Chapter 33
Thirty-Three
Ihead into the dining room for breakfast on Friday morning and almost turn around when I see Sid’s the only one in the room.
Great. Just what I’m in the mood for.
But I’m starving, so I enter the room. I sit and dish out my meal without saying a word. We continue like that in awkward silence for at least five minutes before Sid breaks the silence.
“Did you hear the news about Kol and Rapsody?”
I look up from my phone at him. “No. Everything okay?” After everything that went down with those two last year, it’s a valid question.
“They flew to Atlanta last week and tied the knot. They’re married.”
Even though I’m still pissed at Sid, I smile. “Good for them.”
A month ago, I thought I might follow in their same footsteps, but no longer.
It’s quiet again for a few minutes, during which time I question whether it’s even really worth it to still be pissed at Sid given what happened with Cinder. He was probably protecting me and had a better sense than I did of the person she was.
“Asher filled me in on what went down with Cinder.”
My hand clenches around my fork. “Don’t bother with the told-you-sos.”
Though I’ve moved on from my anger and into grief, I feel a little spark light in my veins, knowing Sid’s about to start his shit again.
He holds up his hands in front of him. “I’m not gonna say that. I’m going to say the opposite. I heard about what went down, and yeah, it’s shitty she lied to you. No doubt. But I saw you two together. She loved you, kid.”
My jaw clenches. “People who love you don’t lie to you.”
Sid knows why I’m so sensitive about people close to me lying. He was there when I found out the biggest lie of all, and it crushed me as a kid.
“Maybe. Or maybe they do when they think the truth won’t change anything, and all it will do is hurt you.”
Our gazes lock and hold. Somewhere in there, I think there’s an apology and an explanation for what he and my brothers did all those years ago.
“If you really think that I should just forgive Cinder and move on, then why did you say all that shit about her?”
He frowns and shrugs. “I don’t know. My head’s been a mess lately.” He pushes his chair back and stands. “Listen, all I’m saying is that no matter what happened, she loved you. That was obvious to anyone around you two. The question is, do you love her enough to get past this? Because no one is perfect, Nero. We all have our regrets, but just because someone isn’t perfect, it doesn’t mean they aren’t worth loving.”
My throat tightens as I watch him leave the room.
I want to forgive her, I do. The question is, can I?
I managedto stay away for a week, when I was still angry. But as the anger gave way to devastation, I found myself once again stalking her, needing to know her every move. Which is why I’ve been across the street and spying on Cinder through the large front window of her studio for hours.
I can’t fight the feeling of pride when I look at all she’s accomplished. It’s been clear to me the whole time how passionate she is about this endeavor, and to see it complete and ready to open makes me wish we were on better terms so that I could wrap my arms around her and tell her what a good job she’s done.
The lights inside the studio flip off. I watch her lock the door and start down the sidewalk toward her vehicle as my phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out and see that it’s a message from Asher telling me that he’s arranged for a celebratory dinner for Kol and Rapsody this Sunday evening, and he expects me to be there. I roll my eyes.
A sound from the road makes me look up.
My heart almost stops.
Cinder is being dragged into the alleyway between buildings as she struggles with whoever is covering her mouth.
Adrenaline fires in my veins, and I exit my car, pocketing my phone and running across the street toward them. Fear burns in my lungs and has my eyes wide as I reach the alley and see Cinder pushed against the side of the building, mouth still covered by some greasy guy’s hand as he hovers over her.
This motherfucker is going to wish he was never born.
I race toward them, and the sound of my feet hitting the concrete must alert them to my presence because they both turn in my direction. It’s then I recognize the assailant as Lisa’s shitty ex, Freddie.
“Get the fuck away from her!” I run toward them.
Freddie keeps one hand on Cinder but shifts to face me, pointing a gun in my direction.
“No!” Cinder screams. She yanks his arm, and the bullet hits the brick wall to my right.
“Fucking bitch,” he shouts and turns the gun on her.
“No!” I shout, running toward them.
