Chapter 8 - THE CABIN IN THE WOODS
The old man,
whose name was Silas,
was a former army medic.
He didn't ask too many questions as he helped me move Lorenzo onto a wooden table.
He went to work immediately,
his hands sure and steady as he cleaned the wounds.
“He’s lucky,”
Silas muttered,
pulling a piece of lead from Lorenzo’s shoulder.
“Missed the artery by a hair.”
I sat in a rocking chair by the fire,
nursing Leo while Silas worked.
The cabin was small and cozy,
filled with the scent of pine and woodsmoke.
It felt like a different world from the Rossi estate.
“You’re his wife?”
Silas asked,
not looking up from his work.
“No,”
I said,
looking at the sleeping baby.
“I’m just someone who was there.”
Lorenzo groaned,
his eyes fluttering open.
He looked around the room,
disoriented and confused.
“Elena?”
he rasped.
“I’m here,”
I said,
moving to his side.
He saw Silas and reached for his belt,
but his gun was gone.
“Easy,
son,”
Silas said,
pressing a hand to his chest.
“I’m the one who patched you up.”
Lorenzo looked at me,
his eyes scanning for the baby.
“He’s fine,”
I assured him.
“He’s sleeping.”
Lorenzo let out a long,
shaky breath,
his body relaxing into the table.
“We have to go,”
he whispered.
“They’ll find us.”
“Not tonight,”
Silas said.
“You’re in no condition to move.”
“And besides,”
“there’s a storm coming in.”
“No one’s going to be out on that lake for the next few hours.”
Lorenzo looked at me,
and for the first time,
I saw a deep,
unspoken gratitude in his eyes.
“Why did you do it?”
he asked.
“Why didn't you just leave with your ex?”
I looked at the fire,
the orange flames dancing in the hearth.
“Because he killed my daughter,”
I said,
my voice a cold,
dead thing.
“And because I couldn't let him kill yours.”
Lorenzo reached out and took my hand,
his fingers warm and strong.
“You’re not a maid,
Elena,”
he said.
“You’re a Rossi now.”
The storm hit the cabin with a fury,
the rain lashing against the windows.
But inside,
May you like
for the first time in three weeks,
I felt safe.
