Chapter 36

Iris' Pov

A soft nudge makes me open my eyes and I wince at the pain in my swollen cheek that suddenly makes itself known once more, Lila surely delivered a good punch.

Claire kneels before me, a bowl of rice and beans in hand. Her head is hung low and still, she refuses to look at me. I know she doesn't want to hurt me.

She's doing it for her, for Lila. For love.

"I apologize, I could get you better food." She speaks up, filling the empty room with her soft and gentle voice.

"It's fine," I mutter with a shake of my head, practically salivating for the meagre meal.

But could you blame me, for the past 2 or e days I can only remember being fed a slice of hard bread and a scrap of meat with only a cup of dirty tasting water to quench my thirst.

It was better than nothing though, right?

"Eat." Claire offers a spoonful of rice and beans to me, to which I gladly eat without a thought.

"Why are you doing this, Claire?" I ask between the bites fed to me.

I already know the answer.

Her brows furrow as she raises the plastic spoon to my lips. "Because I love her."

"But Lila doesn't seem to feel the same way," I state, glancing at her, willing her to look at me however her eyes remains trained on the spoon.

"She does love me, she just doesn't know how to express it. She's gone through a lot, more than you will ever know." She tries to explain, still trying to hold on to the Lila who she thought she was married to.

The one I thought was my best friend.

"Claire," I say, my eyes softening. "Lila is using you and I get it, you love her so you can't see that but I know you must be able to see that she needs help. If you get me out of here I can assure you that we can get her the help she needs. If you love her, help her get better."

Grace hesitates before she shakes her head, scooping up another spoonful of food. "Eat more."

I sigh but obliged.

"Do you know that she's in love with Luca?" I utter as I chew the mouthful of beans and rice.

"What?" She pauses.

"That's the reason I'm here. She wants to get rid of me, so she can have him all to herself."

"N-no, that's not why she-" She shakes her head, reluctant to believe the truth.

"Come on, Claire, if I've known her for years and she'd managed to smile in my face every day yet still have me, how can you ever be sure what comes from her mouth." I laugh humorlessly.

"I, I, no, s-she-" Grace stutters, suddenly seeming to have the thick veil slowly lifted from her eyes.

But before it could be properly lifted and I could almost taste my freedom, Lila walks in.

Fucking hell.

Lila scowls. "Claire, what are you doing!?!"

The bowl falls from Claire's hand and I groan as its contents were spilt, I could have almost cried. Scrambling up to her full height, she looked scared shitless of the woman she towers over.

Lila's face contorted into an ugly wrathful expression and if looks could kill the whole world would be six foot under right now.

Her arms are clenched by her side, eyes squinted at Claire.

"Lila I can expl-" Swifter than I've ever seen, I watch as Claire's head whipped to the right and a deafeningly loud slap echoes through the room. She topples slightly upon the sudden impact.

Claire holds her cheek, gasping in pain and shock.

"I'll deal with you later." Lila seethes pointing a finger up at her, eyes blazing.

With a soft strangled sobbing sound, Grace scurries from the room.

Lila let's out a huff, her nostrils flaring as she strolls over to me. Kicking the bowl away, she narrows her eyes at me.

"Did you really think you could trick her into helping you?" Lila sneers.

"I wasn't tricking her Lila, I was telling her the truth not blinding her like you have been." I hiss defiantly, my chin jutted out.

Lila laughs a bitter laugh. "Oh Iris, stop acting like your so damn good all the time."

"I'm not all good but at least I'm not a psycho bitch like you," I growl, jaw tensed painfully.

She pull the knife from the table quicker than I could comprehend, pressing the sharp shimmering blade against my throat. I lick my chapped lips, afraid to move, feeling the threat of having my throat slashed.

"Don't fucking call me psycho or God so help me I will show you psycho." She threatens, breathing hard.

My heart pounds in my ears and I try to keep calm but who was I fooling, I'm scared of her. Lila is an unpredictable subject.

"You know I am so tired of having you 'diagnose' me but you know what it's my turn to diagnose, you're not the only doctor here, Iris." She hums, yanking the blade away from my neck.

I'm relieved yet still rather on the cautious side as I said she's an unpredictable one.

