, sweetheart?” I ask, and her features soften, revealing how much she cried. Her eyes are puffy and red, eye bags underneath them.
“I didn’t want to disappoint you,” she replies, and I grab her face between my hands.
“You could never, baby. Never. I love you,” I say and she purses her lips, asking me for a kiss without using words.
I’m only happy to oblige.
My lips meet hers until I’m whole again.
* * *
Chiaraand I are finally in bed. Her arm is stitched up and wrapped in a bandage. She said she’s not in any pain, but I don’t believe her. It must hurt. She got eight stitches after all, but she says nothing. Her naked body is pressed against mine, but I refused to touch her while she might be in pain from her injuries. It earned me a frown from her, but after what she thinks she put me through, she didn’t argue. Instead, she snuggled up against my side and started running her nails up and down my torso. It doesn’t exactly help keep my cock under control because it’s swelling up from her touch, but I push the desire aside. Chiara needs to rest.
“Amore?” she says into the quiet room after a while, and I tilt my chin down to look into her eyes.
