Kimia's POV 🖤.
I laid his head on my laps brushing his hair back. I applied pressure on the wound as he let out laboured breaths.
He placed his hands on mine as if trying to stop me from helping him.
" Don't." He croaked out but I shook my head.
" No. I am not going to let you die."
I kept my hand on the wound not even daring to move an inch. I could feel his pulse starting to slow down and his eyes were closing gradually.
" No! No! No. You. Have. To. Stay. Awake."
" I can't." He said quietly tears rolling down his cheek.
" I finally got what I deserve."
" No one deserves to die like this."
" It's too late." He said moving my hands and I put it back on.
" I am not going to leave you to die!"
" 39 26 47." He said, his voice fading as his breathing gradually slowed down until it finally stopped.
" Mia." Damien said softly placing his hand on my shoulder but I ignored him.
I sat there with Lorenzo's head on my laps till the police and the paramedics arrived. They strapped his lifeless body onto the gurney and wheeled him away.
I was dazed.
His death brought back memories. Horrible ones.
I looked down at my blood stained hands and I started shaking badly.
It was just like the day my father was murdered.
His blood was on my hands too.
My clothe was covered in blood too
I reeked of blood too.
I didn't care if Lorenzo was a criminal, he died because he took a bullet, for me.
" Mia breathe." Damien cooed.
Blood!
So much blood!
So much blood everywhere!
So much blood on me!
I took laboured breaths still shaking but it wasn't working.
The memories of that day came flooding back.
He said his last words to me.
Just like daddy did.
" Mia." Damien called. He was right next to me but he sounded so far away.
" Mia just breathe."
I couldn't, I couldn't breathe. I was choking. I was suffocating. I felt like the walls were closing in on me. I took laboured breaths trying to control myself but I couldn't. I was having a panic attack.
My first one in two years.
" Mia I want you to count to ten okay?"
1, Is the number of bullets it took to kill Lorenzo.
1,2,3
4, is the amount of rounds in the poker game with Lorenzo.
1,2,3,4,
5, is the number of minutes he lived after he got shot.
" It's not working!, Dam it's not working!" I cried grasping his shirt.
" I can't!, I can't breathe!, I need air!"
He picked me up bridal style and carried me out of the building. He placed me on the hood of a police car.
I felt better then. I could breathe better.
I looked up at him with glazed eyes my lips holding back a sob.
" Let it out." Damien said as he stroked my cheek.
And I did.
I cried onto his shirt staining it with blood, sweat and snot.
I cried till I was drained. Till I was too tired to cry.
A man approached us with a tight lipped smile.
" I'm Agent Daxon. CIA. I'm in charge of anything that involves Mario Ramos." He explained to Damien and he nodded in response with my face still buried in his chest.
" Is she okay?" Agent Daxon asked quietly hoping I wouldn't hear.
"Â She's fine. She just got suffocated in there."
" Okay. I came here to get a brief report on the mission."
Damien gave him a brief run down of the mission still holding me tightly to his chest as I played with the buttons on his shirt.
They brought a safe from outside and were about to put it in a car when I spoke.
" 39 26 47."
" Excuse me?" Agent Daxon said.
" 39 26 47. That's the code."
" I'll make sure I tell them that." He said writing it down on a small piece of paper.
" I'm going to go get the car okay?" Damien said softly and I nodded. He gave me a kiss on my forehead before leaving.
I suddenly remembered something and snapped my head up to look at Agent Daxon.
" Where is he?"
" Where's who?"
" Mario."
" Unfortunately, Mario managed to slip away. But with the documents in that safe, we'll have enough evidence against him."
" There's no use of the evidence if you can't find him."
" We know but I have agents tracking him as we speak."
" Let me know when you have a lead." I said and he nodded.
Damien pulled up with the car a few seconds later and helped me down.
" Thank you for helping us with today." Agent Daxon said.
" It's our pleasure."
" We have to get going."
He supported me as we walked towards the car. After making sure I was comfortable in the passenger's seat, he went to the driver's side to start the car.
I sat there looking out the window in silence the entire ride.
We finally got back to the villa and he helped me out again. He carried me upstairs and I was too tired to protest.
" Sit. I'm going to run a bath for you." He said before disappearing into the bathroom.
He came back in a while later and helped me up.
" It's lemon scented to help get rid of the blood stench."
" What about you?, Aren't you gonna-"
" I'll take one downstairs. There are plenty of other rooms in the house." He said and I nodded.
" If you need anything just yell and I'll be there. Okay?"
" Okay."
He walked out of the bathroom leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I stripped out of my clothes and got into the tub. My body automatically relaxed as the warm bath loosened the knots in my body.
As I scrubbed myself clean of all the blood tears started rolling down my cheeks again. When I got out, the water had turned a pale pink.
I wrapped myself in a towel and was about to go out when I saw that Damien had placed fresh clothes in there for me. I wore the tank top and the shorts and dried my wet hair with the towel.
I walked into the bedroom to see him already on the bed. I slipped in and his arms came around me.
" I'm sorry for being such a crybaby." I whispered and he stroked my hair.
" You don't have to apologize for anything Mia."
" It just brought back terrible memories. My dad also died in my arms. I couldn't-"
" Shush!, You don't have to explain anything."
I buried my face in his chest and his arms tightened around me.
" He took the bullet for me. Why?"
" I don't know. But I'm glad he did."
" Does it get any easier?"
" I'm not gonna lie, no. It doesn't. You just learn to control your emotions and to move on." He replied.
I traced random patterns on his chest as he played with my hair.
" I'm sorry for ruining your shirt."
" It's okay Mia. I have tons of other shirts but only one of you." He said and I smiled.
" What?!, No comeback?!"
" I'm too tired to insult you."
" Then I guess this is the perfect moment to use all my cheesy lines."
" Don't push it." I warned and he chuckled. I felt the vibrations of the chuckle and smiled.
We laid there in silence as he continued to stroke my hair till I finally fell asleep.
***
Tere!
I decided to sneak in a little Dami and Mia moment.
I hope it helped with the pain.
What do you think about the chapter?
Stay safe 😷.
Bye!