"Let's see, did you know there are roughly 400,000 children in the U.S. that are in the foster care system and uh, how many do you actually give a fuck about, like 7?" She inquires, tapping her chin with the tip of the knife.

"And how about those charities you give money to?" She continues. "Have you ever, I don't know actually helped out in any way like you know, handing out toys or stuff to little kids? No, you can't get your pretty little hands dirty can you?"

I swallow hard, seeing the truth in her madness.

"There's also the fact that you self consciously tell yourself, hey I'm a good person when really you're the most selfish and inconsiderate person in the world. I can bet Luca buys you some expensive shit and uh, what have you done for him? " She cocks her head to the side, standing akimbo. "Zelch."

"You also like to think your so smart, so educated because you attended Yale with its 6% attendance rate (A/N, ). Big whoop, we all know daddy paid for that. You've never worked for anything, you've always had things easy, everything handed to you with a big red bow, but as soon as things get hard, guess who just can't deal? Guess who's ready to give up and hide from the world?"

"So, in all your, just a dumb naive bitch who's inconsiderate and selfish and is not as perfect as you think, so how's that for kicking you off your fucking high horse." She snickers, lips quirking up at the sides.

Did she just analyze me?

Was that who I truly was?

No, I-I-

"Stopping denying it, Iris, it's true and I'm sure everyone would agree." She smiles, running the blade of the knife across my cheek and making a small incision.

I close my eyes as the warm blood trickles down my cheek. It didn't hurt, It was nothing compared to the multiple other wounds and bruises on my body.

Bang!

It came from above us, my eyes pop open and I stare up at the ceiling as Lila does the same.

"Shit." She curses.

Shoving the knife into the side of her stonewash jeans, she pulls the ring of keys from the table, hastily moving to unlock my shackles.

As the first chain opens, releasing its hold on my raw wrists, my arm falls, it's dead from the position it has been in for the past few days. Once the second shackle has been opened my body collapses face first onto the dirty concrete floors covered with sticky rice and beans, I groan in disgust.

Gross.

Quickly the chains around my ankles have been released and if I could just move my body, I could have made my escape, but alas I'm far too beat up and drained.

"Get up." Lila grunts, tugging me up to full height.

She pulls me to walk beside her but I stagger a lot much to Lila's annoyance, but it's her fault so she can't really quite complain.

"I swear to God if you don't hurry up, I will gut you and leave you here to die." She growls, her manicured nails digging into my flesh.

Yeah, well screw you. Someone was probably here to save me.

Limping, I rest my weight on Lila, rolling my eyes at her dumb threat. The sound of close footsteps, multiple footsteps make me almost jump and squeal ecstatic.

"Shit." Lila curses, pushing me in front of her as a shield and pressing the knife to my throat.

"Lila." He says as he stands at the other end of the room.

He's so handsome, even in the dark.

"Luca." I almost sob as I see him, dressed in a leather jacket, black tee and ripped black skinny jeans. God, how I missed him.

It felt as if I would have never seen him again, all I wanted to do now was reach out and hug him and never ever let go.

Briefly, his hazel eyes roll over me but instead of focusing on me, they're focused on my kidnapper who holds the blade even tighter, making sure talking was no longer an option for me.

"Luca, what are you doing here?" Lila questions, on the brink of stuttering.

"I came to see you." He answers, eyes softening as he licks his lips.

What the fuck?

"You did?" Lila says sounding just as much confused as I am.

"Yes, I, just, you're so intelligent." He runs his hand through his hair in that seductive manner as he compliments the crazy lunatic who holds a knife to my throat. "You came up with all of this on your own, I truly admire that. "

"You do?" She inquires giggly, making me roll my eyes a little jealous.

He chuckles that handsome laugh of his. "Si, you're so adorable, I can't believe I was so dumb not to realize it."

She shakes her head, sounding like a lovesick dumbass. "You're not dumb Luca, you're soooo smart and dreamy."

Again eye roll.

"I want us to be together Lila." He murmurs, looking up at her through his long black lashes.

"I do too, but if we want to be together, I have to get rid of this bitch." She sneers the last part at me, slightly jerking the knife and making yet another small incision in my skin.

He nods, Adam's apple bobbing. "I understand that, Lila. And that's why I think it should be by my hand."

