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"For me?" I felt faint. "But why--"
"Angel took a shot at an Irishman on our turf tonight, and Dom thought he saw you with him." Luca had ripped a strip of cloth from Alfie's shirt and was binding his leg with harsh, angry movements. "Everyone's on the lookout for a wounded Irishman, and Angel's looking for you."
"Em? Wh-what's happening?" Sofia's voice wavered. She looked like she was going to be sick.
Luca hauled me up by the arm and pulled Alfie's sweatshirt off me before pushing me towards Sofia. I'd never seen him so mad. "Doesn't matter. Get her out of here, Sofia. Home, not the bookshop. They'll try there first."
I shrugged off Sofia's hands. "I'm not leaving him."
"Go home, Emilia."
"No!" I growled and tried to pull Luca off him. He was slapping Alfie's cheek, trying to wake him up. "What are you going to do with him?"
"Drop him back in Southie where he belongs." Luca's tone was sharp and cold, and it stung. I winced. Luca swore under his breath. "Look, I'll get him help, okay? But you need to leave."
"Come on, Emilia. Let's go." Sofia tugged on my arm.
I ignored her. "Promise me you'll help him, Luca. Please."
Luca stared down at Alfie for a long moment. Then he sighed and said, quietly, "I will do everything in my power, Emilia. I swear it. Now, please. Go."
Sofia pulled me towards the street, and I let her. My glimpse down the alley was of Luca hunched over Alfie’s prone body, trying to get him on his feet. Then we were around the corner, hand in hand as I let Sofia lead me home. The night had turned frigid, the summertime daydream of our afternoon together punctured and draining out on the asphalt along with Alfie's blood. The cold air bit my skin, but it was nothing compared to the gnawing worry that settled in my chest. I had no choice but to trust that Luca would get Alfie to safety.
I didn't remember Sofia dragging me through the side entrance of the mansion, or my feet blindly carrying me up the back staircase. I didn't remember crawling into bed. I didn't remember Sofia helping me change out of my bloody clothes in the dark, but I did remember the utter silence between us. Silence that spoke volumes.
Doors slammed, it might have been hours later, maybe minutes. I heard the raised voices in the hallway, but when my door opened, it wasn't hard to give into the numbness and feint sleep. And when my door closed and I was enveloped in darkness once more, it was a relief to let my tears finally fall.
I was a coward to leave him.
It was all my fault.
I'd played with fire, and Alfie was the one who had gotten burned.
seven
Alfie
"Come on, lover boy,up you get."
Knuckles dug into my sternum, and I weakly batted them away. "Get off me."
"As much as I'd love to just let you bleed out quietly in this alley, I can't," a disembodied voice said above me. "Emilia made me promise, and I don't break promises to her."
My eyelids cracked open at Emilia's name. Shit--where was she? Was she safe? I wasn't sure where I was, even. Shrugging off the offending hands, I lurched to my feet. Or tried to. The world slid sideways, and I caught myself on the bricks. "Shit...I'm dizzy."
"I imagine so. You're leaking a little bit."
The disembodied voice finally resolved itself into a person after a few revolutions, and I blinked up at him. The guy had to be at least 6'3", shaggy haired and built like a brick shithouse.
"Oh. It's you,” I slurred. “The friend.Luca."
His eyes narrowed. "Do I know you?"
"Emilia told me about you...wait. Where's Emilia?" My thoughts were fluffy and hard to grasp. "Where is she?"
I made a grab at Luca's jacket in what was supposed to be a demanding gesture, but I missed. Luca caught me, instead. "Easy. She's safe. Sofia took her home and got her cleaned up."
"Cleaned up?"
