In two steps, Rock was at his side. “Don’t disappear from Rome. I’ll cover for you for tonight and tomorrow because I know Rico has planned something, but Tancredi will send all his guards after you if you run away. Give me time to work out something with Rico. I might convince the alpha to remove you from under him and put you in my care.”
Talking with Tancredi was futile. Refusing to obey an order of his in public had been Raphael’s downfall, and both Raphael and Rock knew it. Nevertheless, Raphael appreciated the sentiment behind Rock’s actions and words. “See you tomorrow.” He even gave the werewolf the thumbs up before leaving.
Dragging his legs down the stairs, Raphael reached the riverbank, and waved his hand up at Rock who was standing watch on the bridge. Next, he walked toward the barge, climbed the jetty, and entered the boat, only to exit the musty place as soon as Rock moved out of sight. Raphael still waited a moment to see if the wolf was lingering nearby, then, with great effort, reached for one of the Promenade entries hidden under the bridge.
From there, he moved in a trance as if trawling underwater, putting one foot before the other, only thinking of slowing down his breathing to save energy. Worried to reach his destination before fainting, he followed the River Styx bends unconcerned of the looks people sent his way. The slow flow of the dark waters of the river had always soothed him, but not now.
At the first opportunity, he left the main trail and entered the system of tunnels that stretched under Rome for kilometers. Wary of entering Magik Nation by mistake, he kept to the side of the underworld that had once belonged to the catacombs, lengthening the walk by several minutes. The wall of rock hiding the Den of Rejects loomed ahead of him when his legs finally gave away and he collapsed to the ground.
Warm hands and worried voices touched Raphael, and he opened his eyes to see Angel’s face hovering over his. In a moment of sudden lucidity and acting in automatic, he hastily removed his jacket, reversed it inside out, then folded it in two.
“What happened to you?” Angel oscillated in and out of focus.
“Rough night.” Raphael’s eyes wouldn’t stay open, and he kept blinking as he tried to stand.
“Stay put, Paride and I will take care of you.”
Another set of strong arms circled Raphael, who tilted his head to look at Paride staring back at him with a worried expression on his face. “It looks worse than it is. I just need to rest for a few hours,” he thought he said, but even to his ears the words had sounded garbled. He was exhausted and couldn’t remain awake any longer, but was still fighting it.
“We’ll take you to our place.” Angel’s soft voice finally lulled Raphael to sleep.
When he opened his eyes again, Raphael was lying on a bed. Twinges of sharp pain leapt all around his torso when he tried to sit.
“You’re back,” Paride said, leaning forward on a chair by the window.
Angel sat on a stool by the bed and smiled at Raphael. “I thought you’d never wake.”
“How long…” His mouth tasted like something had died in it, and his head hurt at every slight movement. Even turning his eyes was painful, and he gave up on attempting to change position.
“How long were you out? That’s what you want to know?” Paride left the chair and walked closer to the bed. When Raphael slightly nodded, he answered, “A full day.” Then he carefully sat on the edge, his knees touching Angel’s. “What we want to know is who did this to you.” His hand trailed over Raphael without touching him.
“No one,” was Raphael’s immediate response.
“Isn’t he cute, trying to protect us?” Paride shook his head, his hand grabbing a handful of bedding in a tight twist.
“I’ll be out of here as soon as I can stand on my two feet.” Raphael followed his rehearsed speech, the one he had painstakingly put together while dragging his maimed body throughout the Promenade. “Thank you for your hospitality, but I won’t put you in danger by staying longer than necessary.”
Patrizia entered the room with a tray filled with bread, fruits, and beverages. “Thank the Goddess, you’re finally up. I’ve brought food for them, but there’s more than enough if you’d like to eat something.”
“Hi, Patrizia.” Raphael watched as the girl lowered the heavy tray on the nightstand, then walked behind Angel.
Patrizia had a somber expression and Raphael couldn’t remember a time when he had seen her not joyous. The interaction between the three was off too.
