45. Luna
FORTY-FIVE
LUNA
Luna hadn’t slept a wink all night. Her mind and body wouldn’t let her, constantly waking her with nightmares instead. It was horrible, but even worse was the realization the sun was up.
Valerio got dressed in thick black cargo pants. On top, he wore a black long-sleeve shirt, and then a black quarter zip on top to keep out the cold. He was dressed like he was a spy going on some top-secret mission.
Luna wore something similar. A black sweatshirt and black leggings. Wearing any other color felt wrong. They walked downstairs together, running into Dante who was already sitting at the table with a coffee in his hands.
“Good morning,” he said.
“How long have you been awake?” Valerio asked, grabbing two mugs.
“I haven’t slept,” Dante said.
“Neither have I,” Luna admitted, taking a seat at the table.
“I would have been surprised if you did,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee. Valerio came back, handing her a mug.
“We’ll leave soon,” Valerio said, taking a seat. “The sooner it’s finished, the better.”
They sat in silence after that, watching as one by one everyone came downstairs. First, Allister, followed by Blair and Cecilia. Finn and Augustus walked down together, leaving Gianna as the last one to wake up.
Valerio and Augustus set up some monitors and different computer systems that Luna knew nothing about. Once that was done, everyone got to work.
Dante and Finn checked the guns, making sure each was fully loaded and ready to go. Allister got out the other equipment, setting it out for all of them. Cecilia packed a first aid kit for each of them, Blair and Gianna helping her set up a station so that if anyone came home with cuts or worse, she could work on it right away.
Valerio and Augustus typed furiously on their computers, speaking to each other in some code that Luna found strangely attractive.
An hour had passed before they finally announced that they were ready to head out.
The mood in the house changed after that.
The nerves were still ever present, but now, the determination set in. Valerio grabbed one of the bulletproof vests Allister had set out, strapping himself in. It was hard not to watch him, memorize everything about him. She tried to tell herself to stop, that he would come home and everything would be alright, but her mind worked against her, savoring the moment nonetheless.
He grabbed two guns, putting them in his holster and holding the assault rifle over his shoulder. “You look terrifying,” Luna told him.
“I don’t prefer to wear things like this every day,” he said, cracking a small smile.
Luna couldn’t return it. “After today, I hope you never have to.”
“I’ll be okay,” he said. “Everything will go according to plan.”
She nodded, begging herself to keep her composure. But as she stared into his blue eyes, the same ones she had fallen so deeply in love with and the same ones she now called her husband, she couldn’t help the tear that slipped out her eye and down her cheek. “Please just come back to me.”
Valerio set down the rifle, pulling her into his arms. She held on to him as tightly as she could, unwilling to let him go. She wanted to just say fuck it to the plans, to keep him at home where she knew he would be safe. But this was bigger than her, it was bigger than him.
“I will always come back to you,” Valerio said.
“I love you,” Luna said. “I love you so, so much.”
“I love you too, my little moon,” he whispered. “I love you more than you'll ever know.”
He pulled back for a second, only to kiss her. It was perfect, like all kisses they ever shared. This one held nothing but love and hope. They were desperate to make it last as long as possible, but it was the lack of air that forced them apart. Her heart had never felt as empty as it did when he pulled away.
“I will see you after,” he told her with one more kiss. “I swear.”
Luna wiped a single tear that slipped from her eye. She stepped away from him completely, wrapping her arms around herself to stop her from reaching out and pulling him back to her. He stared at her for a long moment, flexing his hands as if he wanted to do the same to her.
Then he grabbed the rifle and walked outside with Allister.
Luna turned to Dante, who stood there watching them. “Good luck, Dante,” she said, grabbing his hand. “And when all of this is over, I hope you can find your own happiness.”
“Despite how much of a dick I was to you before, I couldn’t imagine life without you in it,” Dante said, squeezing her hand. He gave a small smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ll make sure nothing happens to him.”
She could only nod, the emotion thick in her throat. He walked out as well to join the other two.
It was just her, the girls, Finn, and Augustus who remained now. “When are you going?” Luna asked Finn.
“Any minute now,” he said, fastening himself into the bulletproof vest.
“Be careful,” Luna said.
“I kind of figured.” He snorted.
She grabbed his arm. “I’m being serious. Be careful, Finn, more careful than you’ve ever been in your life. You need to come back.”
The seriousness settled onto his face after that. “I’ll come back.” He pulled Luna into a hug. It had to have been the first one he had given her since they were children, making the moment all that much more bittersweet.
When they finally pulled away, Luna let the words she had been waiting to say all morning leave her lips. “Let me come with you.”
“Valerio doesn’t want you there,” Finn said, pulling back completely.
“I know he doesn’t. But I need to be there. Please. You can’t go in there alone.”
He was silent, his jaw clenched. “Fine, but if he asks, you jumped into the fucking car when I wasn’t looking.”
Luna nodded quickly, not expecting him to have agreed. Her Plan B was to do exactly that, but now she wouldn’t have to.
She put a bulletproof vest on, one that was entirely too big but would do the job. She was in a rush, but still stopped to share a group hug with the girls beforehand.
“You’re stronger than you know,” Gianna said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “You’re my hero, Luna.”
“Stay with Finn. If anything happens though, run like hell,” Blair said, fixing Luna’s hair. Luna could only nod, attempting to seem confident.
“Please come back to us,” Cecilia said. “You need to, okay? I can’t live without you.”
“I can’t live without any of you,” Luna said. “I promise I’ll come home.”
With one more hug, they were pulling away. She and Finn got into the car, driving to their parents’ home. The place they grew up, the place they left, not realizing they would never return, and the place where they would take their father’s life.