Desperate Arrangement: Bouncing Back, Book IV

17

Gasping, Johanna woke with a start, only to realize she wasn't in her room at home. Her teal-green eyes scanned the unfamiliar surroundings as she sat up, her gaze landing on the sleeping figure of Lukas Roberts. Fear gripped her heart, and a fresh wave of tears welled up in her eyes.

What did he want with her, and why was she not at her own home? Had she done something that got her in trouble?

The questions swirled in her mind, each one more frantic than the last. Anxiety consumed her thoughts, and a sob bubbled up from her throat, escaping into the silence. She waited for someone to come punish her for some imagined crime. Suddenly, a warm pair of arms wrapped around her, pulling her back against a firm chest. Looking up, she saw nothing but tenderness in Lukas's grey eyes.

Her breathing became labored as she nervously licked her lips. “I… I’m sorry. Whatever I did, I’m sorry.”

"You didn’t do anything wrong, Johanna. You were being severely mistreated by your family, and I stepped in to put a stop to it. You’re safe now," he whispered, gently brushing the tears from her face.

"Please, Papa will be angry with me if he finds out I've spoken to you," she sobbed, her heart pounding with the fear that her father would come bursting through the door at any moment.

Arching a brow, Lukas set his jaw angrily at the mention of her father. "Your father was arrested, sweet girl. I refused to let him get away with almost killing you because you decided to take a stand and tell the truth. It wasn’t fair to you, and I hardly think things will go well for the other three by the time they’re tried for abuse."

She stilled in his arms, trying to process his words. "I don't understand."

"It’s a lot to take in, I know, but I’ve chosen you as my bride in Emilia’s place, Johanna. I need a woman like you, and you need to escape this place before they really do put you in a grave,” Lukas said, his voice trembling with emotion. “Listen, I… I want to take you with me. As my wife, I can promise that you will lack nothing and have all the freedom you desire. If you want to explore, you need to carry a phone and have a bodyguard. Those are the only regulations I ask that you follow."

"What about my family?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

He shrugged, "That's up to you. I won't stop you if you want to communicate with them. Just so you’re aware, I’m one of the Icelandic mob’s tech experts. That means I can be downright nasty when it comes to computers, but I’m not a nasty person. I can cook and clean, too. I share all the chores back home with my father and older brother.”

"Please, don't lie to me. Don't hurt me," she begged, her voice barely above a whisper. Knowing that he was from the mafia scared her, but he seemed so genuine, so gentle.

Running his nose along the length of her neck, he inhaled the scent of the lavender soap his grandmother used on her. "I promise I will treat you well, Johanna. We will have plenty of time to get to know each other as we go, and I don't expect you to all of a sudden fall in love with me overnight. That stuff takes time."

"I'm scared," she sobbed quietly.

Again, he nodded, "I know, and that's okay. Fear lets you know you're stepping outside your comfort zone. Just because I'm part of a group that people associate with crime, doesn't mean I'm a cruel man, Johanna. I don't believe in hurting women. That's not who I am."

Sniffling, Johanna realized she actually felt safe within his arms. "He punished me like that a lot because of Emilia."

"That’s not something you will ever need to think about again. She’ll never be able to hurt you while I’m around," Lukas said with a smirk. "You were honest about everything, yes?"

Johanna swallowed, nodding her head slowly.

"Then you have nothing to fear," Lukas declared. "Now, I'm going to get you a drink of water, okay? I don't want you falling sick again, so I want you to stay inside until Doctor Schneider gives you the go-ahead to be up and on the go."

Adjusting the quilt around her body, he fixed the pillows behind her and smoothed her hair back from her face. "Jules said you like to learn. I brought some books with me. Would you like to read one?"

Her eyes darted to his as she nodded cautiously. “I do… and you call him Jules? There are very few who are permitted such an honor.”

“I guess I earned the right when I beat the crap out of your father and accepted Julian’s truth the day we met. He arrived the day we met, and we talked about his… relationship with your sister. He was honest, so I forgave the issue and we became friends,” he replied, tenderly stroking her hair. His grin fading, Lukas sighed as he realized a potentially fatal mistake. "That was careless of me. I should have asked if you can read in English before I offered my books to you."

She giggled, the sound pure and tinkling like a windchime swaying in a gentle breeze. "Julian only did that because I begged him to clear the air. He was the only one I trusted not to sell me out to my family for speaking out against their deceit. As for your books, I can speak, read, and write in English. I still get confused over certain aspects of it, however."

"We can work on that," he said before disappearing down the dark hallway.

A strange feeling blossomed in her chest. He was offering her an escape from a hell she’d spent years surviving. All she had to do was agree to marry him. The questions still wracked her brain, picking apart her sanity as she weighed the pros and cons of following him into the unknown. She'd expected him to be cruel, to be rough with her, but not the unexpected tenderness in both his words and actions.

He seemed as though he honestly wanted to soothe her fears, to whisk her away to a far-off land and treat her with respect. The things she feared never knowing were apparently being offered by the sweetly-spoken man who openly claimed her as his potential bride.

She was having trouble finding things she didn't like about him. He was tall, handsome, and didn't complain about hard work. He didn't mind getting his hands dirty and apparently made friends easily.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Her eyes snapped to the door where Lukas was standing with a glass of water in his hand. His voice was calm, carrying an edge of humor as if he’d been reading her emotions off her face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come back in," she whimpered, curling into a ball. Her heart hammered in her chest as she listened to his footsteps, waiting for the burst of pain that normally followed when she did something others perceived as a slight.

Frowning, Lukas walked over and set the glass on the nightstand before sitting in front of her with a heavy sigh. "Tell me, Johanna, did your father ever hurt you for not acknowledging him when he entered the room?"

She nodded, her uneven breaths accented by a random sob. "He favored my sister, and she used her position in the family to torture me. When I told Papa what was happening between Emilia and Julian, he yelled and called me a liar."

"Then what?" he asked, a hint of anger in his voice. She shivered in fear. His fingertips under her chin coaxed her head up until she was looking into his rage-tinged grey eyes. "No, sweetheart. Don’t clam up on me, not now that we’ve started trusting each other. I made a promise, and I'm a man of my word. No one can hurt you anymore, Johanna. I won't let them. Besides, if they try, they die."

"He hit me, then threw me into the shed. He knew I was frightened of that place, but he locked me in there anyway. They forgot about me," she murmured, tears spilling over her cheeks. “It was so cold, so dark and damp. I… I really thought I was going to die.”

Growling, he wrapped her in his arms, careful not to apply too much pressure as her face pressed against his chest. "You didn't deserve that, Johanna. As for me, I prefer to see the ugly truth. It gives me a better look at what I'm dealing with."

Turning in his grasp, she gripped his shirt in her hands. "Please, take me from here. Please, Lukas? They will find a way to hurt me. I know they will."

"I won't dispute your choice, Johanna. However, I want you to be sure that this is something you're going to be able to live with. Consider all angles before making a final decision," he replied, fighting a smirk at how naturally his name flowed from her pretty pink lips.

"As long as you keep your promises, I’ll be a good wife," she told him, choosing her words carefully. "It’s just… I'm tired of living in fear!"

He slipped into the bed beside her. Covering himself with the extra blanket his grandmother left for him, he pulled her close. “It’s long past my Oma’s bedtime, so let’s just rest until morning, okay?”

“You could have gotten under my quilt,” she murmured shyly.

He barked a soft laugh. “No, but thanks. I don’t need the added temptation.”

Closing her eyes, Johanna savored the feeling of being held like she was finally someone’s precious treasure. She only hoped that she didn't disappoint him when the time came to prove her worth as a wife.