“Long time no see you, guys. How are you?” Raphael asked after a moment of silence stretched too long.
“We’re fine, but don’t try to change topic. Who did this to you?” Angel gave him a pointed look. “We’ll make him pay.”
Patrizia watched seemingly detached, her hand caressing her stomach. Only when she turned to the side, Raphael realized her belly wasn’t flat, but slightly rounded. She saw him looking at her, and the anguished expression on her face made him lower his eyes.
“And that’s why I won’t tell you,” Raphael said to Angel.
Paride placed his hand over his heart. “We take care of ours.”
“And you don’t know how much that means to me, but I won’t tell you.” Already exhausted by the conversation, Raphael massaged his temples. “Can you pass me something to drink?” He tried again to push himself up right, and managed to shore his upper body on his elbows.
“Sure.” Paride grabbed a water bottle, twisted its lid open, and brought it to Raphael’s lips. Then he broke a few pieces from a round loaf of bread and helped Raphael eat as well.
The three didn’t try to make him talk again and soon left to let him rest. Instead of trying to sleep, the first thing Raphael did was to grab his cell phone from his jeans. Hands trembling as pain shot through him, he cursed when he saw the cell battery had died. Luisa hadn’t heard from him in two days and she must have been frantic with worry. When he tried to leave the bed looking for Angel or Paride, he fell and barely made it back to the bed.
After a fitful night during which he eventually managed some much needed rest, Raphael saw the trio again the next morning. Following a soft knock on the door, the twins and Angel entered the room as he was about to leave, folded jacket on his bent arm.
“Sneaking out?” Angel asked, blocking the doorway. The shifter’s eyes went to Raphael’s jacket.
“I’ve got to get back to—” Raphael stopped in midsentence. He knew that they knew. Even if he had childishly tried to hide the Red patch from them, he had been out cold long enough for them to check, and Patrizia and Carla had talked for sure. Yet, what his friends didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them.
“Where?” Paride stepped beside Angel, creating a human wall.
“Nowhere.” With a long sigh, Raphael pointed at the hallway behind the couple. “Listen, I shouldn’t have come here in the first place, but I didn’t know where else to go and I needed sanctuary—”
“And you did the right thing coming to us. I only wish you would trust us with the truth.” Angel opened his arms to the side. “Whatever it is you’re involved with, we can help.”
“You’ve done more than enough already, but it’s time for me to go.” Raphael motioned for Angel and Paride to let him pass.
Patrizia’s head popped in between the couple. “At least have breakfast with us before you leave. Carla wanted to say hi to you.”
At seeing the girl’s small smile, Raphael couldn’t help but consent to her request. Carla arrived a few minutes later and from the knowing look she gave him his suspicions were confirmed.
“I must protect them,” he whispered to Carla when the others were busy preparing food. “If you’ve said something already, please don’t add to it. It will only bring the den grief and you know it.”
Carla seemed to think about it a moment, but then nodded and Raphael let out a relieved sigh.
While eating at the round table in the kitchen that doubled as living room, the four of them alternated asking him about Luisa. He told them what he c
ould while avoiding all the details pertaining to his affiliation to the Reds.
“So, you’re planning to leave Rome once and for all, ah?” Patrizia asked when Raphael reached the end of his redacted tale.
Plopping a slice of apple into his mouth, Raphael said, “We can’t stay here any longer.”
“When are you leaving?” Angel stirred his cappuccino.
“As soon as possible, but I need to take care of a few things first, collecting my bike, the money I saved—” While talking, he realized in less than two weeks would be Valentine’s Day, Luisa’s eighteenth birthday. “And while I’m at it, I must think of something special to surprise Luisa…” He spent the rest of the breakfast asking about them, but the four proved as reluctant to divulge their stories as he was.
An hour later, Raphael left the Den of Rejects with the bitter-sweet feeling he wouldn’t see them again soon.
As he reached the Reds, after two rather long subway and bus rides, Rock greeted him downstairs in the recreation room with worry etched all over his face.
