Chapter 21
Dante sat on the sofa, his arms wrapped protectively around Lulu, as the emergency medical team lifted an unconscious Logan Hayes onto a backboard and carried him out of the apartment. Lulu turned her face toward the EMS team as they hauled Logan away, her eyes locked on his prone form, as she shuddered, tightening her hold on Dante. He rubbed her back, trying to soothe her pain as the police detective stood over Dante with his notepad in his hand, shaking his head in disbelief.
"So, let me get this straight, Mr. Falconeri," the rookie officer said, glancing at his notes to verify Dante's name.
"You were notified by your downstairs neighbor that the police were allegedly on the premises and so you proceeded to kick in the door? Where was your key?" the officer questioned him.
"I told you, I used my key to open the door, but the bastard had chained the door," Dante told him, lowering his voice, so as not to disturb Lulu.
"Don't get cocky with me, Mr. Falconeri, I'll haul your ass downtown right now for interfering with a police investigation."
"Look, I've answered your questions and given my statement. You know where to reach me if you need any further information, Officer Newland," Dante replied, looking at his name tag.
"Now, unless there is something else that you need, I really need to take care of my girlfriend, detective. Did you notify Lucky Spencer of his sister's attack?" Dante asked, wanting the officer to leave, so that he could speak with Lulu.
"Lucky?" Lulu whispered, against Dante's chest. Dante kissed her on the head and pulled her in closer.
"Ssh, I'll make sure that he knows you're all right. It's ok," Dante reassured her.
"Are you sure that you don't want me to drive you to the hospital?" the officer asked Dante, for the first time acting like he really cared about the victim.
"No, I'll take care of her. But, you didn't answer my question. Does her brother know about the attack?"
"Alleged attack, and yes, Detective Spencer should be aware of the situation as we speak," the officer answered Dante, disliking his tone.
"Good, so then we're through here. I'd see you out, but-" Dante said, looking down at Lulu.
"First thing in the morning, Mr. Falconeri, I want to hear her statement. I don't care who her brother is," Officer Newland told him, closing his notepad.
"Just speak with Detective Spencer, Officer," Dante told him, dismissing him.
"Oh, and Mr. Falconeri, I don't think that I need to make myself clearer, but don't leave the city. This could turn into a murder investigation if Detective Hayes doesn't pull through. That's a capital offense, you know."
"I already told you that it was self-defense," Dante answered, in a cool-mannered tone.
"Allegedly," the officer replied back, "Look, just don't leave town. The only reason why you even get to wait until morning is because of your connection to the mayor."
"What can I say? He loves my Pasta Primavera," Dante answered, already dismissing the officer and focusing his attention on Lulu.
"We'll be in touch," Officer Newland told Dante.
He took one last look at the apartment and then left. Dante pulled out his cell phone and placed a call, waiting for the person on the other line to pick up.
"Hey, it's Dante. Sorry, I meant to call you.
Well, I didn't expect it to hit the media so quickly.
Yes, he was stabbed.
No, he isn't dead.
No, I don't need you to make sure he is.
Lulu? No, she isn't, but she will be.
No, I'm staying with her.
We can't stay at the apartment.
It's not secure.
Can I use your cabin?
I'll explain everything when I know she is all right.
I love you, too, Dad," Dante said, disconnecting the call.
"Hey, sweetheart, I'm going to pack us a bag. I'll be just a minute," Dante told her, carefully moving his body out from underneath hers. Lulu's arms were locked around him, her eyes troubled, as she lay trapped in her own nightmare.
"It's ok, baby," Dante assured her, as her arms started to loosen, "I'll make it all go away, I promise."
Lulu didn't answer him, her gaze continuing to focus on the bloody spot on the carpet and Dante became frantic, grabbing a bag and tossing basic necessities into it. He walked into the bedroom and stopped dead in his tracks, the shock starting to hit him full-force. His vision was becoming cloudy and he was alarmed to feel the wetness of tears streaming down his face, as he dropped to his knees. How did he keep that promise? How could he erase everything that happened tonight?
He stared at the bed, where just last night, he and Lulu had shared such passion and thought about the terror she must have felt today. The look on her face, as she saw him standing in the doorway. His hands clenched into fists at his side, his anger taking hold, as Logan's image came to his mind. For the first time in his life, Dante Falconeri wanted to embrace the dark side that ran through his veins. He wanted to make the man that had nearly raped his girlfriend suffer intensely.
It was a rage that was traveling through his body, swiftly, like the now boiling blood running through his veins. He didn't know how to control it, let alone stop it. Wiping his eyes, Dante stood and reached for the duffel bag at his feet. He left the bedroom, without a backwards advance, hoping that by some miracle Lulu would walk away from all of this unscathed.
