And then there was nothing.
“Fuck!”
I checked the caller ID, but there was none. I stared at the blank screen, my heart now racing at a thousand miles an hour against my ribs.
Was that really her? Or did I imagine it? Did I imagine her voice?
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!”
I rushed out of the study, and as if sent from the powers above, Lorik came strolling down the hall. His eyes grew wide when he saw me. “Who died?”
“Lorik, tell me you managed to get a trace on the phone calls I’ve been getting.”
“I’m still working on it. Why?”
I roughed my hand through my hair. “Jesus Christ.”
“Dante, what the fuck, man?”
My mind was a giant rush of confusion. “It’s her.”
Lorik stepped closer. “Who?”
“Layla.”
“Who the fuck is Layla?”
I glanced at him, my mind still spinning. “It’s…”
“Layla?” Both Lorik and I turned to Karina, who stared at me with worried eyes. If there was anyone who knew what and who Layla was to me, it was my sister.
“She’s the one, Karina.”
My little sister stared at me with her big, brown eyes, and I saw the doubt, the uncertainty. “Are you sure, Dante?”
I smiled, appreciating how much she cared for me. “I’m sure, Karina. I really am.”
“But you’re giving up everything for her. Your family, your home, your life here with us.”
I placed my hands on her shoulders. “You and I both know this life isn’t for me. And it’s not for you either, which is why you’ll be off to college the second you get the chance.” I winked at her then grabbed my suitcase off the bed.
“Dante, you and Layla, you’re still very young.”
I snorted. “You should talk. You’re only sixteen—”
“Seventeen.”
“Whatever. You’re not even done with high school, and you’re already planning your escape from all this.”
“True. But you’re talking marriage. That’s a big step, especially if you’re leaving your family behind to do it.”
I pulled my hand through my hair and sighed. “It’s the only way, Karina. Layla isn’t meant for this life. She’s…she’s too…” I struggled to find the right words, “…she’s just too innocent, too goddamn delicate to be a part of this world. I can’t do that to her. Iwon’tdo that to her. And I know the right thing for me to do is to walk away from her, but I can’t. I’m too much of a selfish bastard to live without her.”
Karina’s eyes softened, and I knew she got it. She understood. Of course she would. We were both the same, unlike our older brother.
She stepped closer. “You’re never coming back, are you?”
This was the hard part. The part where I had to tell my sister our goodbye would be permanent. I had to choose between a life of blood, deceit, and war…or her. And I chose her, but that meant never returning. Never coming back. I couldn’t risk it.