TAINTED LOVE ▸ BILLY RUSSO

chapter fifteen - therapists

It had been a few months since everything happened. Billy was alive, but I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. He barely remembered anything. He didn't remember me. I wanted to think he was faking it to get out of the hospital, but after all this time, I began to believe him.

Madani had survived and became obcessed with finding me and tormenting Billy, (who didn't even knew who she was).

When it all whent down, I had gone to Eve and Juliet. Aparently, they had gone their seperate ways. Juliet was in French with the money she had stolen from some rick old man, and Eve was back in business.

"Where's Russo?" Eve asked, clearly hurt by my actions.

"Dead." I reply shortly, little did I know that was a lie.

"I'm sorry." Was all she say before closing the door in my face.

With Rawlins dead, she was proven innocent and was working in a company. As soon as I knocked on her door, I was thrown out. I "wouldn't pull her back to the mud." She said. "This was my business and mine only."

I was living with the money me and Billy were planning on using to get out, but now since he doesn't remeber me, I don't think he'll care I stole it.

For the first time in a while, I was alone. Eve and Juliet were living their best lives, while I was here, watching our life flashing through my eyes without no one to help me deal with it. Watching the only person had left suffering.

All inside of me was anger. Everything had been taken away from me, again.

Castle had done a deal with Homeland Security and flew, going back to his old name, Pete ​​Castiglione. Everyone got to keep going but me, even Billy, he got to forget. I kept running. I kept being afraid. I kept being angry. The only thing I didn't got to keep was Billy. The only thing I wanted was Billy.

Krista Dumont was his therapist and since I couldn't step foot close to that hospital without being shot dead, I went to her.

I knock on her door and she opens it.

"Hello." I say looking down at her and showing her the gun hidden under my long black coat. "Can I come in, Krista?"

The woman swallows hard, moving to the side and letting me in. I see her grabbing her phone and I look back at her. "Don't even think about it."

I sit on her couch and tell her to sit on the couch in front of me, crossing my legs, looking at her.

"You know who I am?"

"Stacy Quinn." Krista replies and I smirk.

"I suppose you know why I'm here."

"Billy Russo."

"You're smart." I state, sitting straighter, putting the gun in my hand in a position where she could easly see it. "Is he lying? Does he remember anything?"

"I can't discuss this kind of information-"

"I will shoot you, doc." I interrupt her. "Is he lying?" I repeat and she looks down.

"Billy remembers a few things from his past, but he doesn't know what he did." She explains, oticing my expression changing.

"Does he remember me?"

"He sees things i his dreams, memories." She looks at the gun in my hand swallowing hard. "Sometimes he sees you. He doesn't knwo who you are but he knows you exist."

"What the hell does that mean?" I ask her, frowing.

"If he sees you, maybe he'll remember." She explains and I scoff.

"Yeah," I say unconvinced. "You sure you're not only saying that because yuo want to live?"

"I can prove it." She says as soon as I finish my sentence. "He draws what he sees in his dreams. He draw you."

"Ok, cool, he knows how I look." I state annoyed. "But does he remeber us?"

"Not right now, but in the future-" I get up bruscly and she stops talking. "Stacy, calm down."

"Stop that." I look at her. "I'm not your patient and I don't want your help." I grab the gun thoghter.

"Wait."

"Give me a good reason not to shoot you in the head right now." I tell her through gritted teeth.

"I think you can help Billy get his memory back." Krista states and I move my gun, sygnaling her to proced. "If you tell me moments you two had, maybe if I tell him about them, he'll remember." She sugests.

"Why do you care?"

"It's my job."

"You worried about doing your job while I'm holding a gun to your head?" I ask. "Did they told you what I did? In the carousel when I saw Billy with glass sticking out of his skin and when I felt no pulse?" I flinch at the painful memories.

"You executed the hostages Billy had taken." She replies and I look at her impressed in the tone of her voice. "You thought you had just seen the person you love dying. You wanted to make Frank Castle pay the way he made Billy pay." She keeps going, she wasn't judging me.

"I gave you more than time to call the cops, why haven't you?" I ask.

"I told you. I care about my patients and I want the best for them. The best for Billy is to get his memory back." She looks at me. "You can't help me if agent Madani shoots you in the head."

"You're very well informed, I'll give you that." I scoff and lick my lips, pondering her suggestion. "I'm in."

I had nothing to lose.