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I followed after her, eager to get out of the crush of bodies and get out of this place. “What happened?” I asked. Ingrid was one of the few people I trusted. Not that I had much of a reason to. After all, we barely knew one another, and now, she was dating my cousin.
But I respected her intellect and her even-headedness. Ingrid was not the type for dramatics.
“I don’t really know,” Ingrid said, a blush staining her cheeks. “By the time I came across Carla, she was screaming bloody murder and trying to gouge Matteo’s eyes out with a letter opener.”
Ingrid’s already pale skin was white as a sheet. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”
My father told me that Carla was harmless, and clearly, he was wrong.
Ingrid stopped in front of a door down the end of a long hallway. We were far enough away from the party that we could only hear bits and pieces of the loud music, but I suspected that it drowned out whatever was happening in the room across from us.
“Matteo thought that you might be able to calm her down.”
I snorted. “Of course he did.” My brother always expected me to come swooping in and clean up his messes. The problem was that I had little idea of how to fix this one.
Not that anyone would care. Reaching out, I steeled myself as I opened the door. When I entered the room, my mouth dropped open slightly. Carla’s back was pushed up against a wall, and she held out a letter opener like a weapon.
“Everything is going to be alright.” Matteo’s hands were out, and he spoke to her like she was a wounded animal. “Why don’t you just put the letter opener down.”
Carla was breathing heavily, her hand shaking slightly. “I’m not going to let you take me.”
“No one is trying to hurt you,” Sophia said, her voice soft. “We just want to get you somewhere safe.”
I grimaced. Sophia should not be here. I could deal with this if it was just family and Ingrid. They knew the reality of our situation, but with Sophia in the room, I needed to keep my cool.
“Carla.” She turned to me, her eyes wild. “Put the knife down.” Her eyes were glazed, and she shook her knife.
“Stay away from me!”
This wasn’t normal. “Did she take something?”
Sophia’s eyes were wide, and she looked scared. “I don’t think so,” she said. Her own skin was flushed, and I suspected that it was from the alcohol. “We were drinking the same thing all night.”
There were tears streaming down Carla’s cheeks. “I want to go home,” she whimpered. “Please.”
My heart squeezed in my chest as she looked at me. Taking a step towards her, I held out a warning hand.
Carla was like a caged animal. Even though she was smaller than Luca, Matteo and me, and I could easily overwhelm her, there was no telling what she might be able to do with that letter opener before we could subdue her.
I wouldn’t allow anyone in this room to be hurt because my father’s little pet project got drunk and was having some sort of meltdown.
“Everyone out,” I hollered.
“What?” Ingrid and Sophia said together. “We can’t leave her. She’s terrified.” Sophia lifted her chin, and I knew that she was worried about Carla. It was clear on her face. It would have been nice if it wasn’t so damn inconvenient.
“Matteo,” I snapped, looking over at Sophia.
Luca was already ushering Ingrid out of the room. Carla was muttering something under her breath. She was melting down, and I knew that I only had a few moments to deescalate this situation.
“Hey!” Sophia yelled. Matteo grabbed her by the shoulders and began hustling her out of the room. “Let go of me.”
Her screams were loud, and when I glanced over at Carla, I realized that they were agitating her.
“Carla!” I warned, stepping in between her and door.
“Bring her back!” she yelled. “Bring my sister back!” She raised her arm. The dagger was in her hands, and I knew that she would bring it down in a second.
Not taking a moment to think, I grabbed Carla by the wrist. “Let go,” I said, pressing my thumb against the small bones of the wrist. Immediately, she dropped her weapon, whimpering as I spun her into my arms.
