Act like my wife

51: Say goodnight

"Vera"

I felt a gentle tap on my face.

My eyes fluttered open, and the first thing that captured my vision was the dull-blue sky; a sign of the dawn fast approaching. My skin responded well to the cool breeze. Having spent too much time in that room, waking up under the dewy morning was a luxury.

"Vera"  The voice called again, this time, it sounded all too familiar.

I followed the voice and saw Patrizio's deep-set eyes staring down at me. He had one arm under my head for support and the other hand caressing my forehead. Right beneath us was the soil covered with fallen dried leaves.
Tall trees encircled us on all sides, with thick branches forming a canopy over the forest floors. We were not in the clearing anymore, thank God, I couldn't imagine seeing those dead bodies again.

He helped me sit up. I felt a sharp pain in my head and I shrieked.

"Sorry," He cooed and eased the pain with a head massage.

"What happened?" I asked.

His countenance changed to anger as he recalled the events from last night... "One minute, the exchange was going smoothly, but Alfredo opened fire, and we had to defend ourselves."

Images from last night flashed through my mind. I remembered how he killed Alfredo and the others... "I-I thought the shooting was part of your plan."

"No, it wasn't. Another group ambushed and killed my men. They slashed all the tires and destroyed all the devices so we can't use the GPS or call for help. I killed as many of them as I could but by then, the damage was done. Now we're stuck in this damn jungle and can't find our way out."

I saw turmoil in his eyes, Lord knows how much he's been beating himself up, blaming himself for his men's deaths. He was like a wounded beast licking his wounds, hungry for vengeance. I wanted to soothe his pain, to heal him with my touch.

I brought my hand to his face and stroked his beard. He closed his eyes while I continued to work my magic.

He wrapped his arms around my form, burying his face in the hollow of my neck. "I missed you so much,"

I looked into his brown orbs, and for the first time in a long time, I saw something other than anger. I saw the pain of betrayal, the scar of abandonment. Underneath the surface, Patrizio Moretti was an enigma of a man. He had been lied to so many times that honesty had become the only thing he asked for.

He pressed his lips against mine and kissed me hungrily. I ran my fingers through his hair as our lips collided over and over again. Only he could quench the fiery desire in me...

"Boss, we need to keep moving!" came Leo's voice out of nowhere, startling me.

Patrizio broke our kiss and helped me to my feet. I was flustered and embarrassed, and a little disheveled. "Hi Leo, I didn't know you were around."

As usual, Leo's expressions were unreadable. "I left to find a way out of here." He managed to say before he walked away.

We followed him down a narrow path between thick bushes. The chirping of birds filled the air as they flew from one tree branch to the other. Nothing was indicating that we were near civilization.

"Over there!" Leo pointed towards an old tunnel.

Patrizio scrutinized the tunnel, "Are you sure this is the right way?"