CHAPTER 7 #3
As we stood from a table where Rafe had been talking to several men and one woman, who all seemed to be a part of an Irish family he worked with – likely criminals, I was guessing - Dio came hurrying over and grabbed Rafe’s shoulder.
Rafe leaned in, so that Dio could talk to him in a rushed whisper.
I didn’t hear what was said because I was too busy trying to steady myself as light-headedness hit me when I stood.
By the time I could see straight, they were both turning to me with concern.
“Oh Christ!” I groaned in a loud whisper. “What now?” I asked as I glanced around me, but no one seemed to be paying attention other than the table we had just risen from.
“Excuse us,” Rafe said, as he glanced to the table again once, then took my arm and led me away to a quieter corner of the room, Dio right behind us.
“What’s going on?” I asked in a whisper as soon as I knew we were out of hearing range of anyone else.
“We have a lead on Kozlov. I need to go,” Rafe told me, but he looked pained at the idea of it.
“Arran and Cal will take you home. My Mum will stay here until it winds down and make our excuses,” Dio added. I glanced past him to where Terza was sat with Cal and Arran at a table in the centre of the room. She was pale and looked exhausted, her eyes as red and angry from crying, as mine felt.
“You guys go, but Cal, Arran, and I are staying with Terza. We’re not leaving her here alone to handle this. She’s exhausted as it is,” I argued.
“You’re exhausted too, Tesorino,” Rafe pointed out.
“I’m okay. Arran and Cal will be with me. You both need to go. You need to go after that fucker if there’s even a chance of getting hold of him.”
“How many men can we leave here?” Rafe asked with some exasperation.
“A dozen, plus Arran. I can ask Kean to stick around with his guys too?”
“Yeah, okay. Let him know what’s going on and tell him to stay close to Cara and Cal. I want six of our guys inside, and the other six covering the front and back outside,” Rafe ordered. Dio just nodded, then disappeared.
“Kean?” I questioned.
“The head of the Irish contingent here in London. I trust him, Cara. If anything happens, he’ll protect you, as will my men.”
“Nothing’s going to happen, Rafe. It’s a wake, for God’s sake,” I ground out.
“I’m not taking any chances,” he told me firmly, then he turned to Arran and beckoned him over with a slight raise of his hand.
“Everythin’ alright?” Arran asked as he rushed over to my side, and seemed to instinctively place a hand at the small of my back.
“One of our teams got a lead on Kozlov. Dario and I will take a team and check it out, but Cara wants to stay and wrap up here,” Rafe explained.
“Yer leavin’ some men, I presume?”
“Six outside, covering front and back, and six will come inside. Dario’s updating Kean and asking him and his men to stick around too. Any concerns?”
“Nah. All good, boss. I’ll get everyone home safe when we’re done here,” Arran assured my brother.
“See? We’re fine. Go Rafe. Get that arsehole so we can make him pay for what he did to Gia!” I growled.
“I will, sweetheart. Why don’t you go and fill Cal in on what’s going on? He looks about ten seconds away from struggling to his feet to march over here,” Rafe said, and when I glanced over to Cal, he was already lowering his broken ankle to the ground, readying to stand.
“Cal, stay!” I called just loud enough for him to hear me.
When he glanced over I held a hand out in a stilling motion, and he seemed to pause with a smirk on his face.
“Be safe,” I told Rafe as I glanced back to him. “Nothing is more important than you and Dio coming home, okay? Remember that.”
At Rafe’s nod of agreement, I left him and Arran to talk and made my way shakily over to Cal. It had been a long day already, filled with emotion, anger, and everything in between. Now I had a feeling it was about to get a whole lot longer.
“Stay? Really? Who do you think you are? Dante?” Cal asked teasingly once I was at his side.
“Well it worked,” I shrugged with the hint of a smile, though just that felt like work. I was just so exhausted.
“Come here, babe,” Cal said as he grabbed my arm and pulled me closer, until I was sat sideways in his lap.
“What’s going on? Is there trouble?” he asked as he cradled me against his body and glanced over to where Arran and Rafe were now in a huddled chat with Dio, and one of the intimidating Irish men, who I assumed was Kean.
“They have a lead on Mikhail Kozlov. Rafe and Dario are taking some men to go after him. Rafe’s just worrying because I refused to go home.”
