Chapter 37

"......so I called Dexter and told him to meet me at the cottage, then I told your father I wanted to take a trip to clear my head, he let me go and I drove straight there, explaining my predicament and the need to have a decoy. That's what I meant by putting someone's life in danger. If they walk into that house and find him there instead of me.... they will kill him." I concluded.

I'd really grown attached to Dexter, the little weasel, apart from being my friend and nerdy car doctor, he was like a brother to me. I didn't want to get him involved in this shit and shed his innocent blood.

"He doesn't understand what's going on princess but he's willing to help."

She cupped my face, her eyes mirroring the sadness in mine. "After this is over, remind me to thank Dexter."

I gave her a weak smile and nodded my head affirmatively.

"I'm still treated as a traitor. Your father may have given me enough breathing space but he taps my calls now, getting every useful information from them.."

Her eyes widened.

"That's why I can't call you princess, if I make just one tiny mistake.... We're fucked."

I called the girl over and she gave us the bill.

I paid in cash. "Keep the change." Before I could close my wallet, Ophelia pulled out some more bills and placed them on the table.

"A tip Anabelle."

The teen looked at her and her eyes began to water. "Thank you Ophelia."

We stood up to leave.

"Aubrey misses you a lot."

"I'll come over as soon as I'm free." Ophelia replied, giving the girl's arm a soft squeeze.

I tilted my head as I observed the scenario. Okay, I was clearly missing out on a lot of things, I would ask for an update later.

We walked out of the store, down the sidewalk until we got to the small park. On the short stroll to find a park bench, Ophelia took a lot of pictures of with her phone, when I realised what she was doing, I grabbed her and took a couple of selfies with her before taking lone pictures of her laughing her heart out as I teased her.

It had been months since I heard her laugh. years since I held her, finding a silver lining in the storm James Baddo was brewing made me a selfish. It was difficult not to smile with her, her happiness was contagious.

I let out a deep breath. Here with her now, my nerves relaxed and I felt...at ease.

By midday we had to take shade. We spotted a big tree with a long park bench underneath, a woman was seated with a baby on her lap.

"I'm sorry, can we sit?" Ophelia asked, politely.

The woman nodded affirmatively as she adjusted her baby stroller, pushing it to the side.

We sat down on the bench, watching families have picnics under the cool shade of the trees, enjoying a cool breeze that gently ruffled the leaves on the tress. I hoisted Ophelia's legs off the ground, placing them across mine so I could run my hands along them. An action which soon sent Ophelia to sleep as she placed her head on my shoulder, an arm interlinked with mine.

After a while, the baby besides us began to cry. The mother tried to hush her by bouncing her gently on her knee but nothing she did soothed the crying child. The sound of a crying child is never pleasant to hear, it was a wonder how something so little could make a sound so loud.

Finally, the mother found a pacifier and the baby stopped crying but Ophelia had woken from her catnap and was looking over her shoulder.

I searched for the source of her disturbance and found out it was the baby.

The woman had placed the child's head on her shoulder as she furiously searched for something in her bag. She was oblivious to the fact that her child had reached over and was pulling Ophelia's hair.

"Ouch!" She yelled playfully when the baby tugged harder.

"I'm sorry, so sorry..." The mother said when she realized what her child was doing and she managed to unravel Ophelia's hair from the baby's tight fist.

That led to another fit of crying.

"Its okay." Ophelia offered her hair to the baby when she saw it was impossible for the mother to quiet her child again.

The baby stopped crying, grabbed a fistful, studied, tugged and tried to eat her hair.

"Can I?" Ophelia turned around, disentangling herself from me as she asked for permission to hold the baby.

The mother obliged, handing her the baby.

Momentarily distracted by the change, the baby dropped her hair, stared at her and started crying again.

"Shh shh...its okay." Ophelia spoke gently as she bounced the baby on her knee.

"Hello." She cooed as she stared into big, frightened green eyes. She tickled the baby's chin, rewarding her with a small toothless smile, a sentence of gibberish and spit bubbles." Causing Ophelia to laugh.

"Aww.... Isn't she cute? You like my hair, don't you? Don't worry, yours will be longer when you grow up." She spoke with a funny voice as touched the baby's soft hair. "And you'll be very beautiful too." She rubbed her nose on the baby's tiny one, earning herself a bigger smile.

She kissed the baby on the cheek and gave her back to the mother.

"You sound like you want to have one." I said, when she turned back to me.

"I do." She replied, placing her head on my shoulder.

"Really?" I asked. "I could give you one."

"That's not funny." She slapped my arm with a smile on her face. She thought I was joking.

"You guys look good together." The woman besides us commented.

"Oh no..." Ophelia looked at me and I shrugged, tired of correcting people. "Thank you?" She finally said.

"I'm not sure you're ready to have one yet. All the crying, all the fussing, you have a lot of years ahead of you to fulfil a lot of things, don't let a baby weigh you down." She responded, with a sad smile on her face. "Besides, you have a beautiful figure. Having a baby will it and no amount of exercise will bring it back. Don't let him pressure you into anything." She pointed at me.

