Antonio - Ashlee Price Page 0,27

gazes meet.

"Hello, Triss," I greet her. "You in bed. Me the first person you see after waking up. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?"

I'm just hoping she doesn't try to bolt like she did before. In vain.

Triss gets out of bed. "I have to go. I..."

She tries to stand but winces as she puts weight on her sprained foot. She falls back on the edge of the bed. I sit beside her.

"You shouldn't have done that," I scold Triss as I examine her ankle.

"Is it broken?"

"Just sprained. But you still need to let it rest for it to heal, which means you can't put weight on it. You'll have to use crutches if you want to walk around."

"Which means I can't leave," Triss concludes.

I nod. "Not that I was going to let you."

She looks at me with eyes narrowed beneath creased brows. "Were you planning on locking me up?"

"No. I was going to ask you to stay," I answer. "I am asking you to stay."

Triss looks away. "I can't."

"Because you don't feel safe here?"

This time, she turns to me with wide eyes.

"I told you when you first came here that I know you ran away, remember? I've seen your scars and your bruises. I know you ran away from someone. I know you're afraid that someone will find you and take you back to the darkness you managed to escape from, but I'm telling you I won't let that happen."

Triss wraps her arms around herself and shakes her head. "You don't know him. You can't protect me from him."

"I can if you help me. The cops here will help, too."

"They can't help me."

I frown. She's even more stubborn now, which probably means she truly believes she is in danger. I have to convince her otherwise.

"Summerset is a small town and it isn't famous for anything. No one will find you here."

"Why? Because no one found you?"

I give her a puzzled glance. She knows about my past?

"You lost your memories," Triss says, confirming my suspicion. "But your family didn't. They must have looked for you, but they didn't find you."

"You're right. They didn't. No one did. Not even the people who tried to kill me."

Her jaw drops. "What?"

"You're not the only one hiding," I tell her. "I am, too. As you said, I lost my memories. I don't know what happened to me, but I was found on the brink of death. Someone tried to kill me and nearly succeeded, and I don't know who."

"And your family? Do you think they're still alive?"

"They could be dead. Maybe that's why they haven't found me."

Triss clasps her hand over her mouth. "I'm so sorry... for what I said. It was rude of me. And mean."

I shake my head. "You're just scared. People say things they don't mean when they're scared." I take her hand in mine. "But I'm telling you that you don't have to be. I will keep you safe. Both you and Lara. Just stay."

Triss meets my gaze. "Really? Are you sure you want me to stay? Because yesterday, it seemed as if you couldn't stand the sight of me."

What? I try to recall what happened yesterday. I came home. Triss cooked curry. We laughed. Then I had that flashback which made me so uneasy that I spent the rest of the day in my room. It's happened before, but I suppose this is the first time it's happened around Triss. Is that why she left? Because she thought I was mad at her?

"That's not true," I tell her. "I just... needed time to think about something. You had nothing to do with it."

"I have nothing to do with you," she says.

I frown. "That's not true, Triss."

"Really? Why do you care about me so much? You've only just met me. Lara and I shouldn't mean anything to you."

"I don't know either," I answer her truthfully. "All I know is that I was scared and lost once, just like you, and two people from this town helped me. They saved me and gave me a second chance. You deserve the same."

For a moment, Triss falls silent. Then she pulls her hand away. "But we're not the same, Antonio. You don't know who's after you. I do. He's a monster who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. He will find me."

I thought as much.

"All the more reason for you to accept my help. You can't fight a monster like that alone."

"Antonio." Triss grips my sleeve and looks into my eyes. "You can't