8. Kimbra
KIMbrA
H eartbroken doesn’t do justice to the way my chest is being ripped apart as I step inside my apartment. Crushingly defeated is closer, or perhaps painfully naive .
I sink into my couch and close my eyes against the river of tears fighting its way to the surface. I’m not sure who I’m more angry with: Aurelio or myself.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m absolutely livid at Aurelio. He provided a safe haven when I needed it most and said all of the right words. The way he comforted me and made me feel unfathomable pleasure…
Then he shoved a scalding iron poker into my chest, skewering my heart. That’s what I feel like. Not heartbroken , more like heart-skewered-and-bar-b-qued .
My phone rings, startling me from my morose thoughts. I dig through my purse, hating myself for hoping the caller is Aurelio. As angry and hurt as I am right now, part of me still aches to be with him.
When I see my phone, a small, stupid part of my bar-b-qued heart sinks at the name flashing across the screen. It’s Sadie, not Aurelio. I almost don’t answer the call but decide I could use a distraction.
“Hey,” I say, wincing at my scratchy voice.
“Oh, my god, what’s wrong? Are you crying? Who did this to you? As soon as my ankle heals, I’ll drive to Vegas and run them over with my car.”
A smile tugs at my lips despite my tears. “No, that won’t be necessary. Let’s just say I’m going to be single for a long, long time.”
“Why? Oh, hon,” Sadie says, deducing the reason I’m crying. “Don’t tell me it was Big Bad Balcony Boy who did this to you. I’ll cut each one of his toes off and–”
“I’m okay, Sadie,” I promise her. “No chopping of toes will be necessary. I just need to… I don’t know. Toughen up, I guess.”
“He told you that? Motherfu–”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s over, and I’ve learned my lesson.”
Sadie has always been protective of me, of everyone, really. She knows what it’s like to be helpless, and though she’d never admit it, she has a huge heart. Then I register something else she said.
“Wait, did you say you hurt your ankle?”
“Oh, yeah. No worries, though. I’m being taken real good care of.” I swear I can hear her smiling over the phone.
“What does that mean?” I say with a soft laugh. “Last time we talked, you were upset that your boss was sending you up a mountain to do a property assessment.”
“Yup. Best thing that ever happened to me.”
“What? Why?” I’m more confused than ever, but at least I’m not thinking about Aurelio. Mostly.
“Long story, but it has a happy ending.”
“Nuh-uh, I need more information,” I tell her. A deep voice rumbles over the phone, slightly muffled as if the person is in another room.
“Gotta go,” Sadie says. “I promise I’ll catch you up on everything later. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m positive,” I lie through my teeth. My friend seems happy for the first time in ages, and I don’t want to bring her down. Sadie deserves all the happiness she can get.
We hang up, and I flop back down on my couch, unsure of what to do with myself.
It’s Saturday, so I don’t have class to distract me.
I could visit the university greenhouse and check on my final project.
There isn’t much to do since the plant samples are already maturing beautifully, but I should probably double-check.
I may even need to start a whole new project.
Might as well take advantage of the school’s equipment while I still have access, right?
Half an hour later, I’m in the lab in the back of the greenhouse, taking samples and making notes of my hybrid plant. It’s only been two days since I last checked on my beauties, but they’ve already grown so much.
Two of the plants have started to flower, which is a huge breakthrough. I wasn’t sure if I got the right plant DNA transferred to make the hybrid bloom, but it appears I did.
The stem of the plant is thick and textured with vertical ridges, much like a cactus.
Every centimeter or so is a thorn that separates into three sharp points.
The stem has small buds surrounding its tip, each one stacked on the other for five rows, almost like lavender buds.
The first bud at the tippy top has burst open, the flower a familiar spiraling pattern of petals similar to the dahlia.
“Incredible,” I whisper to myself. It’s even more amazing than I had hoped. My eyes start to water the longer I stare at my creation. What an apt metaphor for Aurelio and me.
He’s this strong, resilient, often prickly person, and I’m… softer. Delicate, like he told me this morning. I still don’t think that’s a bad thing. Just look at how masterfully those qualities merged to create something so beautiful.
Everything comes together in this moment, like I’ve popped out of the Matrix, and I’ve finally seen the pieces of the puzzle snapping into place. I have to go back to Aurelio. I have to show him this plant and explain the revelation I just had.
I grab a plastic nursery pot from the stack in the corner of the desk and carefully remove one of the ten samples I’ve been growing all year. I only had to do six for the experiment, but years of working on things like this has taught me to always do extra.
Once I’ve successfully potted the hybrid, I place it in a small cardboard box that will protect it during transfer. I gently put the box in my backpack and start my walk across campus to catch the next bus heading to Aurelio’s part of town.
I barely make it five steps before I’m suddenly jerked to the side by a large hand wrapped around my upper arm. “What–”
“Shut up and get in the van,” a familiar voice says. I look over my shoulder and recoil when I see the officer from yesterday. Was it really just yesterday ?
His fingers dig into my flesh, and I bite back a whimper. The man shoves me forward, and I have a moment of déjà vu from my nightmare. This can’t be happening. This cannot be happening to me.
When my shoulder and hip hit the hard flooring of the van, I’m made painfully aware of how real this situation is.
Unlike in my dream, my hands aren’t tied up.
I scramble backward until I hit the side of the vehicle, then hold my hands out in front of me to block any violence this man might throw my way. Huge mistake.
