Page 91 of Don't Let Go

Her breath caught as she wedged herself closer to me. Her left leg rested across my thighs. I never slept with a girl, like fell asleep in the same bed together. I was always told to leave, but this, having Rory so close to me. It felt like she should’ve always been sleeping by my side.

Her hair smelled like apples, and the idea of my scent lingering on her pillow made me smile a little.

“You’re beautiful and strong, Rory.” I tenderly kissed her forehead. “I don’t care what you’re mixed up in. I’ll always protect you. You can trust me. I’ll never let you down.”

Rory’s fingers grasped my shirt as she slept. “Shh,” I murmured, putting her at ease.

Her breaths became deeper as she fell into a comfortable slumber. I rested my cheek on the crown of her head, falling asleep with her body perfectly pressed against mine.

36

Aurora

When I woke up, a toasty, warm body lay beside me. For a brief second, I thought Lizzy had snuck into bed with me like she used to do when she thought a monster was under her bed. I stroked her hair, but it didn't feel right. It was short, soft, and I painfully remembered it couldn’t be Lizzy lying next to me.

My Lizzy was gone.

I opened my eyes and found myself tangled in Tyler’s legs, and his arm draped across my stomach as my head rested under his arm.

“Shit,” I muttered, sitting up carefully.

Tyler rolled over, and sunlight fell upon his face from the crack in my curtains. “What time is it?” he moaned.

I reached across his torso to grab my phone on the nightstand, hitting the power button, and the screen brightened. It was a quarter past seven.

“Time for you to get out of my room,” I said, rubbing my eyes.

Tyler slid out of my bed and stretched his arms over his head. “Admit it. You loved having me as a pillow.” His smirk was playful, making me smile too.

He was undeniably comfortable and smelled like sandalwood and fresh laundry. I did sleep for a few hours without tossing and turning or having nightmares.

I moved to the edge of the bed, making fists with my toes on the carpet. “Thank you for staying. Sometimes falling apart to rebuild helps you come back stronger.”

He nodded. “We need to talk. I wanted to ask you this last night, but you were in bad shape.” He looked at the door and then moved closer to me. “What are you involved in? Chloe told me your family is tied up in the mafia.”

My heart leaped into my throat as my gut twisted into a tight ball. I wiped my sweaty palms on my thighs and stood to face him. “The cat’s out of the bag.” I sighed, looking at my hands, plucking up the courage to tell Ty the truth. “For generations, my family has been a part of the Italian mafia. I have a lot of family in Italy and some throughout the country. They all function at different levels, doing different jobs.”

His face paled, and his lips thinned. “So, for the most part, your family makes people sleep with the fishes and puts horse heads in beds?”

His comment stung a little, but it also made me chuckle. “You watch too many movies. Certain families have positions in the mafia. I don’t quite know what my distant relatives do. As for my mamma, she is the fixer for the Phoenix branch. She makes sure nothing can tie to anyone within the family, meaning anyone in the mob. She also cleans crime scenes.”

Tyler rubbed his hands together nervously. “Does she also remove the bodies?”

I shook my head. Some hair fell over my shoulder and covered my right eye. I left it there to help ease myself into revealing more.

“No.” I dug my nails into the palms of my hands. “My brothers usually take care of that.”

Tyler took a step back, swaying a little on his feet. “Wow,” he said, pulling on the ends of his hair.

“That’s enough info for right now. We need to get ready for school, and you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Tyler nodded, rubbing his forehead. “Yeah. I’ll go.” He moved toward my door.

“Wait,” I hissed.

He paused. “What?”

“Are you seriously going to walk out of my bedroom door? I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea.” I folded my arms across my chest. “You need to go back out the window.”

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