Cara's POV
Running.
I was running like my life depended on it. It was the only thing I could do anyways; the only thing I was ever good at.
The air was thick, suffocating, and I couldn't see a thing but that didn't stop me. Not when I knew what I was running from. My legs pumped furiously, carrying me through the black void, but no matter how hard I ran, the sinister figure behind me drew closer.
"Cara," Diego's voice echoed in the darkness, sharp and mocking. "You can't run from me. I'm going to catch you..." he warned in a sing-song voice.
Bright lights flashed for brief seconds, punctuating the complete and total darkness. The clicking sounds of a camera accompanied the flashes of light as I ran and ran and ran.
My chest heaved, my lungs burned, and my heart pounded hard against my ribs like it was going to explode but I didn't stop, not even for a second. Just as I thought that I had finally put some distance between him and myself, I tripped and fell hard onto a cold, unyielding surface. Pain shot through my body as Diego stood over me, his eyes filled with wicked glee as he closed his hands around my throat.
"You always ruin everything," he snarled, his face a mask of rage as his grip tightened around my neck, causing my eyes to roll to the back of my head. I struggled, clawing at his hand, but he was too strong. Or perhaps I was too weak. I was nothing but a liability. A weakling who couldn't even save herself.
"You can't hide from me!" Diego screamed, his voice morphing into something deeper, darker and more menacing as I clawed at his arms, fighting relentlessly to be released. "I will find you, Cara. I will always find you!"
I woke up with a start, gasping for air. My heart raced as I sat upright, the remnants of the nightmare still clinging to me. Sweat covered my forehead, my skin clammy, and as I looked around, trying to make sense of where I was, my hands absentmindedly moved to my throat, a silent reassurance that I was alive.
The room was dark but not suffocating. The faint glow of moonlight spilled through the large windows, illuminating the familiar space. The luxurious, spacious bedroom with its familiar decor and that scent that I'd know anywhere, even in my dreams.
Luca's apartment.
I was back. I was safe.
A surge of relief washed over me and it felt so overwhelming like I might break apart under its weight. For a moment, I just stared at the familiar surroundings, almost too afraid to believe it was real. Gently, I pinched my wrist, the faint sting grounding me in reality. This wasn't a dream. I was here.
But my body didn't share in my relief. A dull ache radiated from every muscle, every joint, a heavy reminder of the ordeal of the last twenty four hours. Gritting my teeth, I braced my hands against the bed to push myself up, ignoring the protests from my tired muscles. My vision blurred, the room tilting dangerously as I struggled to stay upright, every inch of me trembling from exhaustion.
I wiped a hand across my sticky forehead, fighting back my panic attack. The room was so quiet as I moved, the silence broken only by the sound of my labored breaths. I barely had time to steady myself before the creak of the bedroom door startled me.
My heart leapt in my chest, as it always did whenever he was near.
Luca.
He stepped into the room, and even in the low light, I could see him. His face was carved in stone, unreadable, but his eyes betrayed him. They burned with something sharp, something restrained.
"Where are you going, Cara?" he said, his voice cold and distant. It felt like a death sentence and I hated it so much.
"I just-" I croaked, my throat chafing as I fumbled for an excuse.
I tried to move, to go to him, but my legs wobbled, and before I could fall, Luca crossed the distance and caught me, his hands steady on my arms. His touch sent a warmth through me, grounding me for the first time in days and making me realize just how much I'd missed him. How had I even believed I could survive without feeling his arms around me? Madness.
"I wasn't trying to run away again," I implored.
"And why would I think that?" he asked gruffly, allowing some humour to sneak into his voice. "You shouldn't be up." There was no mistaking the concern on his face as he guided me back to the bed, his hands firm but gentle and I couldn't help but relish how close he stayed, hovering as though I might collapse again. Once I was seated, he stepped back, his hand raking through his hair, a sharp exhale escaping his lips.
The room was quiet, too quiet.
It gave me the chance to really look at him, and what I saw made my chest tighten.
There was a tenseness in his broad shoulders, shadows in his eyes… A distance between us that my disappearance had created.
The dark circles under his eyes, the tension etched into his jaw, the exhaustion weighing him down like a cloak.
Knowing Luca, he hadn't rested the second he gained consciousness and was on my trail as soon as he opened his eyes and didn't find me by his side.
"Hey," I began, my voice small. "Thank you for coming for me."
I barely got the words out before he turned to me sharply, his jaw ticking, his eyes flashing with an emotion he reserved for other mafioso. Rage.
"And what exactly were you hoping to accomplish, bambina?"
I flinched at the edge in his voice, the way he said my nickname like it was a curse.
"I woke up, and you weren't there," he snapped, his hands fisting at his sides. "I woke up, and all I had was a note. A goodbye. A fucking note, tesoro mio" His voice cracked on the last word, the rawness in it cutting through me like a knife.
"I- I was trying to protect you," I said, hating how weak my argument sounded.
"Protect me…" he echoed, his laugh humorless, bitter. He paced a few steps away before swinging back around to face me. "From what exactly? Does running off like that do anything for me besides put you in more danger? You think leaving me makes anything better? Dio, Cara!" He turned to me, his expression somewhere between fury and heartbreak. "Do you have any idea what you put me through?"
"I thought…" I swallowed hard, my throat burning. "I thought if I left, you'd be safe. After what happened to Manuel, I couldn't-"
"Manuel's death was not your fault!" he shouted, his voice cracking with the force of it.
I flinched, indignation and hurt rising up my throat.
He took a deep breath, his hands shaking as he dragged them over his face. "It was not your fault, Cara mia. It was Alexei's. It was mine for not stopping him in time. But you? Running like that? That was your choice, Cara. And it nearly got you killed! What…" He gripped his hair, the pain in his eyes washed over me in torrents. "What- would I do with my life without you in it?"
For the first time since I've known him, Luca looked afraid… afraid of what could have happened to me.
Tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them, hot and relentless. "I'm sorry," I whispered, my voice trembling. "I'm sorry. I didn't think-"
It seemed like that was the only thing I could say at the moment. Sorrys was all I was full of. And even though I kept repeating it again and again, it didn't feel enough. Nothing felt enough.