Chapter 6: I'll Be Your Friend

The air pressure in the room seemed to drop because Callie found herself having trouble breathing. With Vin’s face so close to hers muttering those dangerous words, Callie was starting to realize how much trouble she was in.

True, Vin saved her life, but he did it at the cost of three others. Any man who can pull a trigger without remorse is someone to be feared.

“Follow me,” Vin said before grabbing the discarded black jacket from the floor and throwing it to Callie. Quickly putting the jacket on, Callie followed him deeper into the apartment.

With her heart hammering in her chest, Callie could barely appreciate the luxury that was Vin’s apartment. The large space must be filled with nothing but furniture and accessories from designer brands.

When they got to what appeared to be the kitchen, Callie’s eyes zeroed in on a gorgeous blonde woman who seemed to be waiting for them. She was tall, maybe five-foot-nine, with perfect porcelain skin. She wore her hair in a low ponytail with curtain bangs that framed her gorgeous brown eyes and small face.

“Sit,” ordered Vin, pointing to a high stool at the kitchen counter, taking Callie’s attention away from the stranger. Then, regarding the blonde woman, he said. “Work on her, and make it quick.”

The woman scoffed in offense, “Excuse you, I had to cancel an appointment because you demanded me here, Sir.”

Vin simply brushed her off with a wave of his hand, “I’m sure it was a dick appointment, and you wouldn’t die with one less dick in your mouth, Ella.”

Without waiting for a response, Vin left the way we came in.

“You let him talk to you like that?” asked Callie, genuinely curious about the structure and dynamics in the household. If this place was to be her new home, she needed to know where she stood.

The woman—Ella—sighed and gestured for Callie to sit down.

She shrugged before placing a sterile white box atop the counter. “Well, he didn’t lie. I am a slut, and Vin’s just being annoying.”

“What?” Then Callie winced when she opened her mouth too wide.

“Oh, don’t be so surprised!” she exclaimed, noting Callie’s wide eyes and mouth before leaning in to apply ointment to her split lip. “It’s true. I love dick and I certainly love it more when it’s attached to a man who looked like that,” she finished, pointing toward the direction Vin left.

She must have slept with him before, Callie guessed.

“Well, let’s have a look at you, shall we? I’ll Ella by the way,” she stretched a hand out to shake Callie’s trembling ones. “I’m the family doctor. Here.” Ella took Callie’s hand and placed it over the ice pack that she held to her swollen cheek.

Callie winced at the sudden coldness, but soon welcomes the relief from the pain.

“You don’t have to feel so tense around me,” Ella muttered as she tended to Callie’s wrist. The doctor pulled out the necessary equipment before she carefully wrapped Callie’s sprained wrist and hand. “I’m a doctor first and foremost. You can trust me.”

After treating Callie’s wrist and face— her most serious injuries— Ella stepped away for a moment to grab a pair of panties and a shirt for Callie.

“I figured you’d want to change out of those,” said Ella, gesturing toward Callie’s ensemble. “The underwear is new, don’t worry. The shirt as well. I found it in Vin’s closet and pulled the tag off for you.”

Callie tried her best to process what Ella was saying, but it was becoming difficult with the way her mind swam with fatigue. So, instead, she focused on putting on the clothes Ella got her. The panties were easy enough, it was with the shirt that Callie needed some help. With her wrist and hand out of commission, it was hard to put it on.

“Let me help you,” Ella offered when she noticed Callie struggling. “Sorry, that’s the first new shirt I found, so I grabbed it. I didn’t think it’d be so big on you… or, I didn’t think you’d be so tiny. How tall are you?”

There wasn’t any contempt or mockery in Ella’s voice, she was simply curious about Callie. Callie figured maybe hanging out with Vin and Soren, Ella wasn’t used to being around a woman as petite as Callie.

With a small voice, Callie replied, “I’m five-foot-four.”

Ella’s eyes brightened and she almost squealed. “Well, I’m almost done. Just have to clean up those scrapes on your arms.” Callie stiffened at that. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but did you do this to yourself?” With a gentle touch, Ella turned Callie’s arm over to inspect the deep cuts made by fingernails.

