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“He just shot him,” Aurora mutters. “His eyes, Nico....they were crazed...” she says, trembling all over, and I scoop her up in my arms, carrying her toward my car. Everyone’s inside, trying to figure out what happened, and I suspect that Marco’s still in the woods, looking for Aurora.
I put her in the front seat, buckling her seatbelt.
She’s covered in scrapes from the woods and there are leaves and sticks in her hair. She’s all but hyperventilating.
Shit.
What a turn this night has taken, from me appreciating Aurora’s figure to trying to save her life.
“He saw me,” she mumbles. “He saw me see him, and he’s going to kill me, Nico.”
“No, he won’t,” I say firmly. “No one’s going to hurt you while I’m around,” I promise.
Aurora looks at me and I cup her chin in my hand again.
“Look at me,” I tell her as her eyes dart around nervously. She looks into my eyes. “Everything’s going to be okay,” I say slowly. “You’re safe.”
“I’m safe,” she repeats in a low voice, but she’s still trembling when I drop her chin and pull out of the driveway, tires screeching as I get on the main road. It’s another ten minutes before she speaks again. “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere safe,” I say simply. There are half a dozen safehouses between here and the city, and I plan on using them. Dante has given me the keys, after all, and in the meantime, he’ll keep Francesca safe.
“Where’s Francesca?” Aurora asks suddenly. “Is she okay? We have to go back,” she says, clutching at my forearm.
“She’s okay,” I tell her quickly. “She’s with Dante.”
Aurora lets out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank god.”
Then she promptly bursts into tears.
I make it another six miles away from Bruno’s before I pull over, unable to take the sounds of her sobs anymore, and draw her into my arms.
“It’s going to be okay,” I tell her softly, stroking her dark hair. “I’m going to keep you safe.”
She doesn’t answer, just shaking and pressing her face into my chest, getting my silk shirt wet, but I don’t give a fuck.
She’s just a kid and she’s been through so much tonight. The least I can do is comfort her.
When her sobs turn into sniffles, I let her go and put the car back into gear, pulling back out onto the road.
“It’s about an hour drive. Try and get some rest,” I tell her, and Aurora remains quiet but she doesn’t sleep, just looking listlessly out the window.
I take a deep breath, unable to believe what has happened in such quick succession. I’m stuck with my little sister’s best friend, trying to keep her alive, all because my sister couldn’t keep it in her pants while her boyfriend was away.
When we arrive at the safehouse, I lead Aurora inside and she’s still as quiet as the grave.
I grab the duffel bag full of clothes and hand her a pair of basketball shorts and a T-shirt.
“Sorry, we didn’t anticipate any women being in this safehouse,” I apologize, but she just takes the clothes and goes into the bathroom downstairs, not saying a word.
I rub my hand across my face, cursing under my breath. This isn’t how I thought I would spend my weekend, that’s for sure.
I call Dante while she’s in the bathroom, heading into the kitchen to see if there’s a bottle of whiskey somewhere. Thank god, there is, and I pour myself a generous helping and knock it back while I wait for Dante to answer.
“Ricci,” he barks.
“How’s Francesca?” I ask instantly.
“She’s sleeping now. Mia gave her a sedative,” he says, and I let out a sigh of relief. “How’s Aurora?”
