21
Shaye
Heavy rain pelts the windshield and after a few seconds trying to figure out the controls in Mrs. Salesi’s fancy car, I flip the wipers on high speed so I can see. Somewhat. At least the slapping sound of water against glass drowns out the horrifying sounds of bullets exploding and people screaming that keeps reverberating between my ears. A bloody massacre flashes across my mind, and I say another silent prayer for the safety of my friends, that these images are not real, that they were able to escape an unfathomable fate at the hands of Luca Cappodamo.
I run a trembling hand through my wet hair and twist around in the driver’s seat, my lips stretching into a smile that is one-hundred-and-fifty-percent fake. They quiver as I force them upward, and I struggle to keep my voice even.
“Lilibelle? Are you all belted in?”
She nods, her face pale and her dark eyes heavy. “Yes,” she murmurs, her voice completely void of her usual bubbly, child-like energy. Her eyes drift closed before I can back out of the parking spot. Poor baby. Sitting in this hospital all day, knowing her daddy is hurt, seeing her mom so upset…it’s been a shitty day for all of us.
Taking her back to Nico’s is the least I can do to help them. She needs to rest, and there’s only so much ice cream you can shovel into a little kid before she gets sick. I told Duke to stay back at the hospital, but he insisted on following us home. Said Nico would skin him alive if he let me leave alone, not that he’s answered any texts from Duke, either. The cops are still swarming the Emergency Room, so I know the Salesis will be safe until Duke can get back here.
A chill slithers through me, my mind full of questions I have no answers to because nobody will tell me what’s going on. I’ve sent plenty of texts—to Kat, to Max, to Nico. But nobody’s responded. I know they’re together, and with Kat to back them up, I have a little more faith that things haven’t gone completely sideways. But that’s pretty much the extent of my knowledge, and the dark thoughts keep creeping in. I squeeze my eyes shut to force them away. I can’t focus on them now. I have to stay positive, but it’s hard when nobody is telling me what the fuck is happening!
Please just come back to me, Nico…
I know I don’t have the right to lament since it was my brilliant idea for him to go after Luca in the first place. But dammit, why did he have to be so stubborn about it and leave without the guys? He’s smarter than that!
But rage trumps intellect when push comes to shove.
I take a few deep breaths, trying to calm my pulse, which has been raging out of control for the better part of the afternoon. Duke flashes me from across the parking lot. I flash back, put the car into Drive, and head toward the hospital exit. Thunder claps and rumbles as I slowly accelerate onto the road, the ominous sky completely black save for the occasional crash of lightning. I peer into my rearview mirror to confirm Duke is still behind me, but the rain is coming down in torrents. I can barely see three inches in front of me, much less what’s behind me. I slow at a traffic light right before easing onto the main road back to Nico’s. No other cars are even on the road. The only set of headlights I can see are pointed directly at the back of Mrs. Salesi’s car, so I know it’s just us and Duke. The light turns green, and I press my foot on the gas, and…nothing. The engine fires, but the car doesn’t move. I try again, only to hear the tires spin, hydroplaning on the wet ground.
Damn sport tires. I gas it again and the car juts to the right, skidding on the slick pavement before hitting a deep pothole on the side of the road with a loud thud. I swallow a yelp, thanking God that no cars were in the other lane and that the huge oak tree to my right wasn’t a foot closer. I glance over my shoulder to see that Lily’s eyes are still closed. With a hammering heart, I ease back onto the road and flip on my right turn signal.
Jesus Christ, the threat of death is lurking everywhere today.
I grip the steering wheel tighter as I drive, effectively killing circulation in my fingertips. Long, deep breaths do absolutely nothing to calm me.
Raindrops smash against the sunroof with even more force than before as we near Nico’s house. The wipers are already on the highest setting, and I just pray that nothing crosses my path because there’s no way in hell I’m going to see it. Just a couple of more blocks, a couple of more minutes, and about a thousand more prayers.
A few agonizing moments later, I finally turn into the driveway and shut off the engine. I quickly glance into my rearview, but no headlights shine back. Duke probably didn’t make it through that last traffic light around the corner. I barely squeaked through it myself. A loud ping from my iPhone blares, piercing the silence.
Where are you?
I cover my mouth to silence the squeal, tears pooling in my eyes. He’s alive. Oh my God, he’s alive!
My fingers, cold and stiff, tremble over the keyboard. I just pulled into your driveway with Lily.
Are you fucking insane, leaving the hospital like that?
I furrow my brow. If he’s texting me, Luca must have been taken care of. I admit, leaving the hospital without first hearing from Nico wasn’t my brightest idea, but Lily needed to get out of there, and Christ knows, I couldn’t sit around for another second not knowing the fate of my friends. Being at Nico’s makes me feel closer to him when he’s not there, closer to the way we used to be, the way I’m desperate for us to be again. I don’t know, maybe in some crazy way I figured I could channel that energy and use it to will him back to me. Stupid, yes, but slightly more comforting than waiting around in that hospital.
We’re fine. Duke followed me.Are you okay?
For now.
What the hell does that mean?
Where’s Luca?
A pause…much longer than I would like. Lily stirs in the backseat, the quiet stillness in the car deafening while I wait for his response.
I don’t know.
Fuck.
Are you with Kat and the guys?