Dante took her to a clinic and watched helplessly, while the nurse closed the curtain, examining her. She wasn't very responsive and the doctor wanted to keep her overnight, but Dante assured them that he would take care of her. If she didn't get better by morning, he would bring her back. A female officer said that they would take the photographs of her attack and give them to the police. Dante listened, having a hard time dealing with the attack, he heard the officer tell him to call them if he had any questions. They released Lulu and wheeled her out to his car, where Dante carefully placed her in the passenger seat.
Dante drove to the outskirts of town, passing the docks as he continued on Harbor View Road, searching for the turnoff to his father's cabin and making a left when he saw the gravel road. He traveled along a windy gravel path that ended in front of a secluded log cabin nestled in the woods. He turned off the engine and turned to a still dazed Lulu. She hadn't said a word the entire way over, her silence terrifying Dante.
He stepped out of the car and walked to the passenger side, opening the door for Lulu and scooping her up into his arms. Instinctively her head dropped to his shoulder and her arms gripped him tightly, as he carried her to the front door of the cabin, holding her with one hand, as the other wrestled for the key to the cabin in his front pocket. At last, he found it and unlocked the door, pushing it open as he lifted Lulu closer to him and walked into the cabin.
It was a fairly good-sized cabin, rustic and quaint. It had a large fireplace on one end of the living room with a large mantle above it lined with photo memorabilia of the Corrinthos family. A large fur rug covered the wooden floors near the fireplace and wooden beams supported the ceiling. Sonny Corrinthos was an avid hunter, so there was a massive buck that was perched above the mantle with antlers that seemed to stretch for miles.
Gently, Dante deposited Lulu onto the large sofa at the center of the living room grabbing an extra throw pillow from the opposite end to make her more comfortable. On a nearby brown leather chair, he took hold of the hand-crocheted throw that his grandmother had made for him when he was a baby and kneeling before her, he gently placed it over Lulu, kissing the crown of her head before he stood back up again.
He walked toward the fireplace, reaching for the logs to the left and placing them on the hearth, stacking them neatly before placing a guard in front to ensure that they stayed in place. He lit the logs and used the fire poker to stoke the flames, feeling the heat permeate the room as the fire slowly burned.
He sat on the floor, watching the flames dance before his eyes, his eyes brimming with tears. His chest began to heave as he heard from within the cabin the sound of an animal's cry. His tears continued to fall, his body shaking, as he felt the arms wrap around him, enveloping him in their softness.
He should be comforting her, he thought, as he turned and saw his torment mirrored in her eyes. Timidly, he reached to wipe the tears that were marking a trail on her cheeks. Her lips quivered, as she moved one of her arms from his side and reached with her hand to erase the wetness from his cheeks. They sat on the fur rug, silently, their eyes speaking volumes, as their bodies instinctively molded to each other. Dante gently placed his hand between them, separating them, as Lulu looked up at him with a wounded glance.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Dante asked her, not sure what to do for her, as his eyes continued to brim with tears.
Lulu shook her head, no, watching the painful play of emotions on his face.. She timidly moved her hand to his, comforting him with the gentle stroke of her thumb, softly touching his skin.
"I'm afraid to touch you," Dante whispered in a broken voice, wanting so desperately to erase her pain, "I don't want to hurt you."
"You could never hurt me. Dante, I need you. I need you to hold me, so much," she cried, as he pulled her into his arms and held her. They comforted each other, their bodies locked together, as their shudders subsided and the silence became deafening. Lulu heard the roar of the fire in front of them, watching the way the flames licked at the logs, the fire's heat intensifying. She was scared. She didn't know how to move past tonight, to erase the images that haunted her mind. She was afraid to go to sleep, terrified that he would be there, waiting.
"I wanted to crawl out of my skin, Dante," Lulu told him, for the first time sharing her experience with him, "I couldn't move. I tried to, but he held me down," she sobbed, hiccuping.
"Ssh, you don't have to-" Dante started to say, as Lulu interjected.
"You need to know. I need to tell you," she pleaded, looking into his heavy-laden eyes.
"When he reached for his belt, I knew that he was going to-" she shuddered.
"Lulu, baby, I'm sorry. I should have been there," Dante whispered softly, rocking her.
"I didn't want to be in my body, Dante. I couldn't, not in our bed. Not after everything that we shared together. I needed to separate myself from him," she frantically explained to Dante, pulling herself away from his embrace.
"I couldn't fight him, Dante. Why couldn't I fight him? It's all my fault. I should have known, Dante. Why didn't I see it?"she asked, the guilt and shame washing over her.
"Stop it. Don't you dare blame yourself, Lulu. If anyone is to blame its me. It was my apartment. I left you alone. I should have known-" Dante begged, trying to make her understand, as his hands cradled her face, "You didn't do anything wrong."
