Whispers in New York - Book Two

~Chapter 24~

Chapter Song

Let the Bodies Hit the Floor – Drowning Pool

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Her eyes remained down on her heels. Her designer heels now tainted with tiny specs of blood spatter. Each and every spec a sick reminder of Jason Parker, the man who had continued to haunt her all these years, the man who had taken a part of her.
Adriana remained fixated on the specs not daring to look up in the direction Jason once stood. She had no desire to see Jason's brain matter smeared against the back wall.

She could hear the faint sounds of movement behind her. Doors being locked, people rustling around her, drawers opening and closing. Her eyes wouldn't move up from her feet, they couldn't. Instead her hearing slowly becoming heightened and accustomed to the movements around her.

"Get her to that chair, sit her down."

She heard a stream of instructions unsure to whom the distant voice belonged. She let out a breath suddenly feeling light headed unaware when she had taken her last real breath.

Faint. Tiny. Spatters.

She thought to herself being pulled from those thoughts once she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Adriana..." The comforting hand belonging to Luca.
Surprising him, she jerked away instantly refusing the contact.

"Adriana. You need to sit down."

Ignoring Luca's recommendations she finally looked up to find the men scattered in front of her all on separate tasks. One man unraveling a roll of plastic, a cigarette lodged between his lips grumbling as he smacked out the air pockets frustrated.
Two other men close by pushed against Jason's body rolling him onto the slightly dusty murky plastic, bright red blood smeared across while Stefano seemed to be struggling with power tool decisions.

"When was the last time we used this plastic? It's dusty as hell!" Rosario muttered more annoyed with the dust yet ironically unfazed by the blood.

"Relax Saro," Simone responded rising to his feet with Luciano once they positioned Jason in the centre. "It's a new roll; it was stored in the roof space."

Adriana's mouth remaining agape still in visible shock as the men continued their casual conversation over Jason's lifeless body. She could hear Luca's voice beside her, responding to instructions before leaving her side and joining the other men.
All too soon she felt a hand against her lower back guiding her forward, slightly pushing her closer to the body and inside the room.

"Close the door Luca." Salvatore instructed once they were inside and away from the sliding door track.
"Baby." He leaned forward closer to her ear, "I'm going to guide you to chair."

He shot him.

The thought made her stomach churn as her feet followed Salvatore's instructions stepping to the side and a little further into the room.
Logic silently told her that no part of her would miss Jason. He had forever remained as the one person who would constantly break her down at the mere thought of him. Knowing there was so possible way he could ever touch her again or even speak to her brought her an overwhelming unexplainable sensation.
Currently in too much shock to pinpoint the sensation, she was unaware what she was experiencing was the first sign of closure.

He shot him.

The thought repeated fresh in her mind as she continued to slowly glide across the room in her spatter covered shoes.
It just seemed so easy for him. Too easy.
The way he had pursued her through the club, how he would have casually withdrawn his gun behind her without a second thought. He couldn't have thought about it. It happened too quickly.
It was something she couldn't understand, something she struggled to wrap her head around.
The time in her apartment with Mike, the way he had barged in and shot to kill without asking questions, and now with Jason while he was mid sentence.
Did he even possess the ability to second guess his decisions? Feel any sort of remorse? Or was this the way his life was on a daily basis?

She felt completely torn, unsure, confused, even disgusted in herself. All her feelings were consuming her, piling up and no longer making any sense to her. When had she become this person, the person who was no longer able to distinguish between a right and wrong act? When did the black begin to seep into the white creating this grey matter within her?
She tried to dig deep, recall the moment, the change in her which now had her questioning her own morals.

He just shot him.

Her left foot stepped forward, her eyes fixated on her heels, the blood spattered heels. Her head jerked forward without warning, arching her back as her stomach contracted violently spectacularly vomiting before herself. Her stomach emptying itself loudly, her legs becoming weak almost toppling forward if it wasn't for Salvatore's quick reflexes, wrapping one arm around her stomach holding her up, the other hand splayed across her forehead pulling her head back.
She heaved again, the taste of acid in her mouth setting her off once more. She felt Salvatore's front press into her back holding her firmly immediately stopping her from walking any further forward not wanting her to step in the mess.

"Non ti preoccupare." (Don't worry) Salvatore stated over the sounds of her struggling. The feeling of her body going limp was almost instantaneous as he took the full weight of her body within his arms. "Dai, respira, calmati" (Come on, breathe, calm down)

She inhaled, exhaled, inhaled, exhaled at a rapidly fast pace. A pace sending her spiralling into an anxiety attack while Salvatore held her upright.
She struggled against him wanting nothing more than his hands off her so she could drop to her knees, crawl into a corner and deal with the situation the only way she knew how.

"We need to get her out of the room." Stefano suggested from afar, "should I take her upstairs?"

"NO!" Salvatore snapped uninterested in Stefano's suggestions wanting nothing more from him than to focus on the task at hand. "She remains here until I say otherwise!"

He yanked Adriana back into his torso maneuvering her around the mess while she continued to breathe unevenly.
"Adriana." His voice suddenly dropping to a quiet whisper attempting to coax her back to steady breathing, "listen to me, breathe with me."
Managing to get her to the chair he spun her around gently guiding her body into the seat. He sighed loudly rubbing his eyes hard with his fingertips guiding them upwards towards his temples knowing very well he was going to have to leave her here and tend to Jason's body.
It was something he had to do; something he felt was now his responsibility.

"Luca" he called out still keeping his eyes on a broken down Adriana. "Sit with her" he instructed flatly, "sit with her while I get this filth out of my club." 

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Oh hey there! =P 

So for those of you who were uncertain of the shooter there is no longer any doubt, Salvatore was most certainly behind that madness! 

Seems as though Adriana hasn't completely lost it at him... Yet... So far she's having some form of anxiety attack while questioning her own morals. Torn between right and wrong...

This was a shorter chapter than usual but don't worry, it's double update week this week because you guys keep on hitting them goals ;)

Want to continue the trend and receive a double update next week too? I've got a new challenge for you guys:

550 votes by midnight Friday on this chapter - double update next week! 

You guys have allllll week and with over 4k readers I have no doubt you guys can pull it off ;)

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