Regeneration

Chapter 28 - Childhood Memories

The unspoken attraction that lingered between us was magnetic, an electric pull that was undeniable, and now I knew he felt it too.

We parted; our faces still inches apart, looking into the windows of each other's souls.

I saw a small smirk tug at his lips.

"I'm sorry about what happened at the house. I should have warned you."

"Listen, stop blaming yourself, all of this is not your fault," I whispered. I knew he needed to hear those words.

I saw an unreadable emotion on his tired face. For the first time, he almost looked vulnerable.

"We should get away from the windows," he spoke.

"Yeah... I'll check out the room; see if I find clean sheets." With that, I slipped away.

Somehow knowing the truth didn't leave me feeling as I thought it would but rather poignant.

I grabbed a couple of sheets from a closet down the hall and made my way back to where I left Romero.

I paused when I heard talking...

"I'm in a small town called Grey Stone, five miles west of your house."

He was telling someone where we were located.

"Enzo's men tracked me to your house, it's not safe there."

He laughed as he said, "Lo siento, amigo."

"There's something else," his tone turned sober, "Someone is with me, a woman," he paused, letting the person on the other end of the line talk.

They were talking about me...

"I know..." he said flatly, "Sí...hasta pronto hermano," with that, he ended the call.

I entered the living room, dropping the sheets on the sofa. Romero was now standing near the table, putting the satellite phone back into his pocket

He turned, hearing me enter the room, "That was Marco, he'll be meeting us shortly."

"Where was he?" I questioned.

"Laying low as well."

I just nodded.

"Got some sheets," I said motioning to the sheets on the sofa, "There's also a bathroom with running water in the back, looks like the owners had their own tanks, you can go get cleaned up." I watched the dried bloodstains on his body.

"Are you sure you don't want to go first," he asked.

"I'm sure," I smiled, "I think I saw some men's clothes in the first room to your right down the hall."

As he entered the bathroom, I explored the rest of the house, opening every door; I found no other bedroom.

Great, I'm guessing this was a bachelor's pad. An over-sized T-shirt will have to work.

I also made a mental note to rinse my clothes and hang them to dry after I showered.

...

Later on, we were laying on opposite couches in the living room, waiting for sleep to capture our consciousness. We decided it would be best for both of us to sleep out here in case we needed to move quickly.

"You and Marco seem close," I said, breaking the stillness.

I turned, watching his dark silhouette. He was staring up at the roof with an arm above his head, the other on his stomach.

"He's my oldest friend, we grew up together in the same neighborhood," he said keeping his gaze on the ceiling.

"Really," I said a little surprised, "I assumed you met at the agency."