Sold to Moretti Mafia

Fallon

It’s been three days, and I haven’t left Julie’s side, other than to sleep. I would stay with her at night as well if Markus would let me, but I don’t want to fight him on it since he lets me take care of her the rest of the time.

She’s opened her eyes a few times, but I don’t think she has fully woken up yet. The times she looked at me, there was no recognition in her gaze. Actually, there was nothing in her gaze, only emptiness, and pain.

We tried to get her to eat, but she refused, turning her head away and squeezing her eyes shut before falling back into a deep sleep.

I’m so worried for her, not only because of the physical wounds, but about the trauma you can’t see. Her body will heal, but her mind is a different story.

I can’t imagine what she’s been through, and I don’t think I want to either.

“Are you hungry?” Markus’s voice drags me from my thoughts. “I’m going to order some Japanese food.”

I look up and find him leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest. The sight of him causes a ball of warmth to form in my belly.

“A little. I love Japanese.”Text © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.

“Anything in particular?”

“Not really,” I shrug, “I’ll eat whatever… except maybe like raw squid.”

“No raw squid, got it.” Markus disappears into the hallway, and I go back to holding Julie’s hand. It’s not much, but at least I feel like I’m doing something.

I hate not being able to take her pain away. At least she knows I’m here, or I hope she knows anyway. I don’t want her to feel alone.

“Do you know that you are safe now?” I ask quietly.

Reaching out, I brush my fingers gently over her beautiful face. She doesn’t flinch, doesn’t move, not even her breathing changes. The bruises on her cheek have turned from a dark blue to a light purple, and hopefully, they will soon fade altogether. Maybe it’s best she stays asleep for a few more days. Once awake, the mental wounds will take over, bringing with them a whole new level of pain.

The thought has barely left my mind when Julie pulls her hand from my hold. I look up to find her eyes wide open, fear reflecting back at me as she takes in her surroundings. I’m almost glad I see fear in her eyes because even that is better than the void of emotions I’ve seen until now.

“Julie, it’s okay. You’re safe now.” She shakes her head as if she doesn’t believe me. “I promise, Julie, no one is going to hurt you here.”

I try to take her hand, but she pulls away yet again. I let her. I won’t do anything she doesn’t like.

“Julie, you’ve been out for a few days. You need to eat something. It will make you feel better.” I grab the bowl of oatmeal I made for her earlier from the nightstand. Using the spoon, I get a tiny amount of oatmeal and hold it to her lips. “Please, Julie, just a tiny bite,” I beg, but she turns her head away, like she’s been doing.

Sighing in defeat, I put the bowl back onto the nightstand. It’s like she has just given up.

The loud ding-dong of the doorbell startles me. I sit up a little straighter, wondering if that is the fastest food delivery service in the world or if I have been sitting here much longer than I thought. It only feels like a few minutes have passed since Markus walked in here.

I could be wrong, though. Time seems different when you’re waiting for someone to wake up and heal.

Curiously, I look at the cracked door. If it’s not the food, then who else could it be? The doctor already came by to check on Julie this morning, and he’s only been coming once a day, so I don’t think it’s him.

A few more moments pass, and I hear the ding of the elevator door echo through the apartment. Two male voices fill the space. They are hushed like they don’t want me to hear, which confirms that this is not the food delivery.

My heart hammers in my chest. Markus didn’t tell me anyone was coming, and the last time he invited a friend over, things did not end well. I glance at Julie, and her eyes are still open. She is staring at a spot on the ceiling, almost like she is in her own little world, oblivious to what’s happening around her.

I take her hand again, and this time she lets me. The door creaks open, and I hold my breath. For the last three days, I’ve held Julie’s hand for her comfort, but right now, I feel like our roles are reversed.

Suddenly, I’m clinging to her, so I know I’m not alone.

Markus enters the room first, a stern look on his face, which does nothing to ease the tension festering in my gut. Then another man steps in, he’s big, and with the two of them inside, the room seems to shrink. The nameless man peers around the room until his gaze stops on me.

He pins me with a glare, and I recognize a familiarity almost immediately-dark eyes, dark hair, tall, and bulky build. The man looks like an older version of Markus.

“Fallon, this is Felix, my brother,” Markus introduces the man beside him.

Brother… that makes sense. “Um, hi,” I say awkwardly.

He answers with a grunt. Great, he is just as big of an asshole as his brother.

Walking into the room, he stops a foot away from the bed. Now that he is closer, I can see he already has some gray streaks in his hair and his forehead has wrinkles that set his face into a permanent frown. He’s still very much attractive, but more so in a silver fox kind of way.

“What do you think?” Markus asks, and I’m not sure what exactly he is asking, or even who. Me? Felix? I don’t understand.

“I’ll take her,” Felix growls, looking down at Julie, who is still looking at something on the ceiling.

What the fuck? Every alarm goes off in my head.

“What do you mean by take her? Take her where?” I clutch on to Julie’s hand a little tighter.

“Felix is going to take Julie off our hands for a while,” Markus explains, like he is talking about a pet that has become too much to handle.

“She is not a dog, you can’t just give her away, or sell her, or whatever it is you just did. She is not a form of currency. She is a goddamn human.” I enunciate each word clearly, my voice filled with determination and passion. I won’t let her be hurt anymore.

Felix’s eyes slide back toward me, his face a blank mask. I can’t read him at all.

I have no idea if he is good, bad, or something in between. All I know is that I’m not just going to let him take her.

“Julie should stay here until she is better. She’ll be scared with you, and she knows me. We’re friends. I won’t just let you take her, so you can do whatever you want with her.”

Without saying a word, Felix takes another step toward the bed, then sits down on the edge. Julie doesn’t move, does not react like I thought she would.

“Hand me the bowl of oatmeal,” he orders in the same demanding tone his brother uses on me. I almost roll my eyes but manage to hand him the bowl without doing so.

“She won’t eat,” I point out, but that doesn’t seem to stop Felix from trying.

Just as I did, he shovels a tiny morsel of food onto the spoon, then holds it to her lips. She doesn’t move an inch. Doesn’t even blink.

“Look at me,” he demands, his voice deep and commanding. To my utter shock, Julie does. Her eyes go from the ceiling to where Felix is sitting. “Good girl, now, open your mouth. You need to eat, doll.”

My jaw drops to the floor when her lips part slowly, her eyes never leaving Felix as he gently slides the spoon into her mouth.