Chapter 8 - Willow

I groaned as I rolled over. My legs felt like they each weighed a thousand pounds. From my hips to my toes, everything hurt. Pretty sure even my knee pits hurt. How was that even possible?

I eased my feet over until they dangled over the edge of the bed. The rest of my legs felt like I had steel in my veins that kept them from bending. I looked down. The bruising had spread.

Blacks, blues, purples, and reds decorated me from mid-thigh down. I twisted my legs to the side. Instead of the colors staying on top of my legs, it had wrapped me in the colors until each leg looked like some kind of gothic candy cane.

"Holy cannoli," I muttered. Mmm. Cannoli. My stomach chose that moment to assert its dominance in our relationship. It grumbled.

Loudly.

Tali turned over. "I heard that. Time to feed the beast."

I looked over my shoulder, watched her get out of bed. Even in her cotton PJs, she looked like a model. Not a single strand of greasy hair or bags under her eyes. If I didn't love her, I'd hate her.

I turned back around to my side of the bed and tried to scoot to the edge of the bed so I could stand up. There was no scooting, no inching, no nothing except bouncing on my butt. In the end, I rolled onto my side. My legs were stiff as boards. "Um, Tali?"

"Yeah?" she called from the open bathroom door.

"I can't move my legs."

"What the hell?" I heard the toilet flush and the faucet run briefly. She came flying out, one of my towels in her hands. She jerked to a stop when she saw me. "Oh, my cheese-its. Chase." She brought her gaze to mine. "I'm such an asshole." She buried her face in the towel as her shoulders shook.

"Hey. I'm the only one who gets to call you that and since you haven't earned it in a long time, you don't get to say it now." I sat up, grabbed her shirt, brought her closer to me. "What's all this?" I pulled the towel down so I could see her face.

Tears rimmed her lashes. "If I hadn't told you to come out, none of this would have happened. You're busted up because I wanted some company."

I laughed. "You know me better than that, Talia Maria. I needed to get out of the house. You know that. I went willingly."

She snorted.

"Fine, I went begrudgingly. But you didn't do this to me. The asshole who can't keep his hands to himself did this. No one else. I say we start planning our revenge if your brothers don't give him a cement nap." I touched my thumb to my fingers, bounced my wrist in the air a couple times. My Jersey accent was severely lacking, but she laughed. And that was all that mattered.

She tossed the towel at my face. "I could be down for that." She smiled. It was all teeth. It dissolved as she looked down at my legs again. "What are we going to do?"

I shook my head. "I make pastries and delicious confections. Human anatomy and healing it are far outside my wheelhouse."

Tali shoved her arms into the sleeves of her robe. "I'll go get Rafe. Ask him what we need to do." She ran from my bedroom, robe flapping in the breeze of her wake.

"I'll stay here. Don't you worry about me." I laid back down on the bed, hands on my tummy. "We'll get you fed, little fella. Don't you worry."

I'd had some seriously screwed up dreams last night. Tumbling down flights of stairs at the hospital, I'd almost killed some rando who'd come from the oncology ward. Instead of dropping me on my neurotic ass, he'd donned some shiny armor and carried me to safety. Dream me had some serious flirt skills. I was kinda jealous of her...me...whatever.

"Fuck," a man said. His voice was unfamiliar.

I jerked to face the bedroom door.

The large guy from last night was standing there, his bright green gaze attached to my legs. "What the fuck happened?"

"How did you get in here?" I shook my head. "Doesn't matter. You have five seconds to leave before I start yelling down the house." I inhaled as I counted to five as fast as possible. Just as I opened my mouth to bring in the troops, Dom came in.

"Wrong room, fucker. Keep looking at her, and I'll gouge your eyes out."

The blonde guy rolled his eyes. "Again with the threats, Domenico? What happened?" He jutted his chin out at me.

Dom came around the corner of the bedroom. His butterscotch eyes were as big as platters when he spotted me. "Will, what the fuck?"