“Why don’t you want to go home?” Cal asked.
“I definitely want to go home,” I sighed. “But Rafe and Dio were planning to leave Terza here alone to handle everything, and she’s not up to that, Cal. I’m not even going to ask it of her.”
“You’re right,” he agreed. He rested his chin on top of my head, and with his arms wrapped around me, I felt able to breathe fully for the first time since I left his lap and his hold earlier. “We’ll all stay and get through this together.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, grateful he saw it my way and took my side.
It was one of the things that drew me most to Cal.
He always took the time to try and see things my way, no matter how crazy or stubborn I may be at any time.
He could be bossy and a little bit cave-man, just like the others, when he wanted to be.
I’d only seen small hints of it, but I knew it was in him.
And yet, he also tried hard to understand what I needed all of the time.
I was pretty sure that there was very little he wouldn’t do to try and make me feel secure and happy.
It was so surreal for me, to have someone try that hard to be there for me.
I’d never had that, and I would never take it for granted now that I did.
***
“Did you bring any?” A voice echoed through the silence of the women’s restrooms.
The wake was almost over, most people already left or heading out.
It had gone fine. Arran had helped me massively, introducing me to people who approached with more condolences.
He, Cal, and Terza had been great at making Rafe’s apologies for not being there, and we’d gotten through it all together.
Arran had suggested we all get ready to head home, just a few stragglers left for us to get rid of, so I had come to the ladies room before we got into the car.
Arran was waiting right outside the door of the restroom for me, and he’d even checked inside before he allowed me to enter, but somehow I still felt anxious about being alone in there.
“Yeah. My sister told me they make you feel kind of numb and spacey,” another voice answered.
“That’s what we need. I can’t believe Gia’s gone. I haven’t slept since I found out,” the first voice sniffled.
They sounded young, and I guessed they were from the table of Gia’s school friends who had barely interacted with Rafe or I all afternoon.
“I know. Me too. I hope these work. I just need to not feel for a while, you know?”
God, I wished I could have some of that – not feeling for a while – I thought to myself. All I wanted to do was to be able to just shut my brain down for a while so all of the horror and pain within would just cease and let me be. Just for a while.
I was pretty sure they were both crying as I straightened up my dress, then flushed and exited the cubicle. When I glanced up, they were holding one another, two young girls in all black and too young to be mourning their friend. They were children, for fuck’s sake. Children shouldn’t die!
I blinked furiously to stem my own tears as I moved to the sink and washed my hands.
“You’re Cara, aren’t you? Gia’s sister?” one of the girls asked. I shut off the tap and turned to face them. They were separated now, stood side by side and staring at me with hostility.
They were both pretty petite, one brunette with a pixie style cut, and the other with long, thick, blonde curls that reminded me so much of Gia in that moment.
“I am. I’m sorry, I don’t think we were introduced,” I told them.
“You should be sorry. We know what you did. You’re the reason she’s gone, aren’t you? Did you kill her like you killed her Mum?” The brunette accused bitterly.
“I didn’t k-kill anyone,” I uttered, taken aback by the hatred in the young girls tone.
“She told us everything, you know? We should go to the police!” the blonde hissed as she took a step toward me.
“And tell them what? Gia was my sister. I loved her!”
“She was right. You’re a good liar,” the blonde laughed bitterly.
“But the police would see through it. When we tell them what you did to your own mother, how you used her for money, then fucking killed her! Do you think they wouldn’t look into Gia’s murder?
You think they wouldn’t see past whatever bullshit your brother spun to cover up the fact you killed her? ”
As the blonde got in my face, the brunette moved to come to my side and I knew I had to do something. They were small, but slightly taller than me, and if they both got hold of me, I could end up in trouble with my injured ribs.
The second the blonde reached to grab either my hair or my throat – I wasn’t sure which – I grabbed her arm and twisted it hard until she cried out in pain and stumbled back.
Her friend moved in to try and stop me but as soon as her arm wrapped around my neck to pull me backwards, I pushed all of my weight back hard until she smashed against the wall of the bathroom.
She released me and squeaked in pain all at once, and when I moved away from both of them, they stayed where they stood.
The blonde was nursing her arm against her chest and glaring at me hard, while the other leant against the wall, bent forward and rubbing the back of her head.
“You psycho!” the blonde screamed.