The werewolf’s scowl soon lessened, but he grabbed Raphael by the elbow and walked him over toward the couches, now deserted. “Where were you? And don’t say at the barge, because I went back yesterday to check on you.”
“I stayed at friends’.”
Rock made an exasperated sound, pinched the bridge of his nose, and swore under his breath. “When Rico came looking for you, I told him I had you in my room and had to send Guts away saying you didn’t want to see anyone—”
The metal door to the stairway opened, and Rico strode into the room looking straight at them. News traveled fast at the compound.
Waving the ledger in front of him, Rico gave Rock a glare then looked back at Raphael. “Look who’s up and very late to work.”
Rock stepped forward, putting himself before Rico. “He should be resting at least another day.”
“He’s already wasted an entire day hiding in your quarters.” Rico slapped Rock’s arm with the ledger and sidestepped him to stand before Raphael. “This is your delivery schedule for the day. I added a few stops so you can make up for yesterday.”
Rock bristled and walked back into Rico’s path. “You can’t—”
Smiling his cruel smile, Rico pointed a finger toward the ceiling. “Alpha’s orders. The cub must earn his stay from now on.” He tilted his head to the side and caressed his chin with his free hand. “Playtime’s over.”
“Fine.” Raphael snatched the ledger from Rico and gave the list a brief look. “See you tomorrow morning.” Without bothering with a shower—he wasn’t ready to face the sting from the water on his wounded skin—or a change, he checked his Monster keys were still inside his jacket and headed downstairs to the garage.
Mounting his bike wasn’t easy, especially when every movement he made caused him to gasp in pain, but as he eased the Monster out and into the street, he thought of Luisa and the conversation they would have later that night.
While delivering drugs for the Reds, he let his mind wander and little by little his plans for Luisa’s birthday took form. In between stops, he bought several canvases he carried in a big satchel over his shoulder. The hard material slapped his back every time the Monster hit a hole or a bump in the road and hurt him, but he readjusted the cargo and revved the engine, letting the wind soothe his pain.
Later that night, after a meal of cold leftovers and a painful but short shower, Raphael sat on his bed. Cell phone charging and pencil in hand, he traced the first white canvas with Luisa’s portrait. When he was done with the first drawing and felt calm enough to text her, he sent the first message.
R: Hey, baby.
Luisa’s answer came a heartbeat later.
L: Raphael, my Goddess! RU okay?
R: I am now.
L: What happened to you?
R: Nothing important. In a few days I’ll come to pick you up. Be ready.
L: What?
R: We leave.
Chapter Eighteen
Day after day, Raphael endured Rico’s antics and the punishing workload the Red forced upon him without complaining. His big brother was most likely trying to kill him by exhaustion—he had Raphael drive for more than twelve sometimes thirteen hours straight, and accidents happened all the time in the heavily trafficked streets of Rome.
But more deliveries in his docket also meant he wasn’t expected back until late, and Rico only checked he was punctual for their meetings in the morning. What Raphael did in between deliveries went unnoticed, and he took full advantage of it. Instead of visiting Luisa, he used his breaks to drive to Milvio Bridge and clean up the barge as best as he could.
His longing to mark her and make her officially his mate couldn’t be ignored anymore, and his waking hours were filled with thoughts of their first time together. He didn’t want for that to happen while they were on the run, and her birthday coming on Valentine’s seemed the perfect day for them to celebrate their union. The barge had been his first sanctuary after escaping from his father’s house. He associated that run-down boat with the idea of freedom, which made it perfect for their love nest. He only needed a few touches here and there to create the right atmosphere, and achieved so by buying a few items, scavenging for others, and crafting with his own hands everything else.
At night, while texting to Luisa, he kept drawing her portraits and had to buy more canvases because he didn’t think any of his attempts was good enough. Soon, he had too many of them lying around his room and moved the canvases to the barge where no one would see them by mistake. Finally, he had her portrait done to his liking and started working on the perfect wooden frame.