I snapped the sheet over my disgusting legs. "Nothing. Tali went to get Rafe. Why's he here?" I asked Dom as he came over and pulled the sheet away.

He ran his fingertips down my calves, his touch so light that if I hadn't seen him do it, I wouldn't have known he had. When he looked up at me again, his eyes had taken on that peculiar glow of furious anger. "I'm going to kill him."

I jerked back. "All he did was not offer me some food. I don't think you need to kill him for that." My stomach growled again, clearly siding with Dom.

Dom's eyes crinkled at the corners. "Not Penn. Cavendish. The asshole who-"

"Knocked the table into me." I nodded. "Yeah, Rafe told me. Is he really being charged?"

"Damn straight he is," Mr. Penn said. "So is his daddy." He shot me a smile when I looked at him.

I shook my head to clear it of the fuzz his smile brought. "I'm sorry, what's your name again?"

Dom snorted as he rose to his feet.

The other man looked a little nonplussed at my question. "Ry-" he cleared his throat. "Ryker. Ryker Penn."

"Hi again, Ryker. How do you know the Cavendishes?"

"Business," he said simply.

I nodded. I was familiar with the concept of not asking too many questions. "And you're standing in my home, why?"

His eyes crinkled as the corner of his mouth kicked up in a lopsided grin. "You told me I needed to put you in my bed or yours. I was just checking to see where your bed was for future reference."

I shook my head. I'd never said anything like that in my life.

Dom growled. "He's here, in your home, because the man can't find his way out of a dry paper sack."

"Isn't it supposed to be a wet paper sack?" I asked.

"I can make it wet if you want it to be," Ryker said.

I smiled. "Paper sacks are your thing, huh? I'd say kinky, but that just sounds bothersome."

He tipped his head back and laughed.

Dom snarled. "Don't encourage him, Will. He's worse than Turo."

My eyes widened. Turo was a manslut of epic proportions. Like if Zeus and Eros had a baby. "Good thing I'm not interested." I ran my hand down Dom's cheek. Looked deep into his eyes. "I'd go without sex for the rest of my life. It's not worth the hassles anyway."

Dom smiled. "Good answer, Will."

"That's a terrible answer. Where did you get that kind of shit idea?" Ryker asked, his mouth practically hanging open.

"Experience," I said shortly.

"Penn? What the fuck are you doing in here?" Rafe said as he passed through my bedroom doorway. He shook his head. "Never mind. Don't care." He nudged his older brother out of the way. Squatted down next to me. "Let's see those gams, Will."

I chuckled. My Rafe was a sucker for film noir. I lifted the sheet away from my legs.

He sucked in a noisy breath through his nose. "Shit sticks and cuttlefish, Will."

I looked at them again. Nodded. "You're not wrong."

"Can you stand?"

I shook my head. "I can't get the leverage I need. They won't bend."

All the men blew out a low whistle.

I rolled my eyes. "Someone just lift me up, I can do the rest."

Rafe got to his feet, held out his hands.

I put mine into his and gripped. He levered me up into a standing position. Fire from the pits of hell engulfed my thighs and calves in an instant. I blew out a breath as the pain swirled and spun in my head.

I inhaled through my nose, counted to ten, pushed it out. In moments, pain melted from agony to bliss as my nerve endings fired at an almost constant rate. This was living. This was feeling.

I focused on the feelings, catalogued each one as it surged through my brain. No two pain sensations were the same. And my library was always eager for new material.

"Willow Koa," Rafe said. His voice was strained.

I blinked. Came back to the room. "What?" I shook my head. "What? Sorry." I hunched my shoulders.

He let go of one hand as he gripped my chin. "You were riding that wave pretty far. I will drug you." His dark brown eyes were worried.

Shit, shit, shit.

"No, you won't," Ryker said. There was no room for argument or compromise in his tone. Just a simple statement that demanded compliance.

Dom was in Ryker's face in moments. "You don't get a say here. Ever. Not with her."

