Page 33 of Rami

Rami shook his head quickly and crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s not what I meant. For them, it wouldn’t be worth it to come back for you. They’d be at greater risk of getting caught. But like I said, they’ll be pissed at us. I threw a grenade and probably killed or seriously injured their men. That would earn retaliation.”

“Do they know who you are?”

He began packing the food into a small cooler they’d brought. “We were as careful as could be, but the longer we’re close to the border, the better the chance they’ll find us. So if you’re ready?”

She tossed the empty cup into the trash can. “Yes. I’m going to change into the clothes Taschen got me and then I’ll be set.”

She went to the other room, collected one of the bags, and then went into the bathroom. August and Taschen returned and finished packing their things. By the time they’d loaded the van, Ivy was dressed. Rami helped her climb into the back, and she got comfortable on the makeshift bed.

“I’ll take first shift,” Rami said.

August tossed him the keys, and he got into the driver’s seat. Part of him was eager to get home. Even more eager to return Ivy to her sister so she could get on her way to recovery. Her eyes might be a little brighter and her tentative smile full of life, but after sleeping next to her last night, he knew the demons that plagued her mind.

Ivy’s biggest battle had only just begun.

***

“Oh my god!” Gigi cried. Ivy welcomed her twin’s crushing embrace and inhaled the familiar Dior perfume.

I’m home.

Tears ran down her cheeks as she clung to her sister. Rami and Todd, Gigi’s fiancé, stood nearby talking softly while she and Gigi reunited in the foyer of Gigi and Todd’s large colonial-style house.

“Thank you for bringing her home,” Todd said. “Gigi wouldn’t have been the same without her. We owe you—”

Rami cut him off, but Ivy didn’t hear what he said because Gigi let loose another cry of relief. “I can’t believe you’re here.” She pulled back and stared into Ivy’s face. “I was so scared.”

The pain of her trauma hammered against Ivy’s chest. It was finally ready to be expelled now that she was in the safety and familiarity of family, but still, she didn’t fully break down. Something held her back. Maybe she’d been forced to be strong for too long and her recovery would look more like peeling back the layers of an onion.

“Thank you for... for all you did,” she told her sister.

“Ivy, you’re my life. More important to me than anything.” Her gaze shifted to Rami and then back. “Let’s get you settled, yes? I’ve got the guest room all ready.”

They hadn’t gotten a chance to talk about the details, but when Ivy had called Gigi on the drive home, her sister had insisted she stay with them for a while. Which suited Ivy just fine. Although she loved her apartment and her own space, right now, she didn’t want to be alone.

“Sure.” Ivy sent Rami a fleeting look and then looked at her sister again. “Can I have a sec?”

Interest sparked in Gigi’s eyes, and she stepped back. “Yeah. We’ll give you a minute.” She swooped her arm into Todd’s. “Can you get her bag, honey?”

Todd quickly scooped up the bag of items Ivy had adopted along the way—the clothes and toiletries Taschen had bought her as well as some books she’d grabbed from gas stations. They were a far cry from the things she really wanted from her apartment, but for now they’d suffice.

As Gigi and Todd headed toward the kitchen, Ivy approached Rami, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Um, I owe you more than a thank-you. But... thank you.”

His gaze somehow turned even darker as he studied her. “Don’t do that, remember?”

She chortled. “Don’t say thank you for saving my life? That’s silly.”

“Your life is worth saving ten times over. Understand?”

Her belly tied itself in knots at the ferocity of his words. It was as if he sensed all the doubts that brewed inside her. All the disgust and fear over what diseases could be riddling her body as they spoke.

Tears stung the corners of her eyes. He caught her chin. “You’ll be fine. You’re the strongest person I know.” He’d said it to her once before, but hearing it again was almost too much. Almost brought her to her knees.

If he knew how weak she was, how terrified, he wouldn’t say that.

He swept his thumb beneath her bottom lip and her senses sizzled with awareness. “Be careful.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “Don’t trust anyone but your family. Even when you’re with doctors and police, make sure you’re not alone. I put my business card in your bag. If you need anything, call me. Anytime. Got it?”

The tears threatened to spill over. Why did it feel as if a limb were being severed? She’d been with this man only forty-eight hours, not even, yet he’d become a staple. A crutch, almost. She’d leaned on him in her darkest moments and exposed fears she hadn’t even spoken aloud to Gigi.

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