Fell In A Concrete Jungle (Nicholas Ruffilo/ Bad Omens)

11: Wounds

~Gemma's POV:~

I wanted to think that the day went smoothly. I watched Helen work in her shop, Nicholas eventually did leave to take care of business and left me to be with Helen who had a smile on her face the entire day. Noah still hadn't called or even visited, it brewed a bubbled of anxiety knowing he was possibly still with my father, and I couldn't be there for him or know what was happening. "Do you need help?" I asked Helen, almost desperate to do something.

She looked over from pouring some coffee for a regular—who was stood at the counter eyeing me up or glaring at me. Her soft smile told me otherwise, "I should be okay for now—if you want, can you go check the dates on my products in the kitchen? I need to do inventory and knowing what I need or how much I have will help me a lot" I knew she was trying to be nice; it was a bad look having me here, and because of who my father was I knew I wasn't the best person people wanted to see.

Nodding my head, I accepted the pen and notepad before entering the well lit-clean kitchen. I could hear Helen out in the other room laughing with customers as I headed into the walk-in fridge she had—admiring how clean it was, I seen some pretty places my father loved closed because they weren't tidy, so this made me happy knowing that this little shop was doing better then most five-star places.

Getting into the grove of things, I wrote down everything she had and the dates of stuff even organizing it for her to have the older stuff used up first as well as to how much of it was left.
Hearing shuffling in the backroom with me, I assumed it was Helen—stepping out to tell her I was pretty much done, my thoughts were interrupted when I saw Nicholas standing there with a white cloth wrapped around his knuckles as the white cloth was stained in blood. "Nicholas?" I asked stepping forward, tossing the pen and paper on the counter, "what happened?" I asked looking at his hand.

He shrugged his shoulders as he ran cold water in the sink. "Don't worry, I'll be fine" he tried saying to throw me off his trail.

Grabbing his hand gently, I moved the cloth gasping when I saw the bruising on his knuckles as well as the bloody scrapes. "Nick. . . This is bad" I glanced around the kitchen, spotting a first aid I grabbed it off the wall before gesturing for him to sit down.

Taking a seat at the small coffee table in the back, he shrugged his shoulders once more. "Nothing is broken, just got a little rougher" he looked at the blood on his knuckles.

Taking a seat on my knees in front of the table, I unboxed some first aid stuff as I tied my hair back using the ponytail I had on my wrist from earlier. His blue eyes watched as he leaned back in the seat, as if worried someone would get the wrong idea, as he shifted in his seat. "Who was the unlucky person?" I asked.

"Gemma, you are doing okay?" Helen entered the kitchen eyes widening as she saw me on my knees and Nick in front of me, bloody hand on a disposable mat as I was sorting alcohol wipes. "Jesus Nicholas, who?" she crossed her arms.

"Funny, I just asked that" I said opening an alcohol wipe.

"Someone from Storm's asshole team, he owed money to The Grey, and you know we don't take kindly to guys like him" Nicholas said leaning further back in his head.

Helen hummed in response before looking at me. "Can you clean him up? Rather not have blood all in my shop, it'll scare my customers away" she said turning back to head out to the front.

Nodding my head, I began cleaning the wound earning a hiss from Nick as he clenched his fingers. "Just want to say, you wouldn't be in this mess If you hadn't resulted to violence" looking up at him through my lashes he let out a sigh, "not saying it wasn't deserved, just saying maybe this way wasn't the right way" cleaning the blood away he watched.

Sitting in silence, I finished cleaning his hand up as I bandaged it for the day to make sure nothing got into the wounds. "Take it off before bed tonight, or even before dinner if you feel alright—just make sure to keep it clean" wiping my own hands clean, I rested them on my knees as I looked up at him.

Nicholas stood up causing me to blush and look away as he held out his hand that wasn't damaged. Accepting his hand, Nick helped me to my feet as he held my hand for a moment, his blue eyes studying me as cleared my throat he seemed to shake out of what ever thought he was in, letting go of my hand.
Cleaning up the supplies, I tossed out the bloodied cloth as well as the wipes we had used. "What's on your mind?" Nicholas asked leaning against the countertop.

Seeing the muscles in his arms flex as he leaned, I gulped before shaking my head slightly. "Nothing. . . Nothing" I tried to say, sounding as convincing as I could.

"Gemma?" Nicholas's voice was almost concerned in a way. Ever since the party my father had, he seemed almost a bit gentler with me and I didn't know if that scared me more then him screaming in my face.

Hiding from him would be no use, he was practically tied to me. "Noah should have been back by now, or someone should have heard something—I feel like I should have gone with him despite what my father had to say, I mean, he isn't exactly my favorite person right now but the fact he requested Noah and only Noah because I made a sane decision of not going home, it doesn't seem right to take it out on him" my father was most likely giving him the riot-act right now on how I was his only child and wasn't to be played around with.

Nicholas didn't say much for the rest of the day, we all went back to the compound, Nicholas hovering around me as if he was wanting to say something but couldn't. Helen and Jolly made dinner and I had finished putting out the last plate when Noah stepped through the door, Nicholas and myself looking at him. My eyes scanned to make sure there were no injuries I could see—I was sure Helen would double check as soon as she saw him. "You're back. . ." I said nervously.