I looked at the man who dared brave the Amatucci brothers' wrath. His mouth was so firm his jaw muscles were twitching. His fingers were clenching and releasing at his sides. The corners of his eyes were pinched.

When I met his gaze, he looked away. "You're right. I shouldn't have said anything."

Dom spun around, fumed silently as he struggled to get himself under control. His eyes clenched shut, I saw his lips moving as he counted to his favorite number. His lips formed the word sixteen. He opened his eyes again. He looked at me. "You promised."

I nodded. "And I wasn't too far gone." I didn't know how to explain the difference to him. To any of them. I'd just been enjoying it, not getting lost in it.

I looked back at Rafe. His eyes were pinched, but worried. Unlike the rage that simmered in Dom's. "I promise."

The youngest Amatucci studied me for long silent moments.

I felt like a science experiment. But I let him see that I was fine. These men, this family, were the only ones allowed to see beyond my walls. They had earned it. Tenfold.

Rafe nodded, leaned forward and pressed his lips to my forehead. "I expect an honest answer if it ever gets too high."

I bit my lip. Nodded. I knew what I could do inadvertently. Since death was never my goal, I allowed them to put restrictions on me. Allowed their love to bind me with silken restraints of family and promises.

"But no morphine." I looked up into his dark eyes. Let him see the strength of my conviction.

"No morphine."

I nodded.

My belly snarled.

Everyone laughed.

"Feed her or it's going to get ugly," Tali said from the back of the room. She was in new clothes, her hair damp and finger combed. Sundays we usually all went to church. I guess my condition put the kibosh on that tradition.

"Can you walk?" Rafe asked as he gripped my free hand once more.

I shrugged. "I have no idea. I'll guess we'll see." I looked at everyone still standing in my living room. "And I finally have an audience. All my dreams have come true." I rolled my eyes.

The Amatucci family members laughed.

Ryker didn't.

Oh well. Except for that bit of sass to Dom, he seemed a little tame. Shame, really. His flirting game was on point.

Rafe took a step back, our hands still grasped. "No time like the present."

I told my brain what I wanted it to do. But my legs either didn't get the signal or my brain was being a bitch and not communicating. Or my legs didn't work anymore.

Since that last thought was untenable, I told my brain again. Move my legs.

Nothing. We stood there, everyone watching me. Just like before. Stuck in a body that wouldn't do what I told it. Stuck as a victim in a show I couldn't control.

"Back the fuck up, Penn. You're not touching her," Dom said as I felt the heat rise to my cheeks.

"I helped her down the stairs, carried her physically from the hospital. I also know a thing or two about bodies."

I looked over to see Ryker and Dom in a staring contest.

More like a pissing contest. And I was the one getting peed on.

"If it doesn't work, I won't ever try again." He looked back down at the arm Dom had gripped. He leaned towards the man I considered my brother. Spoke softly in Dom's ear.

Dom lifted his hand away. "One shot. And I'm holding you to that."

Ryker nodded. He tossed his briefcase down on my couch. Blew into his cupped hands. When he looked back up at me, his green eyes were dancing with mischief.

He took Rafe's spot in front of me. He raised a hand. But it didn't land on mine. No, he put his fingers under my chin. At his touch, I felt my belly pull in, my core muscles jerking back in shock. He didn't touch me anywhere except my jaw, his touch light. His eyes commanding.

"You look good drenched in pain, pet," he said so softly, I had to concentrate to make out his words.

Heat flooded my cheeks.

He chuckled. "Close your eyes."

My lids fell without thought.

His low rumbling growl skated chills down my arms. "Fuck," he breathed out.

I opened my eyes. "What's wrong?"

His green eyes were bright as fired emeralds. "Did I say you could open your eyes?"

They fell closed on a sigh.

"And you ask me what's wrong."

My brow furrowed. I opened my mouth.

He forced my chin closed. "No talking. Just moving."

I smiled, kept my eyes closed. "That's the whole problem here, Mr. Penn."