Page 8 of Shattered Love

“Aiden knows I can take care of myself,” I defended, meeting Warner’s gaze once more.

Turning on his heel, always the first to walk away, Warner called out in a hushed whisper, so quiet I could barely hear, “He’s not the one I’m talking about.”

My steps were weak. Aiden hovered at my side, the makeshift crutches in one arm, while the other was constantly ready for me to fall. However, there was no chance I was about to fall, given my snail’s pace.

If it were only Aiden and I, I doubt I would have cared. Unfortunately, the third person of our little group was impossible to ignore. Even as he walked ahead of us, not once glancing behind, I could see the frustration building in the way his shoulders bunched.

We had to have been walking for several hours at this point, the sky beginning to turn pink as the sun rose. However, we were no closer to the edge of town than we had been at the start of this night. And I knew that was because of me.

Growling under my breath, I stopped walking, knowing what I would need to do. My cheeks reddened with embarrassment, hating that I had to rely on others once again.

“I need you to carry me,” I whispered to Aiden, hoping Rainer wouldn’t hear.

So far, he hadn’t bothered to check we were still following him and I hoped that trend would continue. No matter where this journey took us, one thing would never change. I hated looking weak in front of this strong man.

“Lessy, we can take a break if you need to. Or even walk slower. Or hell, use the crutches. Rainer has a gun, he can keep people away.” Aiden shoved the crutches at me, but I shook my head adamantly.

“Aiden, you know what happened in those camps as well as I do. Those aren’t some random people they armed. They’re trained professionals. One guy with a gun isn’t going to stop them.”

Aiden and I stared at each other, our mother’s stubbornness bleeding through us both. Finally, Aiden gave in, much like he did throughout our childhood. “Fine, you win. But I can’t carry you and the crutches at the same time.”

Holding my hands out, I went to grab the sticks, but a set of large hands pushed mine out of the way. Rainer was suddenly at our sides, his movements silent as a predator stalking its prey.

Before I could ask what he was doing, my legs were swept out from under me and my side was pressed against Rainer’s firm chest. The strong planes I rested against were familiar. The muscles had pressed against me before, during the few training sessions we had prior to the kidnapping. However, under the dusty sky, surrounded by silence, my heart beat faster, an unsteady rhythm I wasn’t familiar with at all.

“Aiden was going to carry me,” I told him in protest.

“I’m faster.”

I knew that was the only response I was going to get, and I knew fighting with him was futile. I may have been able to beat out Aiden’s stubbornness, but Rainer was an entirely different entity.

With the change, the three of us were able to cover more ground in the next hour than we had in the first few. Eventually, the sun was officially above the horizon, the sun bright in the early August morning.

“Let’s find somewhere to stay for the next few hours. We can try to get some sleep, as well as eat and drink,” Rainer suggested, although as he began walking toward a crisp building, I knew it was more of an order.

The three of us entered the building through what used to be a door, the glass now shattered around our feet. Once we were inside, Rainer set me on my feet and I wobbled slightly after not using them. Rainer’s palm gripped my hip, steadying me. Looking up into his gaze, I caught a flicker of worry before it extinguished.

Shaking off the knot in my chest, I took in our surroundings. The sign outside the building had been charred, unable to read, but it was clear this used to be a restaurant. The tiled floors were covered in soot and dirt, the walls still standing, not faring much better.

Tables and chairs were flipped onto their sides, signs of the rush of customers when the initial fires had started. Booths dotted the back walls, a few of them charred, but the ones that weren’t were calling my name. How long had it been since I hadn’t slept on the ground, whether with a sleeping bag or not?

“Think there’s any food in here?” Aiden asked, leaning my crutches up against a wall.

Rainer was poking around, his eyes continuously darting to the doors and windows. “I doubt it, but I’ll go check. You two get some rest.”

If I hadn’t already been dead on my feet, I may have resisted, but given the circumstances, I gladly wandered toward a booth. Laying down on the firm plush, my body sunk into the softness. Aiden laid on the opposite bench, our gazes meeting beneath the table.

“Remember when we used to pretend to fall asleep every time Mom and Dad took us out to dinner?” He whispered, and I smiled at the memory.

“Alex would complain that we were squishing him and Mom would try to wake us up,” I added, reminiscing. Every Wednesday, for as long as I could remember, the five of us would go out to dinner as a family. It was a night I always looked forward to. Even when we were all out of the house, we would still meet up for Wednesday night dinners.

Aiden laughed quietly. “And Dad would tell them both that we needed the sleep to make sure our brains grew.”

My smile turned watery as I thought of my family. All three of them had been so vibrant. They made this world a better place, especially mine. And yet, they were gone in a moment. With a single bullet, their lives were taken from them.

“Do you think we would be better off if we were with them?” I whispered even lower, ashamed of my question.

Ever since we had read those documents, the thought had been traipsing around my mind, but this was the first time I dared to utter it out loud.

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