The man, I think his name is Chase, grabs my outstretched hands and puts cuffs on my wrists. God, I’m such an idiot.
I’m not sure where we’re headed, but I’m at least smart enough not to ask questions. These men know how to make a body disappear. Not only that, they’re also the law. They can stall an investigation indefinitely if they want to.
“Home sweet home,” Chase says. The van comes to a stop, and I give him a questioning look. He wrenches open the door and tosses me out. I land on the driveway pavement of my father’s house with a thud. A rough hand grabs me by the hair and yanks me up until I’m standing.
I look around, hoping someone driving by might see me or a nosy neighbor spying from their window. I’m greeted with complete stillness and the kind of quiet that is somehow deafening. There’s no one around to hear me scream.
One officer opens the front door while the other pushes me inside. I trip over the doorstep and catch myself on my knees before face-planting onto the hardwood floor.
“Kimbra!” my dad yells. “Kimbra, Jesus…”
I scramble toward his voice, looking up when I see the boots he always wears to work. My father is also in cuffs, though his hands are behind his back, unlike mine. He has a bloody nose and what looks like the beginning of a nasty black eye.
“Dad,” I choke out as I scoot up next to him. “What are they going to do?”
He doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t have to. The look of abject terror and sorrow in his eyes tells me everything I need to know. I’ve never seen him this afraid of anything, and more importantly, I’ve never seen him on the verge of tears. We’re fucked.
“We know you’ve been playing both sides,” Chase says. He casually twirls a gun around his finger, and my eyes are drawn to the light reflecting off the dark metal. He looks unhinged.
“Yes, we’ve gone over this,” my dad says. “Let my daughter go. You want me to get out of bed with the Caparellis. That has nothing to do with my daughter.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I want your whore of a daughter to get out of bed with the Caparellis. One Caparelli, in particular.”
My heart sinks, and my stomach turns to stone. My father furrows his brow in confusion.
“Oh, what’s that?” Chase continues. “You didn’t know innocent little Kimbra spent the night with Aurelio Caparelli?”
I shrink into a ball, though I can still feel the weight of my father’s gaze on me. “Kimbra?” he asks in a quiet but shaky voice. “Is this true?”
“Yes,” I squeak. What’s the point of lying at a time like this? It might be my last moment on earth. That thought has terror rushing through me, flooding my lungs and suffocating me with each passing second. What if I never see Aurelio again?
In one swift motion, Officer Chase kneels in front of me and tips my chin up with the muzzle of his gun. I’m trembling from head to toe, but I keep my eyes locked on his. If he shoots me in the head, I’m damn well going to make him look me in the eye.
“No!” my father shouts. “No, please, God, no. Chase, stop it. Shoot me . Kill me . I’m the one you want to punish, not her. Not my baby girl.” His desperate pleas are ignored.
I hold my breath as the sound of the safety clicking off on the gun fills my ears. A gunshot rips through the air, but… but I’m still here. Still alive.
The man kneeling in front of me slumps to the side, the hand holding his gun falling limply to the floor. I can’t breathe or blink. I’m frozen in place, still not understanding what happened.
I glance down at Chase’s body and notice a bullet lodged in his back, blood pouring from the wound. Who…?
“Kimbra, thank fuck.” Aurelio’s deep, gravelly timbre wraps around me like a blanket
I finally suck air into my lungs, the rush of oxygen making me dizzy. “How…?” I breathe before choking out a sob.
“Lorenzo, get the keys,” he commands one of the dozen men now pouring into my father’s house. Seconds later, Aurelio is tossed a small key,, and he undoes my handcuffs. “Did they hurt you? Are you okay?”
His words are rushed as he looks me over, surveying the damage. Aurelio gently brushes his thumbs over the angry red marks on my wrists, then tenderly checks my face and arms for marks.
“I’m taking you home,” he announces.
I nod, wanting nothing more in the whole world. Aurelio scoops me up, his strong arms folding me into his all-consuming, safe embrace. I bury my head against his chest, letting the fabric of his shirt soak up my tears.
“Aurelio,” my father says from beside us. I look up and notice someone must have undone his handcuffs as well. “You and my daughter?”
“I will always protect her,” he replies, his tone steady and unwavering. The two men share a long, meaningful look. Finally, my father nods once before turning his gaze on me.
“I love you, and I’m so sorry,” he says. “I’m sorry you got caught up in this.”
I nod and tighten my hold on Aurelio. “I know,” I tell him. “I love you, too, Dad. I’m safe and happy with Aurelio.”
My beastly mafia boss grunts in approval, and even though I’m still recovering from everything that happened today, I can’t help but grin. This man. He’s got a lot of groveling to do, but I think he’s up for the challenge.
Aurelio makes his way outside, but before we get to his car, I spot my backpack. It must have fallen off my back when I was shoved out of the van.
“Wait,” I tell him.
Aurelio pauses, and his eyes meet mine. He looks like he’s bracing himself for rejection, but that’s not what’s happening.
“My backpack,” I clarify, pointing to the pink and blue checkered bag.
Aurelio steps up beside the bag and dips me backward, much like the dance we shared not all that long ago. I grab my backpack, giggling when he pulls me back up. He presses his lips to my forehead and breathes me in.
“I owe you an epic apology, and I know I’m not out of the doghouse yet,” he murmurs. “But hearing your sweet laughter gives me hope you’ll hear me out.”
I nod. “Take me home,” I whisper.
Aurelio does just that.