Caught In The Crossfires - Spinoff

52

Chapter 52

Lola

Pushing past the shock, I forced myself out of bed, only to stumble and fall back down in pain. Ow. Clutching my aching body, I tried to chase after Cristiano as quickly as I could, knowing I had to explain everything.

Deep down, I knew it wasn't as simple as it seemed. My mind was clouded with guilt and confusion, and I couldn't shake off the feeling of betrayal towards Cristiano for what happened with Alessandro. "I'd give him a minute." I heard a gravelly voice calling after me, but I pretended not to hear and kept walking, determined to sort things out with his brother.

I clumsily ambled down the hallway, my body sore as ever from that vicious attack at the club last night. "Fucking...Shit," I stumbled over my feet through the mansion, my head spinning with confusion and pain. I needed to explain to Cristiano that what he saw wasn't what it looked like.

As I reached the front door, I saw him standing in the driveway, his hardened back was turned towards me. I made my way outside, the cool morning air hitting my face as I walked toward him.

"Cristiano," I called out to no avail, my voice shaking, a sense of guilt weighing heavily on me. I didn't know what to do or say to him after what happened last night, but I knew I had to try.

Tears stung my eyes as I pleaded with him, "Please, turn around...Sir."

"Go. home. Lola," he said, his harsh words were cold and distant, and I could feel my heart breaking into a million pieces. "I don't want to talk to you right now. I don't want to look at you."

But I couldn't leave. I needed to explain, to make him understand.

"Please, Cristiano," I blinked, my eyes allowing those tears to finally fall. "I need you to listen to me."

He hesitated for a moment before ultimately turning around to face me. The betrayal and anger in his eyes made me feel even worse.

Stepping towards him, I winced in pain again, and he softened slightly at the sight of my injuries. "What in Christ happened to you, Lorella?" he asked, his voice now filled with concern. I could see the more that he studied my battered body, the more his icy demeanor faded away, and before I knew it, he pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly.

I then took a deep breath, and told him everything through heavy tears. Cristiano listened silently, his eyes never leaving mine. I told him about the attack at the club, about how Alessandro had saved my life, and about the nightmare that led me to his brother's bed.

I didn't mention the kiss, though. That was something I wasn't ready to confess just yet.

Soon, I could see all the anger and hurt in Cristiano's hardened gaze had slowly faded away, now replaced by worry and understanding.

"I'm so sorry, Lorella," he whispered, his lips brushing against my forehead. "I should have been there to protect you."

I didn't say anything, just held onto him tightly, feeling the weight of my guilt and shame crushing me instead. I buried my face deeper into his chest, inhaling his familiar musky scent and feeling a sense of comfort in his tight hold. But at the same time, shame proceeded to build in the pit of my stomach for what had happened with his brother.

I leaned closer into him, feeling his warmth and strength enveloping me. I knew I needed to tell him the whole truth, but I couldn't bring myself to do it just yet. I didn't want to lose this man, not when I felt that he was so close to finally admitting his feelings for me.

Pulling away to study my face for a long moment Cristiano didn't say anything, just stared at me in silence. After a few more seconds, he carefully tugged his thick dark brows together and gently tipped my head back  so I was forced to meet his concerned gaze.

"Lorella, who did this to you?" he asked, his voice laced with fury.

Shaking my head, I could feel more tears streaming down my face as I looked into his eyes. "I-I don't know," I whispered.

"Did they say anything to you," Cristiano insisted, his grip on my chin tightening slightly. Not enough to cause any serious pain but sufficient enough to show me he wasn't joking around. "Even if it was one fucking word. I need to know."

I hesitated for a moment before finally giving in to his demand. "They said this was my last warning to stay away from you then the asshole attacked," I admitted, feeling ashamed and embarrassed that I had even put myself in that situation and more so the reason why.

"Christ, Lorella. You should've stayed inside the damn club," he angrily scolded, making me feel even worse than I already did. "Why in the hell were you outside alone anyway?"

"You know how annoying your brother could be right? Last night wasn't an exception... not until he saved me at least."

Cristiano's eyes darkened with rage as he took another step back from me. "I'm going to kill him," he growled, clenching his fists at his sides.