Taking his seat at the table, he looked exhausted as he poured himself a drink on the table. Helen smiled as she sauntered to him, kissing his cheek as the others joined. All of us taking a seat, Nicholas and I were once again across from one another as I sat beside Helen and Nick. Jolly taking a seat between both Nick and Nicholas. "How was your day" Helen asked as she began adding chicken to her plate as well as assorted steamed vegetables, the others repeating her actions.

Noah's tired eyes met hers as she smiled at his fiancée. "It was busy, I am sure you were worried" his eyes looked over at me.

"I was. . . What did he say?" I could hardly eat, the gnawing feeling in my stomach—but I pushed through and took small bites of my meal.

He looked at his group, before taking a mouthful of food. "He took me golfing" Noah admitted.

"Golfing? Why would he take you golfing?" it wasn't like my father to invite people to golf with him, when he was out there it was his time to relax—why the sudden change?

"They had me listen to him, why he was upset that you weren't home, I calmed him down enough to explain that you had your own room here—so no one mention she is camping in Nicholas's room, got it?" he looked at us all before continuing. "I said it was your choice because it was, and we won't turn you away from here. I mentioned you were safe, because you are, and I also mentioned you were a little upset which he shrugged off" hearing these as I was eating had the food feeling like led as soon as it hit my stomach. Noah put his fork down, "there is one more thing" we all looked back at him, "they are getting married in three weeks—on the Friday."

Putting my fork down, I thought about the date of the wedding—feeling my heart sink further, I pushed my chair out tossing my napkin on the table. "I need to be excused, I'm sorry" I admitted feeling everyone watch me as I exited the room.
Exiting through the back of the compound, I made my way to the bottom of the steps as I walked along gravel—it looked like a training ring down in here, there were targets in what appeared to be a shooting range and matts stacked against the walls for their wrestling I assumed.

Finding a bench, I took a seat overlooking the hedges in the back half of the compound, looking somewhat like a maze. The weather bit at my skin and my teeth chattered together but I assumed it was mainly from the stress.
Three weeks, that Friday was my mother's birthday—there was no way he forgot that. I would remind him every year and the news outlets would speak about it as well. He really didn't care about her, did he?

The darkness was creeping in as the sun was setting behind the clouds in the sky, the night becoming a welcoming embrace as the temperature lowered. Hearing crunching of gravel behind me, I looked to my side to see Nicholas stepping up to the bench to take a seat, his hands were in his jacket pockets as he looked out to where I was looking. "I used to come here to clear my head as well, granted my version of clearing was majorly different and often resulted with the use of bullets" he nodded towards the shooting range, "but something tells me since you and I are different, its wont help—so enlighten me, what's on your mind Saunders? What's been swirling in that brain since last night?" his voice was so gentle as he leaned his elbows on his knees, his face turning to me as his blue eyes glowed with the small amount of orange light left in the sky.

Smiling softly at him, I looked at the moon that was coming into view. "My father is getting married in three weeks—I should be happy, but no one seems to know the date" my voice shook as memories of my mother swirled.

Nicholas furrowed his brows. "I'm sorry, what about the date?" he was gentle, trying to understand which was something I appreciated.

Looking at him, my green eyes studied him for a moment as this was the man that was deadly—that I had just cleaned up only hours ago. "Three weeks, on that wedding day is my mother's birthday" I watched as his face dropped, a storm silently raging in his eyes. "You want to know something about me?" sitting back, I leaned my hands on the back of the bench as I watched the sky once more.

"What's that?"

"My mother loved the moon, the night—she is the reason the dark doesn't scare me, only the people within it" I let out a sigh remembering everything. "Growing up I was terrified of the dark, my mother would console me and hold me. She told me when I was scared to look up at the moon and that she would always be there, it seemed fitting since her name was Luna—my mother put two names meaning moon and night in my own" chuckling at the thought.

Nicholas smirked, brows pinching together. "What are they?" he asked.

Smiling as breath clouded in front of my face. I looked at Nicholas once more, "my name is Gemma Nyx-Selene Saunders" he seemed taken by that, "my mother thought it was important to name me after the night and moon, something that's run in her family for years on end—if I was a boy, she would have named me Nyx instead of Gemma but my father got away with throwing Gemma in there, not saying it's a bad name but I can only listen to myself being referred to as a gem so many times" it was creepy when I was younger and older men would make the comments on it. "Plus, I mean it kind of fits the profile since I got most my looks from her" gesturing to the pale skin I had and the dark hair that glowed under the moonlight.

"Well, I like the names, Nyx suits you" he nudged me with his elbow before standing. "I am sorry about what is happening to you, but don't let him win, don't show him you are bothered. . . Go to that wedding and show him you don't care."

Standing myself up, I nodded my head "you're right but I would be lying, because I do care" it stung the thought of my father getting married on my mother's birthday, but I wouldn't stop me from going and paying respect to my mother. "Come on, you might freeze in the night" I joked pushing him gently back towards the warmth of the compound.

His gaze lingered on me, "I'm not sure I'll freeze in the presence of night" the blush that crept onto my cheeks had me leading the way up the steps.
He may be dangerous, but I was curious.