Page 79 of House of Lies

Caelia

The hospital has been buzzing with activity throughout the day, with people talking and nurses attending to patients. But as darkness falls, an unsettling quiet settles in, punctuated only by gently tapping raindrops against the window. Kaz is sleeping in the armchair near my bed, where he spends most of his time. We don’t talk much anymore. He gave up trying after the night he threatened me. Everyone believes I’m dead, so there are no visitors for me. Domenico kept me company when Kaz was gone, but even he remains silent now. I wanted to ask him if he knew that Kaz wasn’t who he pretended to be, but I decided against it. The answer is painfully obvious. He acted on orders, and I can’t blame him for that. Now, he can barely meet my gaze.

I’ve been in the hospital for more than three weeks, and my body has been healing agonizingly slowly, although at least I can now use the restroom without assistance. I’m tired of pretending to remember nothing when doctors and the police question me about what happened. They’ve taken my fingerprints, photos, and blood, but they won’t find anything. Kaz made sure of that.

I’m so, so tired.

Not talking with anyone gave me so much time to think that I thought I would drive myself insane. I gave him what he wanted before, and I can do it again. If it’s me who he wants, I will give myself to him. I will be whatever the hell he needs me to be. I will lock away any feelings I thought I had for him and move forward. I can do it.

I will never admit it out loud, but a part of me cares deeply for him. Too deep. I believed that part of me was gone, destroyed by everything that had happened, but it was still there. It resurfaced when he stopped trying to touch me or speak to me. And I miss that. I even crave it. But that’s the part of me I must leave behind to move on with this new life. If he insists on taking me with him, I can’t afford to feel anything.

Stretching my legs, I step out of bed and approach the window. Kaz insisted on always keeping the blinds closed, driving me mad. The street outside is empty.

“What are you doing?”

I nearly jump out of my skin at the sound of his voice. Before I can reply, a loud shattering sound fills the air, and glass explodes across the room. I don’t have time to process anything except the terror in Kaz’s eyes as I stumble backward. He springs from the chair and rushes toward me as the door swings open. Wrapping an arm around my waist, he lifts me off the ground and pushes my body against the wall, shielding me from the open space where the window once stood. Time slows down as two of his men enter the room, scanning for the source of danger. One of them collapses before I can even blink.

“Close the door and get down!” Kaz shouts at the other man, still guarding me with his body.

My heart pounds in my chest. Stealing a glance around Kaz’s shoulder, I see the blood pooling on the floor. There’s a bullet hole in the wall near the door. It’s a bullet intended for either me or Kaz. The other man follows Kaz’s order a moment too late. There’s screaming and chaos outside the door. Relief washes over me as I realize that the sniper can’t see us. The wall protects us.

“Are you all right?” I nod, unable to trust my voice.

He pulls me closer to his body as he searches for an escape route. Retrieving his phone from his pocket, Kaz makes a call. I am too frightened to ask what is happening. I can’t understand anything from his conversation with the person on the other end. His demeanor changes in a way I’ve rarely seen; his voice is rough and commanding. It scares me how composed he is. I only witnessed fear in his eyes when he looked at me. He might try to convince me he still cares about everything, but...

“Stay right here,” he instructs.

I couldn’t move, even if I wanted to. My legs feel weak. My body is in pain.

“What are you going to do?” My fingers instinctively grip his wrist before I have time to think.

Dread washes over me. I might have mixed feelings about him right now, but I don’t want to see him dead. The thought alone makes me sick. Which is saying a lot considering I stabbed him. Mattia. I thought he was Mattia, but I don’t want to harm him now that I know the truth. Or see him harmed.

“I’m going to block the window with the bed so we can leave.” Kaz places his hand on my cheek, his thumb tracing the outline of my bottom lip. My treacherous heart skips a beat, and my entire body yearns to lean into him.

“Why are you so calm?” I laugh nervously, my heart racing.

“It takes more than a sniper to scare me, Wildfire.”

You scared the hell out of me. I thought you were dead.

So you think that the thought of my wife drowning doesn’t scare me?

Lost in my thoughts, I watch as he moves away from me. This isn’t the right time to dwell on what he said right before he fucked me in the pool. I’m not his wife. I was never his wife, but everything between us felt so real. Even now, it took him a split second to react, and he tried to save me, not himself.

The truth will always be true, even if no one believes it, Wildfire. Even if you don’t believe it.

I don’t know the truth; now’s not a good time to think about it. Kaz lowers himself to the ground and crouches against the opposite wall. The gunfire has ceased, but he’s right—we can’t stay here. I pray that Domenico or his cousin don’t come through the door. I hear sirens in the distance, growing closer. I hold my breath until he safely reaches the other side. I watch as he overturns the bed, the pillow and blanket tumbling to the floor. He hides behind it and pushes it toward the window, not stopping until it completely covers the opening.

“We need to move.” I’m in a hospital gown and barefoot, with no other clothes. I’m afraid he will leave me here to deal with the aftermath. I have already lied to the police once about what happened to me. I have no idea what I could say this time.

“Now, Caelia.” He extends his hand for me to take. The tension leaves my body as I intertwine my fingers with him. It stings a little when he lets go a second later, like a cut from a sharp blade. Before I can ask if he has changed his mind, he removes his jacket and waits for me to put it on. “Ivan is waiting,” he informs me as he steps over the bodies of his fallen men. I follow him without protesting. Now is not the time. “You’ll go with him.”

“What about you?” I hate that I can’t mask the panic rising in my voice.

“What about me?” He dares to smirk.

The hallway is mostly empty, and the few remaining people run, hide, or speak with the police on their phones. Kaz remains focused on our surroundings, moving slowly for my benefit. I hurry as fast as my body allows.