Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Gunshot

I woke up gasping for air and whimpered as I felt a throbbing pain between my legs.

A hand was draped over my waist, and I knew exactly who it was.

I slowly climbed out of the bed and walked into the bathroom despite my body screaming at me to lie down. I silently closed the door and locked it before going to stand in front of the mirror.

There were dried tears on my face and dried blood between my legs. I turned on the shower and climbed into the tub. Tears threatened my eyes, but I refused to let any of them fall.

I walked out of the bathroom and quickly dressed before checking to make sure he was still asleep.

I grabbed a duffle bag and opened Johnathan’s safe before grabbing all the money and putting it in the bag. I ran out of the room and took a deep breath when he didn’t wake up.

I walked up to the elevator using the wall as support.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked from behind me.

I tensed and turned to face him. “Leave me alone,” I cried as tears burned my eyes.

The elevator dinged and I stepped in. His eyes darkened and he started to run toward me.

I started clicking the first floor button repeatedly. He stopped as the door started closing and reached behind his back.

I ran a hand through my hair and leaned back. A gunshot went off, and I winced as my hands flew to my stomach.

The doors closed, and I released a shaky breath as I looked down at my stomach. I got to the first floor quickly and started to head toward the back door while keeping my head down.

I released a breath when I made it outside safely and looked around for a car. I smiled when I noticed the valet and walked up to him while smiling.

“Hello beautiful,” he said, smirking at me.

“Hi,” I said, smiling shyly.

He started to flirt with me, and I internally rolled my eyes.

“Hold on,” he said as a car pulled up.

I smiled and nodded my head as he walked up to the car. I snuck the keys of a Ferrari off the chain and walked off. I groaned as my stomach started to hurt.

I pulled my hand away to see blood completely soaking it. I pressed a button on the key and heard a car in the distance chirp. I started to walk up to it when I got the feeling I was being watched.

I took a deep breath before turning around. Johnathan was a couple of steps away from me, smirking.

“That was a good plan. I was so busy checking the lobby and the front for you I would’ve never thought to check here,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Leave me alone,” I said, walking backward.

“Stop being ridiculous. Let’s just go back inside,” he said, rolling his eyes.

I ignored him and turned around before running toward the car.

“Luna, you’re pissing me off,” he growled from behind me.

I unlocked the car and weakly climbed in before locking it.

“Go to hell,” I said weakly.

“You can’t fucking drive, Luna. You’ll die,” he growled, banging on the window.

I ignored him again and started the car before pulling off. I could see him chasing me through the rearview mirror. I groaned loudly and pressed my hand harder on my stomach.

I stopped in front of a pharmacy and went inside to buy stuff for the wound. I started to drive toward Giovanni’s house when I decided to stay at a hotel.

“Hi—oh my gosh, are you okay?” the lady at the front desk asked.

I nodded my head weakly and pulled out a wad of cash. “I need a suite, no visitors,” I said softly.

She looked at me skeptically and nodded her head. “Room 2138,” she said, smiling and handing me the key.

I nodded and weakly walked to the elevator.

The room was beautiful, but I could barely stand to take it in. I dialed Alex’s number on the phone and he answered after the third ring.

“WHAT?” he screamed.

“I-it’s Luna,” I said weakly. I put the phone on speaker and pulled my shirt off.

“Luna, are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine. How are you?” I lied, grabbing a small towel and walking to the bed.

“What’s wrong? Why do you sound like that?” he asked.

“He shot me,” I mumbled.

“WHAT?” he screamed.

“Hold on,” I said before pouring the alcohol on the wound. I screamed as it started to burn.

“Luna, where are you? I’m coming to get you now,” he said. I could hear voices in the background and I knew who they belonged to. I blinked heavily as I fought to keep my eyes open.

“I’m so tired,” I whispered.

“No, Luna, you need to stay awake. Come on, just tell me where you are,” he pleaded.

I opened my mouth to respond only to get consumed by darkness.

***

I groaned and clutched my stomach as I slowly sat up.

“Luna, lie back down,” Alex said, walking up to me and reaching for me.