I looked at Ophelia with a 'what the hell have we gotten ourselves into...' look plastered on my features. but she elbowed me painfully in the ribs before I could get the first word out.

"Make sure he takes good care of you and don't let him knock you up until you're ready, okay?"

"I won't let him knock me up." She replied with a tight smile on her face.

"Not yet anyway...." Ophelia covered my mouth with her hand before I could get the last part of my sentence out.

The lady gathered up her things and put the baby in the stroller, pulling down the shade. "I've got to go now, I need to get the baby home in time for her nap."

"Goodbye." Ophelia waved.

When the lady walked out of hearing distance I licked Ophelia's palm.

"You're disgusting!" She wiped her hand on my shirt.

"That's for shutting me up."

"Can you for once not showcase your caveman nature when we're in public?"

"No. And you know what the friend of the caveman is?"

"A well mannered, well cultured young lady?"

"Keep telling yourself that." I chuckled as pulled her close.

She laughed.

I played with the sleeve of her shirt. "Ophelia, can I ask you something?"

"Knock yourself out."

"How did you get this and the marks on your neck?" I pulled the sleeve up, exposing her bruised wrist.

Alarmed, she pulled away from me.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you." I turned her face back to me. It was easier to read her this way and I could tell if she was lying by looking into her eyes.

She didn't say anything.

"That's a very stupid question. I know how you got the marks, yesterday you told me men were bugging but I didn't think it was as serious as this!" I held her wrist up for her to see. "Just tell me one thing...Did...Did any of them touch you?" I lowered my voice and swallowed, hoping she would understand, scared of hearing the answer.

Her eyes filled up with tears. "No." Her voice broke and she looked down, not able to hold eye contact with me.

My interpretation of that gesture? She barely escaped.

Relieved, I sighed deeply and leaned back on the bench. Desmonda and I needed to have a really long talk about the meaning of untouched.

In the meantime, I would take care of it. "I need names Ophelia, especially the name of the bastard who did this to your neck."

She bit her lip, hesitating for a moment.

I let out a breath that sounded like a snort as I tried to regain my cool. "Ophelia?"

"Promise me you won't hurt him."

"Jesus Christ of Nazareth help me." I clenched and unclenched my fist, reigning my temper in. "This. Man. Hurt you, nearly...." I couldn't get the word out because I refused to believe it. I took in a deep breath ".....and you're concerned about me not hurting him." I wanted to shake her until her teeth rattled.

"I know what you can do Luke, I know what you're capable of. So I'm asking again, promise me you won't hurt him?"

She had me in a tight corner. She knew I would never break any promise I made to her.

"Fine. I promise I won't hurt him. Now, Tell. Me. His. Name." I lifted her chin so I could look into her eyes.

"Dave."

"Surname?"

"That's all I know."

It would do.

"Come here." I pulled her into my arms and kissed her forehead comforting her. "You know I won't let anything happen to you."

Like I said, she knew I would never break any promise I made. I promised her I wouldn't hurt Dave and I wouldn't, but that didn't mean I couldn't make someone else hurt him for me.

We had lunch from the stands in the park and walked around some more before settling by the lake to feed the ducks some bread, before we knew it the sky had darkened.

"Time sure flies when you're having fun, right princess?" I asked as we walked back to the car park where I'd parked my bike.

She ran out of my grasp.

"Ophelia!"

"Can't catch me!" She gigged as she ran.

"When will you grow up and start acting your age?" I asked as I ran after her.

For someone in heels, she evaded me very well until she missed a step and fell.

"Gotcha!" I grasped her shoulder, when I saw her wincing in pain, I knelt down besides her.

"Ophelia?"

She griped her ankle with tears in her eyes. "I think I twisted it."

"Let me see." I touched the ankle, causing her to holler in pain. I studied the leg. "Can you stand long enough to get on the bike?"

She gave me a weak nod.

"Okay." I helped her stand, she put her weight on her good leg. "Easy now." She groaned in pain as she managed to get on and held tight.

I started the bike and rode slowly until we got to the Piacere house.

"Can you walk?" I asked when we got off.

She put one foot in front of another and fell, moaning in pain.

"I'll take that as a no."

I gathered her in my arms and took her inside.

The lounge was filled with girls and a few men. Arabella and her group were in the same position as we left them.

"Wow, we know you missed her Valentino but did you have to screw her to the point she's unable to use her legs?" Arabella asked.

"What have you been telling these girls Ophelia?" I whispered.

"Nothing Luke, I swear. But you brought this upon yourself, giving them ideas this morning." She whispered back. "Put me down." She said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

I obliged, setting her on her feet.

"I just twisted my ankle Arabella, nothing more."

"Whatever you say sweetheart, we all try to cover up our dirty secrets."

The group giggled.

Ophelia tried to make a run for it, out of embarrassment but she walked funny, causing the group to burst into laughter.

As much as I wanted to tell them the truth, a little part of me wanted them to believe something had actually happened between us. So I kept the act up and caught up with Ophelia, sweeping her into my arms again before she broke something else.

