CHAPTER 27
CARA
It wasn’t long before the door handle above me rattled, but they couldn’t come in. Not only was it locked, but I was blocking the door.
“Cara? Open this door for me, baby!” Dio demanded urgently. He knocked so hard on the wood that I felt the reverberations down my spine.
“Easy,” Cal said softly. “Don’t scare her.”
“You try, lad,” Arran urged.
“Babe? We’re a little worried about you out here. Rafe said you threatened to hurt yourself. Can you let us see that you’re alright?” Cal spoke gently.
“I don’t want that,” I whispered, then when I realised they couldn’t hear me, I spoke up. “I d-don’t want that.”
“Don’t want what, Cara? To open the door? To see us?” Cal asked.
“To hurt myself,” I told him shakily.
“We dinnae want that either, wee one. Ye sound so upset, lass. Open the door fer us now. Let us hold ye and make it all better, alright?”
“It’s just us, beautiful. We’ll keep Rafe away as long as you need us to. Just let us see you, please,” Cal pleaded.
“I’m tired,” I argued. It was a ridiculous argument, since I’d only just gotten up, but I did feel exhausted again.
“That’s okay, Piccola. You always sleep better when we’re with you, don’t you?” Dio reminded me.
“Yeah,” I sniffled.
“That’s right. Good girl. I want ye te stand up now, and unlock the door fer us, ye hear me?” Arran said more firmly. The words seemed to echo through me and without conscious thought I was already agreeing.
“Okay,” I told them.
“Such a good wee thing. Step back from the door when it’s unlocked so we can come in wi’ out hurtin’ ye.
” Arran continued and my body did his bidding easily, the gentle command allowing me to not think, just do.
I unlocked the door and stumbled back until I was leaning back against the wall beside the door.
It opened slowly and cautiously, then Dio was there, pulling me into his arms and holding me against his chest as my sobs started up again.
“Let it out, lassie. We’re here now. We’ll no’ let Rafe or anyone upset ye like this again,” Arran soothed from somewhere behind me, his hand rubbing soothingly up and down my back above where Dio held my shaky body up.
“I d-don’t want t-to hurt myself,” I whimpered, needing them to understand. “But he….he wants to take you all away from me and I….if I was alone again….if I was a prisoner…”
“Hey. You’re not going to be a prisoner. Is that what he threatened?” Cal asked as he appeared before me, crouched so his eyes met mine as he cupped my face between his hands.
“He said he wouldn’t allow me to leave,” I admitted.
“What the fuck is wrong with him?” Dio cursed.
“We would never allow that to happen. Nor are we going anywhere. Rafe is in a bad place right now, after he got shot. It doesn’t excuse what he said to you, but believe that he doesn’t mean it, Cara.”
“I don’t want to see him…not until he’s better. I know that’s selfish, but I…it hurts when he’s nasty. He reminds me of Marcello,” I squeaked through my tears and tight throat.
“It’s no’ selfish, considering the way he’s acted,” Arran assured me.
“And you don’t have to see him if you don’t want to. I’ll find us somewhere secure to stay for a few weeks until Rafe screws his head on straight again,” Dio offered.
“You don’t need to…”
“We don’t want you subjected to his bullshit right now, Cara. I think it best if we all just give him some breathing space. Terza has already offered to move in and take care of him while we’re gone,” Cal told me, quietening my argument.
“Do you want to go back to that hotel for tonight?” Dio asked.
“I’m too tired,” I admitted. “Is it safe for us to stay here? Rafe was threatening you again.”
“It’s safe. We’ll all stay with you in here, and tomorrow I’ll have somewhere else arranged for us by the end of the day,” Dio assured me.
“So fast?”
“Money talks, darlin’ an’ we have enough of it between us,” Arran told me.
“Come on. Let’s get you into something comfortable and we’ll all snuggle up in your bed together. That sound good?” Cal asked.
“I just want to sleep,” I agreed as I took his hand and sank into his side. I resolved to block out tomorrow and just focus on right then, and on the men surrounding me.
Cal took me straight through to my en-suite and set me down between the twin sinks. I sat, feeling a little numb, just watching him as he got the water running warm, then soaked a flannel under the stream.
“I’m going to wipe your face, okay babe?
It looks red and sore from the crying. After, we’ll put some cream on9 and hopefully it’ll feel better,” he explained gently.
When I simply nodded he pushed back my hair, holding it at my forehead with one hand, while he wiped my face with the warm flannel in the other.
He was gentle and methodical. “Does that feel okay?” he asked halfway through, and I nodded and gave him a wobbly smile.
