Page 18 of Shattered Love

“I take it the trip went well?” He eyed each of our heavy bags that we set on the floor as we walked in.

Giving one last glance out the door, he shut it firmly, locking it back in place. As I walked further into the living room, Aiden met me in the middle, wrapping me tight in a hug.

“I’m glad you’re safe,” he whispered, and I nodded against his chest, squeezing him a little tighter. “Did you run into any trouble?”

My face flushed as he asked, thinking of the guards that had been outside the store. And what had transpired immediately after. “Nope, no trouble.”

There was no need to worry him, not when nothing had happened. Especially if I had any chance of convincing him to go back to the camp to steal more information.

Once Aiden let me go, I took in the rest of the room, noting that almost everyone was here. Since we arrived, most of us had been staying inside during the days, just to be safe. Mina and Sasha had taken residence on the couch, whispering quietly together, while Rainer, Murphy, and Warner shuffled through the ammo he had gathered.

When Rainer shoved a shiny new pistol into his waistband, I realized I had been right to assume Warner had grabbed more than the ammo. In fact, three other guns sat on the floor, ready for the taking. Although, I had no clue who he expected to wield the other weapons, because I knew, I for one, had zero intention.

Elizabeth sat with the twins, who were both reading books from the library in their room upstairs. Emmanuel wasn’t in the room, but I figured he was most likely fishing or gathering more firewood.

Crossing to my bag, I unzipped the top, grabbing out the rolled and stuffed clothing. Once I had what I needed, I made my way toward the twins. When I sat before them, they both looked up from their books with wide smiles.

“Are you still sick? Mommy said you were sleeping so long because you were sick.” Stephanie crawled over to me, pressing her hand against my head, probably something she had picked up from her mother.

“I’m not sick anymore,” I told her gently.

“Does that mean you can play with us? I want to pick flowers like we did before,” Stephanie said, bringing a smile to my lips.

“I’d love to pick flowers with you.” Grabbing the children’s clothing I had thought to grab, I gave each of them a pile. “I got them both some clothes to change into, figured they’d want to get out of their dirty things,” I said to Elizabeth. “There’s also more clothing for you and Emmanuel in the bag.”

Elizabeth smiled softly at me, her eyes tinged with sadness. “Thank you, Alessia.” I murmured a you’re welcome, pushing to stand, but Elizabeth reached forward, grabbing my hand before I could. “Thank you for everything. For keeping my children safe. We will never forget what you did for our family.”

Her demeanor was strange as she spoke, her eyes pleading with me, but I wasn’t sure for what. Shaking off the odd feeling, I let go of her hand, standing to my feet. Ruffling the twins' hair, I took one last look at Elizabeth, her haunted expression searing into my brain.

Chapter Ten

The sun had set, the kids asleep, Emmanuel and Elizabeth upstairs. Which, according to Sasha, meant it was time to party. Or at least as close to a party as we could get.

“Alright, everyone, grab your liquor of choice,” Sasha said to our group, passing around the bottles she had stuffed inside her bag.

There were five bottles in total, two vodkas, two tequilas, and one whiskey. Rainer and Murphy took the whiskey to share, Aiden grabbing a tequila, Warner and Sasha a vodka, leaving me and Mina to share the last tequila.

A small fire sparked in between our makeshift circle, lighting up our faces in a dark glow. Twisting the cap of the bottle, the strong scent of tequila hit my nose and I wondered briefly if this was a good idea. It had been over six months since I had taken a drink, let alone the scant amount of food we often ate, and I suspected most of us would be drunk quicker than we anticipated.

However, as everyone chugged the alcohol in their hands, I figured, fuck it. We deserved some fun. Even if that fun came from the bottom of a bottle. Pressing the rim of the bottle to my lips, I swallowed the bitter taste, my face pinching.

Mina laughed quietly at the disgust marring my features as I handed her the bottle. She was much more efficient than me, barely cringing, and my eyes widened.

Laughing louder at my expression, she said, “I am in college, you know. I was in the middle of the party part of my life when everything happened.”

For the next while, we all chugged the liquor, everyone quiet as we stared at the fire. But as the time passed, the bottles becoming empty; the alcohol began buzzing through our veins, enlivening the night.

“You’re going to burn your ass off,” Aiden warned Murphy, who stood off to the side of the fire.

The rest of us had backed up, giving him plenty of room after he had announced that he was going to leap the fire.

“Do it, do it, do it,” Sasha, Mina, and I chanted, Aiden seeming to be the only voice of reason.

Even Rainer stood behind Murphy, rubbing his shoulders and whispering something to him, like a coach would to an athlete before a big event.

Warner stood off to the side by himself, but I could tell the alcohol was hitting him, given the lazy smirk on his lips and the glaze in his eyes.

The small fire we had started with had grown into a large bonfire as we had kept feeding it wood. And as Murphy bent down into a running stance, I belatedly realized this may actually be a crappy idea.

---