I unlocked her room door, locked it when we got inside and placed her on her small dressing table.

"Want to tell me what that was about, princess?"

She removed her accessories and dropped them on the table with more force than necessary. "They think I'm sleeping with you."

The laugh erupt from deep within me before I could stop it.

"Its not funny, Luke!" She protested.

"You're right, it's not but its true." I said, wiping a stray tear from the corner of my eye.

She paused to look at me.

"Literally, you are sleeping with me."

"Sleeping on the same bed and sleeping with you are two different things, Luke." She continued taking her jewelry off.

"You painted a whole different picture for everyone to see this morning, What do you expect?"

I positioned myself between her separated thighs, settling myself between them. "I want you to show me how different they are."

She looked up at me and didn't lose eye contact, she was no stranger to my filtrations. She knew what I was doing and she wasn't affected, what she didn't know, was that I was serious.

I held her waist and pulled her to the edge of the table, effectively closing the distance between us. My eyes were locked on her lips and I was about to seal the deal before I heard her sharp cry.

Somehow I had managed to hit her injured foot, killing the mood.

"Sorry. I'm so so sorry." I bent down to examine the swollen foot. "What can I do to help?"

"Ice. Get ice from the kitchen." She bit her lip to stop what would turn into a full blown scream if she didn't endure the pain.

I took my jacket off and went out. Luckily, I spotted Arabella in the hallway.

"Hey Arabella!" She turned to face me. "Can you show me where I can get some ice?"

"What do you need ice for?" She questioned with a sly look on her face.

"I remember Ophelia telling you she had twisted her ankle."

"Are you sure you need it for a twisted ankle or for some kinky stuff you've planned for tonight?"

"Whatever floats your boat, babe." No need trying to explain anything, she obviously had drawn her own conclusions.

She tutted as she led me to the kitchen.

"Ophelia is very fragile Valentino, be careful with her. A girl can only take so much."

Its very obvious she had a soft spot for Ophelia.

"Noted. Thanks." I took the bucket of ice upstairs.

Ophelia had washed the makeup off her face and changed into something comfortable.

I got towels from the bathroom, arranged the ice in them and placed them around her ankle.

"How does it feel?"

"Good." She exhaled.

I searched for meds in her cabinet, gave her two painkiller pills and arranged pillows around her.

I noticed that the air-conditioning was working now, another thing I needed to talk to Desmonda about.

I took off my gloves and shirt, tossing them to a corner.

Ophelia shook her head at me. "Caveman."

I moved the bucket of ice to my side of the bed and climbed in.

She lay on her side, her long hair spread out on the pillow. I picked a strand and twirled it around my finger.

"Who's Aubrey?" I asked.

"A six year old orphan. Her sister, Anabelle, is the one who served us at the ice cream shop."

I kept quiet, listening.

"I met Anabelle here. She was working as a cleaner, I rescued her from Carlotta who was beating shit out of her. She was so young I had to ask questions, that's when I heard her sad story. I've been taking care of them ever since."

Peace ambassador. She had a kind heart and always wanted to help people in need, even if it was at her own detriment.

I pulled her close, her back to my chest and held both her hands with one hand.

"What's that noise?"

"What noise?"

"I thought I heard something."

"I want to tell you something, princess."

"I'm listening."

"Revenge.... Is a dish best served cold."

I dumped the ice cubes I had discreetly gathered into her nightie and held her arms together so she wouldn't be able to move or take them out.

"Luke!"

"You should stop screaming my name like that princess, people are already thinking horrible things as it is."

"Get them out!" She wiggled, trying to shimmy them out of her gown.

"Hold still and it'll be over soon."

She switched to Italian, swearing mildly, she threatened, told me how much she hated me, she begged, then she repeated the whole cycle by swearing again.

Finally the ice cubes melted, leaving her with a wet nightie.

I let her go. She sat up, picked the towels that were now soaked from the thawed out ice cubes and dumped them on my face, sticking her tongue out at me.

I chuckled. "Childish. As a matured adult, I expect you to dump the bucket of ice on me."

Her eyes widened. In a flash, she moved over me to grab the bucket of ice from my side of the bed.

"Oh no you don't!" I pulled her into my arms restraining her. "You can't use my idea against me, you'll just have to wait until you think of something clever."

She huffed. "Too much work, I'm just gonna wait until karma...."

"Fucks me up?" I completed. "No one will pour a bucket of water on me or put ice in my clothes, princess. I am Luke Cristiano Valentino."

"We'll just have to wait and see." Her eyes gleamed with wickedness as she laughed.

She stopped laughing after a while and played with her fingers.

"What's wrong?"

She shook her head.

"Tell me." I lifted her chin to look into her eyes.

"Are you going to stay until tomorrow?" Her eyes wavered and her voice shook with emotion.

Should I lie or tell the truth?

"We'll just have to wait and see." I borrowed her words.

She placed her head on my chest and held on tight, knowing it might be the last time for a very long time.