I tensed and shook my head, asking him not to touch me. He frowned but dropped his hands.

“Hold on, let me get you some water,” he said softly.

I nodded my head and he walked off into a corner of the room. He came back a minute later and handed me the water to drink.

“What am I doing here?” I asked, looking around.

“You didn’t hang up when you passed out, so we tracked you to the hotel. Why didn’t you just come here?” he asked, and the hurt was clear in his eyes.

“Because this is the first place he’ll come looking for me,” I said, swinging my feet over and standing up.

He watched me carefully as if preparing to catch me if I fell. “You need to stay here and wait for the doctor to check you out,” he said, gesturing toward the bed.

“No,” I said, walking toward the door.

He groaned and followed closely behind me. He opened the door to show the boys sitting in front of the door waiting for me.

“You’re awake,” Alessandro said, smiling brightly. He ran up to me and tried to hug me, but I took a step back. He and the boys shared a look, and I chewed my lip nervously.

“Come on, you must be hungry,” he said instead of questioning me.

I followed quietly behind them as we walked to the dining room. He stood in front of me and I frowned.

“I thought you said you weren’t going to leave her side,” Bebe said, and the frown was evident in her voice.

“I haven’t,” Alessandro said before stepping to the side.

Bebe smiled brightly and quickly stood up before walking up to me and trying to hug me. I took a step back and her eyes widened in hurt.

“It’s not you—she’s been doing it with everybody. Don’t take it personally,” Dimitri said softly.

She frowned and nodded her head before walking back to her seat.

Giovanni’s father smiled at me and I gave him a weak one in return. I started to walk toward a seat, but Alessandro ran and took it. He winked at me and I frowned.

I started to walk toward another one and Lorenzo took it. Alex and Dimitri took the other seats, leaving two seats. I frowned as I recognized them.

“Don’t worry, he isn’t coming,” Bebe said softly.

I slowly nodded my head and sat in the seat I always sat in.

Bebe whispered something to one of the maids and she nodded her head before walking into the kitchen. She came back a minute later and gently placed a bowl of soup in front of me.

“Thank you,” I said softly.

She smiled and nodded her head before walking off.

“You had surgery on your stomach, that’s why you have to drink the soup,” Alex explained when I realized I was the only person with soup.

I nodded my head in understanding and started to drink the soup.

“Do you have a training room?” I asked, standing up.

The boys exchanged looks of confusion and nodded their heads. They stood up and started to lead me out of the room.

We walked up to a double door and Alessandro smirked at me and pushed the door open.

The room was impressive, to say the least. Knives and guns were racked along the walls, and there were ninja stars and other types of weapons on the walls.

I walked up to the knives and grabbed a bunch off the rack. I walked up to the lines of targets and started to throw the knives at the mark.

“What happened?” Alex asked, making me freeze.

“Johnathan shot me,” I said simply.

“Why?” Dimitri asked.

I ran a hand through my hair and threw the knives at the mark again.

“It doesn’t matter,” I said simply.

He watched me carefully as if waiting for a different answer. I gave him a small smile before walking away.

Bebe was standing on the other side of the door, and she gave me a weak smile. “What did he do to you?” she asked softly.

I froze and gently touched my stomach.

“I mean, why won’t you let anybody touch you?” she clarified.

“Where can I sleep?” I asked, changing the subject.

She ran a hand through her hair and nodded before walking off and leaving me to follow after her. She stopped in front of Giovanni’s door, and I shook my head.

“It’s okay. He doesn’t come home,” she said, giving me a sad smile.

I bit my lip and slowly nodded my head. “Thank you,” I said softly.

She nodded her head and started to walk away. I took a deep breath and slowly opened the door.

The room had been torn apart, and I felt my heart clench as I saw a picture of me and Giovanni on the ground. It was from the day his parents came into the room taking pictures of us sleeping.

I gently picked it up and put it on the bed. I started to fix the room and then fixed the bed.

I walked into the closet and grabbed one of Giovanni’s sweaters and walked into the bathroom to take a shower. I pulled the sweater on and climbed into bed.

I hugged the picture to my chest as I shut my eyes, willing myself to sleep.