"Your fault? Dante, you saved me. If you didn't get there when you did, he would have raped me," Lulu told him, unnerved by the guilt that she saw in Dante's eyes.
"I stopped to talk to Mrs. Cavallos, Lulu. While he was hurting you, I was discussing stolen coupons. Fucking coupons, Lulu. How does that make me your hero?" Dante said, his anger directed at himself.
"Dante, you kicked down a door to get to me. I heard you. When he tried to rape me, I knew that no matter how hard I tried to fight him, he would win. Then, I heard you scream my name and I saw you standing in the doorway, Dante. I knew that no matter what happened you would protect me," Lulu cried, embracing him.
"And when he hit you, I thought that I had lost you, Dante. I couldn't bear it and I lunged at him, but he threw me and I hit my head," Lulu continued, telling him her harrowing experience after Logan nearly raped her.
"Where? Lulu, where did you hit your head? Does it hurt?" Dante asked, concerned for her physical well-being, as his hands inspected her scalp and the side of her face for any signs of swelling or bruises.
"Dante, I'm fine. My head hurts just a little, I promise," Lulu told him, gripping his head with her hands, trying to reassure him.
"I didn't protect you, Lulu. He hurt you," Dante said grief-stricken, as he looked into her eyes, "and I wasn't there for you. He put his hands on you," he said dropping his hands and clenching them at his hips.
"I don't know how to fix it, Lulu. How do I erase him from your memory?" Dante begged, wanting to ease her pain.
"Touch me, Dante. Make me forget him. I need you," Lulu pleaded, wanting to replace Logan's vile touch with Dante's loving one.
"Lulu, I'm not sure-" Dante answered, worried about hurting her.
"Is it because of Logan? If you can't love me because of what happened, I'll understand, Dante. Are you ashamed of me? I should have stopped him," Lulu told Dante, accepting that Dante's feeling may have changed and that she had lost him.
"Not love you? Lulu, I love you so much. You are so brave. I brought you to the cabin to help you and here you are worried about me. I would take all of your pain if I could Lulu. I would suffer for you," he told her, his hands running through her hair, as he touched his nose to hers.
"Then take away my pain, Dante. Kiss me and make me forget," Lulu begged, as she gently touched her lips to his.
Slowly, Dante brushed his lips across hers, afraid to make a move that would startle her, causing her pain. It was Lulu who became more demanding, she pressed her lips to Dante's tighter, coaxing his response, as her tears continued to fall down her face. She was afraid of losing him, of forgetting what it felt to be in his arms, and afraid of the nightmares to come. Her hands reached for Dante's t-shirt that covered her body, pulling it over her head. Dante tried to control his reactions to the bruises that marked her breasts, biting his lip to keep silent. He kissed Lulu softly on the lips, moving to the side of her neck and slowly down to her breasts. Lulu shuddered, brief flashes of Logan invading her mind. Logan's lips assaulted her skin, leaving bruising marks and her body reacted out of fear, her body fighting Dante.
"Lulu, did I hurt you?" Dante said, feeling her struggles, as he lifted tear-stained cheeks to her eyes.
"No, not you. Please, don't stop. I have to forget," she sobbed, pulling Dante's lips to hers, as her hands quickly unbuttoned his shirt. She needed to feel her skin flush with his, to remember what it felt to be touched by him. Her fingers traced the tattoo on his chest, feeling Dante's muscles quiver beneath her fingertips.
She replaced her fingers with her lips and felt a delicious shiver deep inside her begin to unravel. It spread to her thighs, causing an ache that recreated the sensations she found in Dante's arms the night before. She lowered herself to the fur rug, as Dante shed the rest of his clothes. He reached for her sweatpants, gently removing them, his lips trailing soft kisses as he pulled them off of her legs. Lulu moaned, the slow ache that had started earlier, increasing, as her legs opened to accommodate him, her ankles crossing at his back. She pulled Dante toward her, her eyes never leaving his face as he started to make love to her and he whispered his love for her over and over, rocking against her. She sobbed and he slowed his pace, concerned that he was hurting her.
"Don't. I love you, Dante. Please, don't stop," she cried, as he kissed her tears from her face, slowly moving, as together they fell off that cliff, spent in each other's arms and forgot the attack at least for now.
Dante awoke to a chill, noticing that the fire went out. Gently, he pulled himself out from under Lulu and added another log to the fire. Kneeling naked before Lulu, Dante lay back down beside her, gently lifting her into his arms and cradling her head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled the throw overtop them, his head resting on one of the throw pillows behind him. Staring at the flames in the fireplace, he felt the wetness stain his cheeks once more. He looked down at Lulu who was sleeping peacefully and soundly, her hands resting on his chest, and knowing that she couldn't hear his pain, he gave in to the sobs that sent a waterfall of tears streaming down his face, as the guilt of tonight weighed heavily on his heart.