Chapter 49 REALITY CHECK
“Here. Drink this. Calms the nerves.” Scarlett shoves a cup into my face as we huddle inside my bedroom after I almost got killed.
Again.
The gunfire still rings through my skull, the stench of charred tires burning my nose.
“What happened?” Aria rubs my back. “Breathe through your nose, out your mouth. Good. Repeat. This is what I have my trauma patients do.”
Elias freaked them out half an hour ago when Aria was helping Scarlett restock the shelves at the café. He yanked the girls and deposited them here after he saw me shaking, curled up into a ball in the armchair.
His eyes were murderous, his lips peeled in a snarl, and he dashed out, saying he was going to stop it all.
“G-God, I’m so s-sorry for dragging you guys into this. You should go home. It’s late.”
I sip the tea, and heat slowly spreads through my body, warming my icy hands.
“Shut up. Ride or die,” Aria mutters. “I don’t give up on patients, and I sure as hell won’t give up on you.”
“You’re safe now.” Scarlett breathes with me. “Talking about it might help.”
I nod and focus on her voice, my pulse thankfully slowing. I need to get my shit together. Panic won’t save anyone. Elias brought the girls over to give me support. I trust them.
“Have you guys heard of The Association?” I ask.
Scarlett and Aria exchange glances.
Scarlett leans in and whispers, “They’re hush hush but everyone in Saints Hollow has heard of them. Aria came across a few of their victims in the ER. Some mysterious organization that controls the gangs, right?”
I nod and give them a filtered-down version of what I know and don’t know—namely, who’s after us.
“On the way to the Navy Pier, Ren got a flat tire. Strange, because he was zealous about safety. We pulled off the freeway, and they ambushed us.”
I shudder. Snippets slam into my mind again. Headlights barreling straight at us. Gunshots raining on our car. Sofia ramming her truck into their side. The screeching of metal and the white noise.
“And you guys have no idea who’s behind this? It’s not The Association?” Scarlett asks.
“Who doesn’t want to kill Elias?” I whisper, my fingers trembling around the cup.
He’s the dealer of secrets. This isn’t the first time he’s been threatened. But it’s obvious from the two ambushes that with me in the crosshairs, I’m a liability to him.
He gave no one leverage before.
I’m his only weakness.
“More, please.” I hand the cup to Scarlett. If I didn’t need my wits about me, I’d ask for a bottle of whiskey instead.
She quickly pours more of her concoction from the teapot. “What are you going to do next?”
A rope binds around my chest, tightening as my pulse ratchets up again.
There’s fear for sure—I’ve never had so many brushes with death before.
No PR strategies or self-defense courses ever prepared me for this.
I could leave. Elias asked me to leave when I found the secret room because he knew I wasn’t born for this world. He knew it’d be safer for me to be away from him.
But is it?
When Elias told me the phantom had stolen the package, my heart dropped to the floor. That evidence was what we were banking on. It was why I was still breathing, still safe from The Association. Without it, I’m no longer useful. I’m a liability and a loose end.
Sure, Maxwell’s probably negotiating with the Berishas to let me go.
But I know too much, and my brothers abide by The Association because of me. Our family will turn our backs on The Association the moment I escape.
Will a wolf ever release its prey? This isn’t just the Berishas anymore. It’s all of them. The whole rotten food chain.
And can I live without him—the dangerous man with a riveting scar, who makes my heart flutter, who has secretly loved me all these years?
“I promised him I’d stay,” I whisper more to myself than to the girls.
I chose him in the dungeon. I chose him again after unlocking the secret room. But this time, it’s different. This time, I’ve felt what he’s trying to protect me from—what it’s like to be this close to dying.
Yes, I’m terrified, but fear doesn’t change my decision.
Mom’s words flit through my mind. She said I was the strongest, the one capable of carrying the burden. Maybe this is what she meant.
“But…you could die,” Scarlett says. “Is that worth it?”
Blowing out a breath, I look up, finding twin concerned expressions. They each take my hand and I squeeze them back, grateful for them.
Images crowd in—the elm tree with our carving, the music box, Elias reading, stargazing with me.
He’s protected me all these years, even when he thought he hated me.
Even when he knew I had a role in his family’s deaths.
It’s time I do my part.
“Some melodies,” I whisper, “you only need to listen once to remember forever.”
“Oh, Lana.” Aria squeals and hugs me tight. “So romantic.”
“Just have Blake say that stuff to you. I, on the other hand, have no one,” Scarlett mutters, a grin tugging her lips when she joins the group hug.
I laugh, a weight lifting off my chest.
Determination surges through me, sparring with the leftover jitters until strength wins.
After pulling back, I grip the pendant over my chest and take out my phone.
I’m not completely helpless.
I have one more card left to play.
Lana
Are you ready for a deal? Because if you are, I want to talk.
Tristan’s response comes minutes later.
Geraldine’s Chocolates
Paperwork’s finalized. Immunity provided no additional capital offense. The best I could do. Let’s meet.
I stare at the screen, my heart thrumming.
Maybe I can save Elias this time.