Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 75616 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75616 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
It seemed like I stood under the tap for hours until the water finally stopped swirling red around the drain.
Then it was pink for just as long.
Before, finally, the water seemed clear again.
I scrubbed myself then, getting every inch of my body five times over, not wanting a tiny trace of evidence to be found on me if the police were looking too closely.
Finally finished, I climbed out, dressed, then toweled my hair until it was almost dry, knowing that showing up with wet hair might be a red flag as well.
Finished, I moved to the doorway, where I waited for Luca, who led me outside.
“Mama!” Judah cheered, making me turn to find him with his arms thrown up in the air as Lucky held him.
He looked okay.
Tired.
A little puffy from crying.
But unharmed.
And not traumatized.
“I should probably apologize for how many cookies I let him eat,” Lucky said as I took Judah and crushed him to my chest, burying my face in his curls, breathing him in, reminding myself that I’d done what I’d needed to do to keep him safe.
That helped a bit.
“Ow, Mama,” Judah whined, making me release him slightly.
“Sorry, baby,” I said, sniffling again.
“You ready?” Milo asked, coming up behind me.
“Yeah,” I agreed, nodding.
“You remember the story?” he asked as we all got into the car, me in the back with Judah.
“Yes.”
“You might not even be questioned,” Lucky said. “They probably got a statement from Damon, and are starting to look into this story.”
“But… what if they don’t find anything to, uh, corroborate it?” I asked.
“They will. Spent shells. On the road where Damon said they were shot at. On a stretch of rural road with no cameras.”
“Right. Okay.”
“It’s going to be alright,” Lucky said, glancing at me in the rearview as he turned off the side road that led to the safe house.
“How are you both so calm?” I asked, the pain dripping into my voice again. Aurelio was their brother. Shouldn’t they be freaking out?
The men shared a look, then it was Lucky who spoke. “The panic and adrenaline and all that shit… it catches up to us after,” he explained.
I guess that made sense, with how often they likely experienced life-or-death scenarios.
“Is your mom okay? And Sofia? Elisa?”
“Mom is at the hospital already. Smush and Elisa should be pulling up soon too,” Lucky said.
“Great first impression I’ll give to your mom,” I mumbled to myself.
“What?”
“By almost getting her son killed,” I said, eyes flooding again, and I didn’t even try to blink them away.
“Hey, no,” Lucky said, shaking his head. “Don’t think like that.”
“It’s the truth, though. If not for me—“
“Our brother would’ve likely been dead at the docks a while back,” Milo cut me off. “Don’t shoulder shit that’s not yours to carry. This was our problem even without you.”
That was only partially true, but it felt useless to argue with them. If not downright cruel. They were trying to comfort me when it was their brother on an operating table, fighting for his life.
So I just kept my mouth shut as we made our way to the hospital, letting my fingers toy with Judah’s curls as he fought, and ultimately lost, his battle with sleep.
He was still out cold as I pulled him out of his seat, pressed him to my shoulder, and followed Lucky and Milo as they speed-walked into the emergency room, where we were directed up to the surgery floor.
“Ma!” Lucky said, striding toward a woman who was wringing her hands in a seat with two younger women at her sides.
I recognized Sofia immediately. And her sister looked a lot like her.
All three of them had been crying, their faces splotchy and eyes red.
“No updates yet,” their mother said as she stood, letting herself be pulled into a big hug by her eldest son.
Milo made his way to his sisters, wrapping them up.
Whatever strength they’d found to stop their tears up until then evaporated in the strong arms of their son and brother, all three women crying hard.
I sank down in a chair as far from them as I could get, wanting to give them their privacy, not wanting to pester them with my own grief as another wave of tears started to flow.
I ducked my head and pressed my lips together, trying to keep my sobs in as not to wake up Judah, who was still dead weight against my chest and shoulder.
“Oh, honey,” a warm female voice said, making me look up to find Aurelio’s mom, Adrian, standing there, her eyes soft. “Oh, he’s going to be okay,” she said, squatting down to press her hands onto my knees.
“It’s my fault,” I said, sniffling hard enough to startle Judah. “I’m so sorry!”
“No, no, none of that,” she said.
Then she was reaching for Judah, lifting him from me, and pressing him to her own shoulder for a second, seeming to soak up that little bit of comfort, before passing him to Lucky, and coming to sit next to me, her hand grabbing both of mine.