32. 32 – Stasi #2
I slide from my stool as he opens his arms, unashamedly nestling into them, breathing him in.
“I told you,” he murmurs into my hair. “You’re not on your own anymore. I’m just sorry that we didn’t get there in time to stop him from touching you.”
I glance up at his tone. His eyes aren’t on me. They’re on the kitchen door, and his face is edged with the promise of violence.
“So,” I whisper, wanting to distract him. “Guns, huh?”
It works. He stiffens beneath me. Clears his throat. “Our work is… complicated.”
“Illegal,” I test.
His lips twist.
“ Complicated . Most of what we do is completely legal. But…,”
He sighs. “There is always a dark side where money is involved. People will do almost anything to get it. To take it from you. So we do what we must, when we need to.”
I mull it over as his fingers tighten on my back.
“We protect what’s ours,” he says quietly. “Including you.”
His words shouldn’t make me feel warm. Silas and Rafe are outside in the dark, ending a man’s life because he tried to hurt me. And yet I can’t bring myself to feel the slightest bit of upset over it.
It feels nice to be protected.
When they walk in, I’m sat on Kit’s lap with an ice pack held over my cheek. Rafe stalks in first. The sleeves of his shirt are pushed up, filthy at the ends with mud and something darker. There’s a streak of scarlet across his cheek.
His eyes immediately find mine, and Kit relinquishes me to his twin as Rafe draws me close, his hands reaching up to examine the bruising. “I want to kill him again. Are you...,”
“I’m fine,” I promise him. It’s not far from the truth. My limbs have stopped shaking, the cold chased away by Kit’s embrace. “I swear, Rafe.”
His hands tighten on my face. “I promised you that you were safe here.”
At his desolate tone, I cautiously lift my hands up, placing them over his cheeks. He jerks. “I’m a mess—,”
“I don’t care,” I tell him firmly, stopping him from pulling away. “I am safe here. You found me. You came in time, Rafe.”
His breathing is choppy and harsh as he watches me. “I should have been faster.”
I tip one shoulder up in a shrug. “Should have, would have, could have. You got there in time to stop him.”
His lips are a thin line, his green eyes glittering. But his fingers reach up, sliding around my neck as he slowly presses his forehead to mine. “I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you.”
“You don’t have to,” I say gently. “Because I’m still here. And he’s… swimming with the fishes.”
Rafe draws his head back, his eyebrows raising. And the uncompromising line of his mouth, softens, lifts at the corners. “Swimming with the fishes?”
He sounds… entertained. I flush. “Isn’t that what happens?”
And he snorts with laughter. “Not quite. Although I wasn’t expecting you to sound quite so… well-versed, in the art of body disposal.”
Frowning, I step back and cross my arms. “How do you do it, then?”
He stares at me. “You really want to know?”
I debate it. “Yep.”
He leans in, and I tilt my head. He whispers.
“Pigs?” My eyes feel like saucers. “Seriously?”
He nods, and I can see him trying not to laugh. “Seriously. They’ll eat anything. There’s a farm up the road.”
I don’t know whether to be horrified or intrigued.
“Damn,” I breathe. “I’m never eating pork again.”
Farewell, sweet bacon. It was fun while it lasted.
Silence.
And then laughter , both Rafe and Kit bursting out in guffaws that make my cheeks heat in embarrassment, even as I find myself fighting my own smile.
“Where’s Silas?” I ask when they trail off.
Rafe hesitates. “He was… messy. He went straight to clean up.”
Right. I try not to cringe.
Nodding, I twist to look between them. “I should probably get back to bed.”
It’s late, and they both look tired. Rafe carefully places his hand on my back. “We’ll walk you up.”
We have to pass through the hall, and I pause, glancing down at the floor. There’s no sign of any blood, only drying marks as though the floor has been… cleaned.
“Silas,” Rafe offers in explanation. “He didn’t want you to have to see anything.”
“At least I don’t have to clean it tomorrow.” But my quip falls flat, and the twins exchange glances over my head. I look between them. “What?”
“Nothing.” Kit reaches for my door, twisting the handle and pushing it open. He turns back to me, cupping my cheek and leaning in to kiss my forehead. “Try to get some rest. Do you want me to stay?”
I hesitate, torn between wanting him with me and not wanting either of them to think that I’m scared. Finally, I shake my head. “I’ll be fine.”
His violet eyes examine me closely, but he doesn’t argue as I pass him, twisting in the doorway. “Night.”
Rafe shifts. “Call if you need us. Either of us. Promise me.”
“I promise,” I whisper. I offer them both a smile before I push the door closed.
I crawl under the covers, pulling them over me until I’m covered.
It takes a minute.
And then the shaking begins again. Starting in my hands, working its way up.
I told them I was fine.
I am fine.
They came before the worst happened.
But I can’t stop seem to stop shaking .