Page 77 of Deception & Desire

There, buried under the rubble only a few feet away, is an arm. It’s the only appendage not crushed by the giant slab of the ceiling.

And I know who it is immediately.

I’ve known that hand my whole life. The hand that held mine as a child, the hand that steadied my gun at the shooting range. The hand that wrapped around my arm the day I was to be married.

“No.”

Everything crumbles apart.

I’d rather take a knife to the gut. I’d rather the ceiling had crushed me instead.

I immediately mentally apologize to my children. Everything is different now, but that doesn’t stop my heart from breaking into thousands of pieces.

“Daddy, no.”

It wasn’t fair. I hadn’t forgiven him yet. We were supposed to have years to rebuild, years to figure out how to trust each other again.

Now, all I have is endless guilt that wails from my throat like a siren.

Cas falls to her knees beside me. I don’t know when I dropped to the floor, but her arms wrap around me now. Protective, reassuring. Holding me together with her bare hands as I wail and wail.

“Mia!”

The voice cuts through my grief like a knife.

“Mia, where are you?” The relief in Leon’s voice almost makes me start wailing again. I look up frantically, searching.

And then, there he is.

Leon strides toward us, his face bloodied, bruises already forming. But his eyes are crystal clear as he scans the room.

When he sees me, it’s as if the world falls away, leaving only us.

Before I can take a breath, he’s there, on his knees, pulling me into his arms. His hands cup my face, his touch so urgent, so frantic. He pulls back, eyes scanning me, looking for any sign of injury.

“You’re okay,” he breathes, his voice rough. “Are you hurt? The twins—are you?—”

“My dad,” my voice breaks. “Leon.”

I see the moment he realizes as the grief floods his expression. It’s too much. I bury my head into his chest.

He strokes my hair as I cling to him. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“I didn’t get to tell him. I–I still loved him.”

“He knew,” he says with such authority I almost choke. “It’s okay, Mia. He knew. He did.”

He gently lowers his hand to my stomach, his touch tender and sweet. The twins are still moving; the soft flutter of life beneath my skin grounds me back into the moment.

My grief needs to wait. Our home is destroyed. There could be more to this attack than just an explosion. We’re not out of the woods yet.

Luckily, Cas is slightly more put together than I am. “What happened, Leon? Where is everyone else?”

Leon places a firm kiss on my forehead before pulling away and turning to address my friend. “A bomb, I think. It must have been planted somewhere upstairs. It should have been impossible.”

“Rocco?” Cas’ voice breaks.

“He’s alive, Cassandra,” Leon says gently before getting to his feet, holding an arm out to each of us. “Come on. We need to get out of here.”

---