The gunshot is deafening as I slam into him and tackle him to the ground. He grunts, and I scramble for the gun. I grab the hand holding the gun and slam it against the ground, then shove my arm down on his neck between his chin and sternum, pressing as hard as I can. He bucks, but I hold tight, continuing to slam his hand down on the pavement until it dislodges the gun. He’s passed out. Or maybe dead. I don’t care.
Crawling forward, I palm the gun, then take out the magazine and bullet from the chamber. I stand to go to Cinder, and my blood runs cold as I watch blood pour from her side.
“No, no, no, no!” I rush over and set the gun on the ground, kneeling beside her.
The sound of sirens ring through the night. Obviously, someone must’ve heard the gunshots and called the police.
Quickly pulling off my shirt, I ball it up and use it to put pressure on her wound, hoping to slow the bleeding.
“Why did you have to do that, princess? I’d rather it be me than you.” Tears track down my cheeks. I shake my head, thinking of how I’ve treated her these past couple of weeks and wishing I could take it back. “Don’t you dare die, Cinder, do you hear me? Don’t you dare die!”
Despite me pushing down hard on the wound, my shirt soaks with blood.
“Step away from the gun!”
I look over my shoulder and see the police with guns drawn and a paramedic with a bag waiting behind them.
I raise my hands and step away. “Please help her!”
One of the cops comes forward and pushes me up against the wall, yanking my hands behind me and cuffing me. When he turns me around to pat me down, Cinder is already being cared for by the paramedic. Thank God.
“What the hell happened here?” the cop asks.
I ignore him and call out to the paramedic, “Is she going to be okay?” Please tell me she’s going to survive.
“We’re going to do our best, sir,” he says.
“I’ve got a pulse on this one,” the female paramedic helping Freddie says.
“We need to transport her to hospital ASAP. I’m calling the helicopter,” the guy says and presses the button on his radio.
“Hey, I asked you a question,” the cop says again.
“I need to go with her when they transport her.”
“You’re not going anywhere, son.” He tries to lead me down the alleyway, but I put up a fight, not wanting to be away from Cinder. The cop shoves me into the wall. “Resisting arrest is only going to make this worse for you.”
“I’m not leaving her!” I hate using my family name like this, but it’s for Cinder, so I have no shame. “My name is Nero Voss, and that man assaulted and shot my girlfriend.”
The word girlfriend slips out without a thought. But it feels right. Because I know now that if she survives this, I will never let her go again. Ever.
“Voss? Like the Vosses that live at the top of the hill?”
“One and the same. Check my wallet for my ID if you want.”
He reaches out his hand to his partner for the wallet he took out when he did his initial pat down and flips open my wallet to my ID.
“Listen, I’ll answer anything you want me to, but I need to make sure she’s all right first. I need to be on that helicopter with her.”
“Sir, there’s no room for you on the helicopter,” the male paramedic says. “You’d be compromising the level of care we can give her. You’ll have to meet us there.”
I clench my teeth—hard—wanting to argue with him, but I don’t want to make it harder for them to save her life.
“Fine. Whatever.” I look back at the cop. “Just take these cuffs off, and I promise once I know she’s going to be okay, I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
The cop talking to me looks at his partner, who nods. Clearly his buddy knows that my family has the ability to make their lives a living hell. They’ll be stuck at a desk job for the rest of their careers if they don’t fall in line.
The cop pulls out the key to undo the handcuffs just as they’re moving Cinder onto a stretcher. “I’m sorry about this, Mr. Voss. We didn’t realize who you were when we arrived.”
“It’s fine.” I rush over to the stretcher and notice that Freddie is gaining consciousness. I get the cops’ attention. “He’s the one who shot her. That’s who you should have cuffs on.”
The sound of a helicopter fills the night as the paramedic pushes the stretcher down the alley toward the road. They’ll have to go to the open field just past downtown for the helicopter to land safely.
I bend down and kiss Cinder’s forehead. “Hang in there, princess. I’ll meet you there.”
Then I run the rest of the way to my car, desperate to reunite with her and beg her to forgive me for being a complete asshole.