How long has it been since Callie had an anxiety attack so bad that she physically hurt herself? As much as possible, Callie had turned to Sienna, or the women at Euphoria, her uncle’s club, for help. Perhaps it was when she wasn’t sure if she’d get accepted into the music program of her university.

Ashamed of her bad habit, Callie only nodded.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Ella assured her, giving Callie a small smile as she began to apply the treatment to her arms. She cleaned off blood and dirt on the cuts and then proceeded to apply antiseptic to the bigger and deeper cuts. “I know we’ve only just met, but if you ever feel like hurting yourself again, just give me a holler, okay? Or just—” Ella shrugged. “—to talk about anything at all. I may not look like it, but I’ve been told that I’m a good listener.”

Not knowing how to respond to her kindness, Callie said nothing. Silence filled the air until Callie mustered enough courage to speak up.

“Can you tell me anything about him?”

Ella looked at her incredulously, “You don’t know who Vincent Baros is? The dragon?”

All the color faded from Callie’s face.

“D-Dragon?”

Ella hummed in response, barely looking up from her job.

Callie couldn’t believe it.

“As in the same man from the stories, the one who burned the city?”

Not one of Vincent Baros’s wanted posters plastered all across the school bulletin boards, nor the town walls, mentioned that he was the ‘Dragon.’ Nobody told her, either, before Ella.

It was one thing to be sold to a crime lord in the Ashen City, but it was another thing entirely to be possessed by the so-called dragon of legend who burned down the city fifteen years ago.

“Yeah, I thought you knew. No wonder you took that deal,” Ella mused.

Surprised, Callie leaned forward in her seat, capturing Ella’s attention.

“You know about my bargain with your boss?”

Ella’s cheeks flushed pink like she was caught gossiping. “Yeah, the family is abuzz.” Then, the doctor took the ice pack and ordered Callie to raise her arms, which she did. Ella started to feel up her torso, and once she was sure nothing was broken, allowed Callie to relax.

Ella inspected Callie once again for any injuries she might have missed, and closes up her kit when she found none.

“You keep talking about family…” Callie let that hang in the air for Ella to complete. She knew the Baroses were notorious for being part of a mafia family, but Callie didn’t know anything beyond their name and the stories attached to it.

Ella sighed dreamily. “The Baros mafia family is what it is, a family.” She shrugged, and her lips shifted ever so slightly into a smile as she talked about the people she grew up with. “Most of us grew up in it, while others were initiated to get in. My parents were involved with Vin’s parents for a long time, so I was born into the crime world, I guess. We have a long line, with a lot of history, including the great burning that happened fifteen years ago.”

Callie nodded as she stifled a yawn, “I was nine.”

Ella sighed again, but this time, she seemed tired. From what Callie could tell, she wasn’t proud of that incident, which Callie was thankful for.

“That was Vin,” said Ella sadly. Her eyes were downcast as she cleaned up the kitchen counter of gauze and cotton swabs she had used on Callie. “He burned nearly the whole city to the ground to avenge his mother and—” Ella shook her head, stopping herself from revealing more than she wanted. “Anyway, after that incident, people lived either in fear or in awe of him. The Baros family belongs to the second group.”

Callie nodded, filing all this information away.

“You’re all done,” Ella announced quietly. “Your face is going to be swollen for a little while, but I don’t see any other issues.”

Her perky mood earlier dissipated quickly when she started to talk about her family. It told Callie that Ella regarded her family well. And like most people involved with the mafia, Callie assumed that Ella too would die protecting her family.

Callie thanked her and almost fell from her seat when she tried to stand up.

“You should get some rest,” said Ella, and she took Callie’s good hand to guide her to the bedroom. Ella knew of the sedative Soren gave her, Vin, told her over the phone earlier. And she was surprised to see Callie still standing and able to hold a conversation after that.

Ella pitied her. So, as she led Callie to Vin’s bedroom, she made a mental note to warn Vin not to touch Callie until she gave him permission as her doctor.

“Ella?” Callie called out softly as Ella tucked her in. “Thank you again for your help.”

Ella smiled and brush Callie’s uninjured cheek softly. “I’ll be your friend, Callie. Then, I’d make sure you never have to thank me for anything again. Sleep well.”

The doctor leaned forward and kissed Callie’s forehead softly. Then as Callie drifted off to sleep, Ella wiped a stray tear that stained Callie’s cheek.