But I was exhausted. I was beat to shit from the car crash. We all were. Cal, Cara, and me had been thrown around like clothes in a fucking tumble drier when the car flipped and rolled. Then Cal and I had fought with everything we had to get free from the ties holding us to those damn chairs when Cara was being hurt, but it had all been to no avail. We hadn’t got free. Hadn’t stopped those bastards…
“Arran? Where is she?” I looked up as Dario walked in. His jacket was gone and the sleeves of his shirt were haphazardly pushed up to his elbows. His hair was a mess and there was blood swiped on his face. He looked unhinged in comparison to the man I knew, but I got it. I probably looked much the same.
“Wi’ a doctor. They needed to…to do an exam,” I forced out through my tight throat. “I couldnea stay for that part, but I promised her I’d be close. She’s in this room,” I explained as I nodded to the door at my side.
“And Cal?”
“He just got out of surgery. They set his ankle. He’ll be fine.”
“Rafe’s on his way. He just wanted to follow the car with Gia in, to the undertakers. We squared it all away with the police. There shouldn’t be any questions,” he told me as he sank to the floor beside the chair I sat in and pulled his knees up to his chest, resting his arms over them.
“How is he?” I asked.
“A mess. He knows what you told me, about Gia being involved in the ambush at the airport and what followed, but she’s still his sister, and she was just a kid. This never should have happened. We failed her. We never should have allowed Isabella to get anywhere near her,” he ground out angrily.
“It had to be more than Isabella, Dario. You didnae see her when she was in that warehouse. I think she was mentally ill. She was enjoyin’ it, enjoyin’ watchin’ Cara be humiliated and hit. Beaten and stripped. She was goading the Russian fucker, like she wanted him to hurt her or somethin.’ She took pleasure in the idea that Cal might get shot, or me. It was like she’d just lost it. Ye know I’ve always cared fer her, but this…what she did to Cara, I cannae forgive or excuse her for any of it, and you shouldnae either, no’ if ye care a jot fer the lass in that room, going through hell right now,” I sighed.
“Gia…she was like my sister, Arran. I don’t understand what happened, how it came to this. I don’t know how to feel right now,” he ground out with frustration. “Rafe, though…I don’t think he’ll ever forgive himself for her death. I’m not sure I can either. Whatever happened, however Gia was turned into what she became, we should have known. We should have been able to stop it!”
“Maybe, but I cannae forgive her fer what she did, and neither should you. Five fucking men raped Cara that night, Dario! Five! Because Gia planned it. Because Gia brought Cara into that situation, all fer money and hatred. She goaded a man into holdin’ a gun to ma kid brother’s head in order to make her sister strip naked in front of those fuckers, and she enjoyed it! And even after all of that, after Cara knowing Gia had set it all up, Cara still tried to tell her to shut her mouth to save her. Cara provoked Kozlov, turning his rage on herself, just to try an’ save Gia. And still Gia just taunted her, and enjoyed as some fucker climbed on top of Cara and pinned her naked body down. Whatever was wrong wi’ Gia, it’ll never excuse what she did, no’ in my eyes. No’ ever!”
“Fucking Christ!” Dario hissed as he ripped his hands through his hair with rage. “This is so fucked up!”
“Aye, but right now all I care about is Cara. I dinnae know how she’ll ever find the strength to move on from here, but I do know she’ll no’ be facing any of it alone. I plan to be at her side, as much as she needs and wants me to be,” I said resolutely.
I had stood back for as long as I was willing. Cara needed me now, and I was falling in love with her. Nothing would take me away from her.
“I know,” Dario nodded as he turned to me. “I plan exactly the same. She’s going to need people she trusts around her right now.”
“She’s gonna need Rafe. Is he gonna be there fer her?” I asked with some ire.
I knew Rafe would be in pieces about losing Gia, but I had to be sure he wasn’t going to blame Cara in any way for that. If I even suspected he would, I would take Cara away with Cal and I. It could bring Rafe down on me, but I would handle it if it were what was needed to protect Cara from any more pain.
“Yes,” Dario said without doubt. “Don’t you dare start vilifying him in this, Arran. He loves Cara, and he will not blame her for any of what happened. He just also loved Gia, and losing her is going to take him time to overcome. He’ll be here for Cara though, I know he will. You’ve trusted him since you were a dumb kid, who he took mercy on. Don’t fucking doubt him now.”
“I just need to protect Cara, Dario! She cannea go through anythin’ else. She’s broken, she has to be after everythin’ she’s been through! How could anyone survive intact?”
Before Dario could say anything else, the door to the room beside me opened, and instantly I could hear Cara sobbing loudly. I shot to my feet and barged past the female doctor who was just exiting, not caring if I knocked her over in my race to get to Cara.
“Lass? I’m here. I’m here now,” I gasped as I raced to the side of the bed Cara lay in. She was turned on her side, curled into herself, her face covered by her hands as she shook with the violent and gut wrenching sobs.
I wanted to gather her into my arms and hold her as tight as I could, but I didn’t want to scare her, so instead I crouched down so she could see me, then slowly and gently brushed just the tip of my finger over the back of her hand. She moved one of her hands and grabbed onto my wrist tightly, pulling my hand closer to her as the crying continued.
She used her shaky finger to draw a ‘C’ on the palm of my hand, then looked to me with so much fear. Her face was blotchy and bruised, her eyes red and puffy.
“He’s okay. They operated on his ankle and fixed him up. He’ll be moved into the room next door soon,” I explained gently, knowing that was what she had needed to know.
Dario was talking to the doctor, who had seen to Cara, outside the open door of the room, but I couldn’t hear what was being said. I just really hoped the doctor wasn’t saying Cara needed surgery, because I really wasn’t sure she was up to it.
“How’s yer pain? Did the doc give ye something to help?” I asked.
She studied me for a moment, then the tears started again. It killed me not to gather her up and just hold her, but I feltsomewhat relieved when she pulled my hand, which she still held at my wrist, closer and hugged it to her chest. As comfort went, it wasn’t much, but at least she was allowing me to give her something.
“We’ll get ye home soon, wee one. I promise. We just need to be sure yer injuries are all taken care of first, and we need to wait for Cal too, okay? Then we can all go home together.”
She seemed to gather herself with a shaky breath in. She swiped some tears from her eyes, then drew a ‘C’ on the bed again, pointing to the door this time.
“He’s still in recovery, but I’ll see if they can bring him in here wi’ ye when they bring him up. How’s that sound?”