He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss in the middle of my forehead, then resumed the task. When he was done he set the flannel aside and reached into the medicine cabinet for some scent free moisturiser, which was with the first aid supplies in there.
“This shouldn’t sting, but you tell me if it does,” he told me in a cajoling voice. I knew he was treading carefully with me, but I didn’t mind it. I was pretty sure I needed it. I gave a nod again, then closed my eyes and leaned into his touch as he smoothed the cool lotion all over my face.
“That feels good,” I told him when he was finished. I felt fresher and calmer. Whether it was the wash, or just his gentle ministrations that got me there, I neither knew nor cared.
“I’m glad,” he smiled. “Let’s see if Arran found you something cosy to wear,” he added, then he scooped me up and pressed me against him before I could argue.
And I didn’t. I just cuddled against him and allowed him to carry me.
I no longer worried I was too heavy, or that it would irritate him.
He seemed to enjoy carrying me almost as much as I enjoyed being that close to him.
When we walked into my room, Arran was pulling pyjamas from my dresser and Dio was sat on the edge of my bed, loading up movies on the television. They both turned to me the moment Cal walked in and I could see the worry written across their faces.
“I’m okay guys,” I told them shakily.
“Nah. Yer no’ and ye havnae been fer a long time. It’s time we did something to change that, once and fer all. We need to all do a much better job of shielding ye from all this bullshit,” Arran sighed.
“He’s right. I’ve promised you so many times I’d keep you safe, and I’ve failed every damn time. We have to stop letting people hurt you, including your own bull headed prick of a brother,” Dio agreed.
“What they said,” Cal agreed. “But tomorrow. Right now Cara just needs to rest and relax.”
“Here lass, I found these f….”
“DIO!” Arran’s words were cut off by Rafe’s voice booming through the house. I jumped in Cal’s arms and he held me closer.
“What now?” Arran groaned.
“I’ll go. Stay in here, no matter what. If it gets out of hand, take Cara back to the hotel, and I’ll meet you there,” Dio instructed.
“No!” I cried. “He’s been drinking. What if he wants to hurt you?”
“He won’t hurt me,” Dio assured me as he hurried round the bed and leaned in, brushing my hair back from my face with soothingly.
“Your face disagrees,” I sniffled as more tears came.
“No more tears or worrying. I’ll be fine. Do as Arran tells you.” He leaned in to kiss my forehead, then he was gone, closing the door softly behind him.
“You should go with him. Rafe’s not himself and he’s so angry,” I told Arran in my panic.
“Dario can handle himself, and I agree, Rafe willnae hurt him,” Arran assured me, but it didn’t work.
Cal and Arran tried to distract me by helping me change into the soft cotton pyjamas Arran had pulled out for me, but even as I changed, I couldn’t stop looking to the door anxiously, or listening for any sound that indicated a fight.
I almost jumped out of my skin when Arran’s phone chimed loudly, then I just stared at him as he pulled it from his pocket and read a text message.
He tried to hide his reaction, but he couldn’t hide the way his face paled, or the creaking sound his phone made when he squeezed it too tightly in his hand.
“What?” I demanded.
“I need to go,” Arran tried to step around me but I put myself in his path and grabbed his wrists.
“No. Tell me now. What’s going on? You went pale. It’s bad. Is it Dante?”
“Cara….” Arran sighed.
“Oh god, it is! Tell me, Arran! Just bloody tell me!” I snapped. “Is he dead?” Those last words would barely come out.
Cal came closer and tried to wrap his arm around me, but I stepped aside, evading him.
“T-tell me…please Arran,” I pleaded.
“He’s alive,” Arran told me reluctantly. “But…but the Armenians have him.”
“Oh God!” I cried as those words hit me like a physical blow. Adamian had taken Dante! “How long? Wh-what does he want? Me?” I gasped as my breathing sped up, panic setting in.
“Cara, just slow down,” Cal calmed. He appeared before me, putting his hands on my shoulders, but I barely felt it. It didn’t steady me the way it usually did.
“I dinnae know any of the details, darlin’, but we’ll figure it out,” Arran told me. “Stay here wi’ Cal, and I’ll go an’ talk wi’ yer brother an’ Dario.”
I didn’t bother speaking. I was in too much of a panic to try and force the words out, and I didn’t want to waste time with the arguments that I knew would come. Instead I slipped from Cal’s grasp and marched to the door, throwing it open.
“Cara!” Cal called after me, but I was already across the hall and heading down the stairs.