What? I scream mentally. My eyes go wide as J stare into his calm and collected hazel orbs.

Hell, I'm on the brink of hyperventilating.

"What?" Lila says unsurely.

"For us to be together, I must do this myself. I must show you that I am hundred percent invested in us." He quips up quickly, hazel eyes becoming unknown to me as he draws from a holster I hadn't noticed, a gun.

"You trust me, don't you?" He asks eyes boring into mine, or perhaps it was Lila's.

Oh, God.

Lila hums a soft yes, pulling the knife from my throat and pushing me forward. I stumble but catch my footing before I can face plant. My eyes flitting up to Luca's, and even though I couldn't see the man I'd fallen in love with, I knew I was safe.

The gun is pointed at me, and yet I don't tremble. It rushes through his eyes, quickly, so quickly I almost didn't catch it, reassurance.

So I do something unexpected I run to him, adrenaline filling my veins. It was like those cliche chick-lit movies I'd watch, time slows down as he flings the gun from his hands, and he reaches for me, pulling my dirty abused body against him.

I cling to him, shaking and sobbing into his shirt. Luca's hand wraps around my body and holds me like he's scared I'll slip from his fingers. And to be honest I'm equally scared that it'll all be some sick dream but it isn't, he's here.

"Stop it!" Lila screams at us shaking the gun, the gun Luca had dropped was in her hand, aimed at us.

Luca pushes me behind him, shielding me. He's tense, shoulder's squared looking like someone who's ready for a battle.

"You think you've won, huh, Iris? But you haven't bitch, not yet, I swear I will-" The word dies in her throat as a bang goes off, no not Lila's, Arsenio's gun.

I hadn't noticed him, I hadn't noticed when he strolled into the room or when he raised the gun, not even when his black-gloved finger pulled the trigger. And probably neither had Lila.

But this, this I noticed. I watch in sheer horror as Lila crumbles to her knees, her emerald green eyes wide with shock as her crimson blood rolls down her once flawless porcelain forehead which now has a bullet pierced straight through her head.

The gun clatters to the floor, her body going down next with a loud thump.

She's dead.

A blood-curdling scream escapes my mouth and I push past Luca, stumbling over to her, tears spilling from the corner of my eyes. Dropping to my already bruised knees, I extend my hand to touch her, to touch my friend, my kidnapper but I stop short.

"Grand speeches are so last year," Arsenio grunts, shaking his head as he pockets his gun.

I think I'm going to puke.

How could he?

Yes, she kidnapped me but death shouldn't have been the answer.

"I'm so sorry." I mourn, grasping my chest as a bursting pain became known.

I can hear him, Luca, calling out to me but it's like he's far away drowned out by all the pain and agony I feel.

I'm exhausted.

The room started spinning again and bile crawled up my throat but I choked it back down. Shaking my head slams against the concrete as my eyes go dim, I don't fight the sleep, I don't want to.

And so, I welcome it.

Luca's Pov

I have Iris wrapped in my leather jacket and I carry her out to the car, laying her fragile figure on to the back seat. Closing the door, Arsenio approaches me, snow in his hair.

"That was a good plan, fratello." He grins, hands tucked in his coat pockets.

"I know how much you enjoy playing the villain." I nod, with a forced broad smile.

It had to be done, it was the only way to keep her safe. I eliminated the threat. Always eliminate the threat.

"What can I say?" He shrugs with a smirk.

"Did Zev find the caretaker?" I question, changing the subject.

He shakes his head with a sigh. "Unfortunately no, but I did find this."

Arsenio pulls his hand from his pocket, opening up his palm to reveal Iris' wedding ring. Plucking it from his palm, I turn it over in my hand with a sort of smile.

I would do anything for her.

"What happens to the girl?" He cocks a brow, turning around to look at the girl's gynaecologist office which Iris had been held under.

Pocketing the ring, I furrow my brows, nose upturned. "I could fucking care less."

"Good." He nods his head and gives me an odd slap on the back which makes me cock a brow.

"What was that for?" I snort.

He shrugs once more, a genuine smile on his. "Don't know, I just thought it's what normal brothers would do."

"We will never be normal." I chuckle, popping the car door open and getting in.

