Mateo furrows his eyebrows but his expression is devoid of any revelation. He simply reaches in his pocket and takes out a mint, popping it in his mouth and keeping his eyes on the ceiling.“You’re not surprised.” Nora noticed with confusion. Why wasn’t he reacting? She knew that weird things may go on in the organization as it was illegal and criminal after all but even so, he barely reacted to finding this discovery. She had half expected him to be disgusted with her and leave the room right away which was one of the reasons why she was so hesitant in telling him the specific detail in the first place. In fact she had told no one as of now.“She isn’t dead.” He says, not wanting to venture into her past or respond to any of the questions that she would expectedly ask. He can almost sense it coming. His jaw tenses up slightly as he calmly folds his arm beneath his head to use as a pillow, causing the muscles to bulge significa

He captured her lower lip with his, softly sucking on it before giving it a teasing bite. Nora opened her mouth in response, allowing him to lazily slip his tongue in. He didn’t pressurize her or dominate. He played around as if it was some sort of game, grazing her tongue lightly here and there and then removing the pressure. His kiss turned from her lips to the corner of her mouth and then slowly down her cheek till the jaw bone, then making it’s way towards her neck. He stopped at the sensitive spot and gave it an intense lick before sucking on it. Nora shivered with pleasure but made no sound. He nipped at the spot with his teeth, grazing it before continuously assaulting it with his tongue.Nora’s breaths grew shallower and more rapid. It gave away more than what she’d like and for now, Mateo found satisfaction in it even though he wanted to hear more. He wanted to know if she actually liked it. He needed the reassurance. So he pulled

He got into every nook and cranny, scrubbing with the soap and then washing it with water and then repeating. Once he was satisfied with his hand, deeming it to be clean, he turned off the tap and patted his hands dry on the towel. A spot of blood got on it but it wasn’t superficial. Mateo threw the towel away in the bin and grabbed his gloves, putting them on carefully. The paramedics didn’t come in an ambulance or have any sirens. They came silently, not alerting anyone of their presence. In fact, Mateo himself didn’t know they had arrived until they came blazing down the stairs from the entrance, containing all sorts of equipment. Even though the facility itself had a specialized room containing all necessary equipment for emergency situations, they would always bring some rare discoveries of their own just in case they were needed. As soon as they reach they notice a petite girl lying on the ground, applying pressure to a man’s wound. He was

“Will he be okay?” Nora asks, a flicker of concern glimmering in her eyes. Mateo turned his head as he looked at her with curiosity. He was wondering why it mattered to her. Marcos was a complete stranger, what did it matter if he lived or died? He always hated fake generosity and it didn’t help that this time he knew that it wasn’t really fake. “Gun shot wounds don’t take that long to heal as long as the stitches stay in. He’ll be alright by next week since no internal organs were damaged.”  Nora nods, not really understanding the explanation but getting the part that he would be alright. It was enough for her. Much to her dismay, they had gone back to sleep in their own rooms. Mateo was tempted more than once to go back to join her in her room but he had some thinking to do and knew that doing so would not be possible if she was entangled in his arms. He needed to think. And a part of him had already fi

30 The blood slowly trickled down his cheek, giving it a red tint. After reaching his chin, it drops to the ground, covering the glass and making it reflect red light. Seconds passed and Mateo still did not notice the presence of another person. ‘Maybe I should leave.’ Nora thinks to herself as she takes in the scenario unfolding before her. He was clearly not in a good mood and agitating him further seemed like a bad idea. She had come here because she wanted to ask if she could go to the hospital for a while. Even though Nova was still in a coma, she wanted to at least be near her. Maybe somehow being next to her will remind her over and over again that she wasn’t really gone, though of course she wasn’t really prepared to see the lifeless face on a ventilator. Thinking that something was at least better than nothing, she had gathered courage to come here and ask Mateo. She knew that the mafia members weren’t allowed to meet their old family and friends for