“They really are safe?” I nod. “Okay. Let’s go.”
I grab her hand and look out the door. I check both ways and see nothing out of the ordinary. I press the remote start on my key ring, and the SUV starts with no issues. I breathe a sigh of relief. I nod to the guard who is standing in front of it. We had a guard for each vehicle outside tonight. Their only job had been to stand and guard the cars. Mine is the only one left, so I know the others have already made their way to somewhere safe.
“Okay. Run.” I pull Mia out the door and over to the SUV. The guard opens the door, and I shove her in. Within seconds, I’m in my side and rushing out of the back alley.
“What happened, Lo?” I notice her use of my nickname instead of my proper name.
I tear my earpiece out and throw it in the cup holder.
“I don’t know, Mia. Did you see anything? Tell me what it felt like from down there.”
She takes a deep breath. “I had been dancing with Eric. We were smiling and laughing. Suddenly it sounded like a gun went off. I panicked and dropped to the floor. Eric tried to yank me up. He kept yelling at me. He said I needed to run with him. He kept saying we had to get out of the open. What he said made sense, but I froze. I couldn’t find Izzy. I looked around, but all I could see was people running. Eric started pulling me. Then when I ran into you.”
She starts to breathe heavily as she thinks back. I reach out and grab her hand.
“Calm down,mio piccolo angelo. You need to breathe. Take a deep breath with me. Come on. In.” I breathe in and listen to her do the same. “Out.” I let the breath out in one whoosh. “Again.” We do it several more times before she finally seems okay.
“Thank you. I’m calm now.” She moves to pull her hand out of mine, but I’m not quite ready to let go yet.
“Please. I just need to know you’re okay.”
“Okay, Lo.”
We drive in silence for a while before she speaks up. “We’re leaving Brooklyn? Where is this safe location?”
“I don’t know where the others are going. This was the plan. Each one of us picked our own safe locations to take you girls to if something went wrong. I’m taking you to mine.”
“Where is that?”
“My home.”
“But we are leaving Brooklyn?”
I glance over and see she looks confused.
“Not my house here in Brooklyn. My home. Remember the one I told you about?” I glance over and see recognition light behind her eyes.
“In Manhattan. The home you had before you moved to Brooklyn.”
I nod and look back to the road.
“Okay. Can I put some music on? The silence is making me think too much.”
“Sure.”
She leans forward and uses her right hand to turn on the radio. She finds a station she likes and turns the music up just enough to create a small background noise.
I breathe in her scent. Lemon and cinnamon. I don’t know why she smells that way to me, but I’m thankful tonight wasn’t the last night I got to take comfort in it. I’m thankful for its invasion now.
Chapter Ten
Mia
My heartbeat has finally returned to normal. It took a while, but holding Lo’s hand has helped much to my dismay.
I felt him the moment I walked into the club tonight. I knew he was watching me. Sofia told us they were going to be there, but that they were ordered to the shadows. She said Bash wouldn’t agree to the party without them being there. We relented. I didn’t care for Lo, but I understood we needed protection.
After what happened tonight, I’m beyond glad they were there. I didn’t think anything would happen, but it seems I was wrong. I think back to that moment.