Closing the door, my eyes flicker up to the rearview mirror, looking back at the peacefully sleeping Iris.

She's safe.

I blink, turning the key in the ignition and starting the car up. Pulling the car out of park, I drive on to the empty night streets.

✨✨✨

She scrunches her nose up as she stirs awake. Sitting up straight in my seat by her bed, I watch as her eyes flutter open, brows furrowed in confusion as her eyes flit around her unfamiliar surroundings.

"Hey." I whisper, observing as her eyes snapped to me, relief filling them.

"Hi." She whispers, sounding so frail and weak. "Where are we?"

I can't take my eyes off her, it was true the old saying you never know how much something means to you until you don't have it.

"At the hospital." I answer, tucking her lock of hair behind her ear.

"Oh." She mumbles, glancing down at the IV needle in her arm.

"I'm so sorry, Iris." My eyes softens and I clench my jaw, feeling my guilt eat away at me.

I hate that I'm the reason she laid in a hospital bed right now, I hate knowing that I'm the reason she has multiple cuts, bruises and broken bones.

Not to mention the trauma she must be going through.

"It wasn't your fault, Luca." She says, giving me soft smile. "Lila's a crazy bitch."

But if only she knew.

Iris sits up, wincing and I close my eyes briefly, it hurts me to see it but I'd seen it, what Lila had done to her. Long red streaks littered the flesh of her back on the brink of infection.

And, shit that was only the top of the ice berg.

"Do you want anything? I can get you something to eat." I inquire concerned, she has significantly lost a lot of weight.

Her eyes widen and she nods hastily, nibbling on her lower lip. "Yes, please. I'm starving."

Chuckling, I get up from the chair I hadn't moved an inch from since I'd brought her here 4 hours ago, where she was cleaned, dressed, bandaged up and left to rest. I press a kiss to her forehead, relishing her presence.

"Stay right here, I'll be back shortly." I murmur, against her skin.

Iris hums and I pull back reluctantly, strolling from the room and into the hallway were doctors and nurses hustle around going about their business.

Getting into the crowded elevator, I ride down to the cafeteria, lost in my suffocating thoughts. The silver pristine doors open and I saunter over to the tables stocked with hospital food.

Pulling a tray from the stack, I pile it with almost everything.

What my girl was hungry?

Stalking over to the cashier, she gapes at my completely filled tray or perhaps she was just gaping at me. Pulling from my pocket my wallet, I hand her a couple hundred dollars.

"U-uhm, this is five hundred dollars." She stutters, wide eyed.

"Keep the change." I smile politely, pocketing my wallet and grabbing my tray.

I exit the cafeteria and make my way back to the elevator, riding it back up to the private hospital rooms. Strolling towards Iris ' room.

She hadn't noticed me, she just stared at the wall in front of her. Rapping my knuckles against the door, her head perks up and she smiles.

"That's a lot of food." She comments trying to force some cheer into her voice, tucking the same lock of her hair behind her ear.

"Si, you said you were starving. So I made sure it was a feast for a queen." I grin, walking over to her.

"I'm humbled." She giggles as I place the tray on her lap.

Humming, I sit back down on the chair, a fist under my chin as I watch her eat.

"So, how did you find me?" She asks eyes directed on her food as she swirls a potato wedge around in a small plastic container of ketchup.

Rubbing my lower lip, with my thumb I sighed. "We followed her."

"Why?" She pops the potato wedge into her mouth.

"Because something was just off about her, we found your hair on her clothes and her story didn't add up, she said she was with her sick mother but her mother had died two years prior," I pause when I notice Iris frown. "You didn't know that did you? "

"No." She mumbles, eyes downcast.

"Well with the help of a friend, we tracked her cell, from when I'd called her before hand and we found her, we found you in the basement of her gynecologist office." I tell her.

"Did you find Claire...Grace I mean?" She questions, eyes peeking up to meet mine.

Averting my eyes, I exhale deep, reluctant to say the following words. "Iris, Grace is dead."

"Did Arsenio kill her too?" She says quietly, so quiet I almost don't hear it, it was sort of a bitter statement.

"No, she shot herself. Arsenio found her next to Lila." I state, bring my eyes back up to stare at her.