"No! Please don't," I begged, grabbing onto his arm to stop him from leaving me. "If he hadn't been there last night, who knows what could've happened."

"If he hadn't been there last night you would never have been outside by yourself," he argued only knowing half of the story and I rolled my eyes.

"He saved my life, Cristiano."

The protective man towering over me hesitated for a moment before finally nodding his head, expression easing a bit. "Okay, fine," he said, pulling me into another hug.

We stood there, neither of us saying a word, but the tension between us was palpable. We both knew there was something more there, something strong and undeniable.

But for now, we remained silent, seemingly more than content to just be in each other's presence. Right then my stomach growled and I felt Cristiano's soft warm lips spread widely across my forehead.

"Hungry?"

I tilted my head back and scrunched my nose at him, nodding my head vigorously. "Yes, so hungry, Sir," I told him and he hummed in response. His intense green gaze slowly scanned my face, his brows pulling together as his thumb lightly traced over the cut on my cheek.

Smiling, I reached up to brush my fingertips through the gray streak of hair on the side of his head.

Cristiano was looking at me as though there was so much he wanted to say to me...but instead of doing that, he shook his head before clearing his throat. "Well, then, let's get you back inside and get you something to eat shall we," he told me and I could tell he was forcing a smile, though his tone was gentle.

Rather than press him on it, I took his hand as he held it out for me. I hissed under my breath, feeling the stiffness in my muscles from the attack last night as we started walking towards the house.

Once inside, I couldn't help but feel guilty for what happened with Alessandro again. I knew I really needed to tell Cristiano, but the words just wouldn't come out.

Cristiano led me to the kitchen where he started to prepare a breakfast meal. I carefully watched him glide around the kitchen, cracking eggs, pouring pancakes, and flipping bacon, his muscular arms flexing with every movement.

Licking my lips, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of attraction beginning to build between my aching thighs despite my body feeling as though I was hit by a semi this morning.

He turned to face me, his dark eyes studying me. "Lorella, did more happen last night?" he asked, his voice soft but demanding.

I looked down at my hands, guilt weighing heavily on my shoulders. "N-No Sir. I've told you everything," I lied, my voice barely above a whisper.

Cristiano nodded, then he moved towards where I was sitting at the kitchen island and gently lifted my chin so that I was looking at him. "Why didn't you call me last night?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

"We fought...And I needed to process," I shook my head, unable to meet his gaze. "I didn't want to bother you," I mumbled under my breath, which was the truth.

Cristiano's expression softened as he cupped my cheek. "Lorella, you could never bother me. I do care about you," he said, his voice low and tender.

I felt a flutter in my chest at his words but pushed it away. He was only saying these things because he was my Dom. Nothing more. That he made clear before he left.

"I know. Thank you for coming back for me, Sir," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

He pulled me into a tight embrace, his strong arms wrapped around me protectively. "Always, Lola. I'll always be here for you," he whispered in my ear.

I wanted to believe him. I really did.

"Do you think the guy who came after me," I closed my eyes, preparing to ask Cristiano the most unfathomable question. "Do you think Brody attacked me again? You know, to try to get me to stay away from you."

"No," Cristiano replied with almost too much certainty and it left me curious.

"No?" I pulled back to look up at him, my brows furrowed in question.

"No, Lorella, I don't think it was Brody who attacked you last night because Brody is dead," he told me coldly. "I killed him."

Did Cristiano just admit to killing Brody the night he attacked me at my coffee shop?

Holy shit. I felt my heart skip a beat at Cristiano's admission. He killed my ex? My mind raced, trying to process the information.

It was one thing to hear about violence and death on the news, but it was another thing entirely to hear or see it from someone I knew, someone I trusted.

I stared at Cristiano, trying to process what he had just said. He had killed Brody? My mind couldn't even comprehend it.

"W-What?" I stuttered, my eyes widening in shock.

Cristiano's expression remained cold and unreadable. "I killed him, Lorella," he repeated nonchalantly. "He attacked you and he was a danger to you. I couldn't let him hurt you again."

My heart was pounding in my chest as I tried to wrap my head around the fact that Cristiano had taken a life. And for me. Just like his brother had done last night.

It was almost too much to bear.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked him, my voice shaking.