Two days before Valentine’s, Rico saw fit to add a pick-up to Raphael’s already packed schedule. The municipal code wasn’t in Rome, and when Raphael checked the address on his phone he grunted.
Although he had promised himself not to confront Rico in any way, he couldn’t help but comment, “It’s in Fiumicino. Are you kidding me?”
Rico raised an eyebrow, but none of the usual insults came out of his mouth. Instead, he said, “Toughen up, pup. It’s a fast job anyway. The package’s outside, waiting for you.”
The hair on Raphael’s neck raised. Something was wrong.
“What are you waiting for? The day’s short. Get going.” Rico pointed at the door.
Acting on pure instinct, Raphael walked to the landing, then ran upstairs to his room to stuff his messenger bag with a few of his belongings and all the money he had saved. Exiting his room, he found Rico waiting for him in the hallway.
“What are you doing?” the werewolf asked, menace in his voice despite his calm tone.
“Forgot something.” Raphael closed the door and walked away. “Gotta run. Tight schedule.” He felt Rico’s eyes on his back. The feeling unsettled him, and he didn’t see Rock until he bumped into him on his way to the landing.
“Busy day already?” Rock asked.
“As usual.” Raphael made to sidestep him, but Rock placed a hand over his arm and stopped him.
“Is everything okay?”
Raphael raised his eyes to look at Rock. “Everything’s fine. Just late.” The lie weighed on his tongue more than it should have.
“See you later tonight?”
“Sure.” And like that Raphael said his goodbye to the only decent person among the Reds.
Once on his Monster, he drove straight to the barge where he finished his beautification project a full day in advance. Despite being tight on money, he splurged on the purchase of chocolates, a plush teddy bear, balloons, and even a bouquet of roses. He could go without food for a day or two if that bought Luisa her perfect night. It was late in the evening when he finally wrapped her framed portrait in recycled newspaper he stenciled all over with red hearts. Satisfied by his work he closed the barge, counting the minutes before he could take Luisa in his arms.
As he walked back to one of the narrow streets surrounding Milvio Bridge where he had parked his bike,
he heard a woman sing. The melody was unknown to Raphael, but reminded him of a lullaby his neighbor used to sing to her daughter. Whenever he could escape his father’s oppressive presence, he would run to the apartment next to theirs. There, he would spend time with the single mother who looked only slightly older than him and her toddler, a baby girl with the darkest skin he had ever seen. He had known contentment with that family of two, and theirs was a sweet memory.
Raphael thought it was a good omen and started the engine with a lightness he hadn’t felt in a long time. By the time he reached Wolf’s Haven, he could have sung his happiness for everyone to hear, but wisely kept his mouth shut and silently skulked along the perimeter of the rehab center to stop at Luisa’s building.
Too busy texting with her until the wee hours of the morning, he had forgotten to charge his cellphone the night before. And in all the excitement of the day, he hadn’t thought of doing it later, so he couldn’t send a text to inform her he was downstairs. Experiencing a bit of frustration, he kicked the gravel covering the ground and found the solution to his problem. He then took a moment to center himself and not muck up things when he was so close to start a new life with Luisa.
A few minutes later, Raphael looked up at her bedroom window, then extended his hand above his shoulder and threw a small pebble. He had chosen it with great care, because anything bigger or with sharp edges would break the glass. The round stone sailed through the air more or less in the arch Raphael had intended and hit the windowpane. The tinkling noise it made wasn’t too loud, but loud enough to alert Luisa of his presence.
One hundred and one. One hundred and two. One hundred and three.
Expectantly, he kept his nose up, waiting for the moment she would open the window and see him. “Luisa, baby—”
One hundred and four. One hundred and five.
He sighed and looked on the ground for another pebble with the same characteristic of the first. He was hiding in the darkness, the only light coming from that window one story up, but his wolf eyes helped him with the task. Once he found a second round stone, he gave it a kiss, then threw it. This time, he applied more thrust, and the resulting noise was louder. He thought he heard the glass crack the tiniest bit.
Raphael (The Immortal Youth Book 1) Page 20