"I didn't want to burden you with it, Lorella," he said, his tone softening slightly. "I wanted to protect you. And I didn't want you culpable if the cops came looking. Which they did."

I didn't know how to respond to him. Part of me was grateful to him for shielding me, but another part of me was horrified that he had taken someone's life. And Brody...the man I had once loved and now lost.

It was all too much.

Suddenly, I smelled something burning and looked over to see that the breakfast he had been cooking had started to burn. "Cristiano, your food," I said, pointing to the stove.

He turned to look and he rushed over to save the food from burning completely. I watched him for a moment, my mind still reeling, before getting up and joining him at the stove.

As we worked to salvage the breakfast, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease settle over me. Cristiano had killed Brody. How was I supposed to deal with that?

"So you...you killed him that night?" I managed to stammer out, feeling another knot forming in my stomach.

"Yes," Cristiano nodded, his expression unreadable. "As I said he attacked you, Lorella. He was a danger to you," he said firmly. "I couldn't allow him to get away with that. No one touches what's mine."

Ignoring that last bit, I shook my head, feeling a sense of disbelief wash over me. "But...but you can't just kill someone like that," I protested weakly.

Cristiano's jaw clenched as he turned off the stove, the smell of burning food filling the kitchen around us. "I did what I had to do, Lorella. It was either him or you," he said, his voice low and menacing.

I felt a shiver run down my spine at the emotionlessness in his tone and it frightened me how turned on by him I was at the moment.

This wasn't the Cristiano I knew. This was a man capable of taking a life without a second thought and though every alarm bell inside of my head was telling me that I should be running for the hills—just as it had for Alessandro the night before.

For some reason, that was unfathomable to me. My feet were cemented to the ground and I couldn't find it in me to leave him.

"I...I don't know what to say," I whispered, feeling a bit aroused and confused.

Cristiano sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I know it's a lot to take in, Lorella. But you have to understand, I did what I did to protect you," he said, his voice even softer this time. "I will always do what I have to do to protect you."

Nodding, I swallowed hard. "So...What do we do now?" I asked, unsure of what the next step should be. "You know about Detective Rollins?"

Cristiano shook his head. "We eat what we could salvage from this breakfast," he said, his eyes locking onto mine. "And you let me handle him. Understood?"

I nodded again, feeling a sense of ease settle over me. This was a secret that could never see the light of day and I trusted Cristiano would see to that.

As we stood in silence, the smoke detector suddenly went off, filling the kitchen with an ear-piercing noise. Cristiano cursed under his breath as he rushed to open the windows and turn on the fan.

I couldn't help but think that the blaring alarm was a metaphor for our relationship. One thing had gone wrong, and now everything was spiraling out of control.

And now with my attraction to Alessandro,  unknown people attacking me, and Detective Rollins on our backs, it seemed like there was no end in sight.

Yet, for now, I had to push those thoughts aside and focus on the present.

"Let me help you with that," I offered, grabbing a dishcloth to fan away the smoke.

Cristiano gave me a small smile, the tension between us dissipating slightly. "Thank you, Lorella," he said, reaching out to take the cloth from me.

We worked together to clear the smoke and salvage what we could of the breakfast, trying to pretend like nothing had happened between us. But deep down, I knew things had changed.

As we sat down to eat the partially burnt breakfast, I couldn't help but feel like we were sitting on a ticking time bomb. There was a part of me that knew this relationship was doomed from the start, but another part of me couldn't resist the pull of the man sitting across from me.

I pushed the thoughts aside, trying to focus on the present moment. We ate in silence, the only sounds coming from the occasional clink of silverware against the plate and the hum of the over fan.

Biting into a burnt slice of overly crispy bacon I couldn't help but wonder how many other dangerous secrets Cristiano was hiding from me. The fact that he killed my abusive ex-boyfriend should've been enough.

But there was honestly a part of me that was drawn to the danger, to the thrill of it all. I knew deep down that I couldn't resist him, no matter how unpredictable he was.

I sighed, feeling a sense of resignation wash over me. I was in far too deep now, there was no turning back. All I could do was hold on tight and hope for the best.

Who knew what the future held for us, but I was willing to take the risk and find out.

Call me crazy. I guess?

ツ hope you enjoyed it.

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