Page 85 of Waiting Game

Toni turned back to us, “I’ll cover you guys. Get to the car and get the fuck out of here. Don’t go home, go straight to the safe house. If anyone follows you, fucking floor it and do not stop.”

Rome nodded, grabbing Valerie by the wrist.

Antoni stood out in front of them, his gun drawn as the girls ran towards the car.

“Don’t you let them get hurt,” Antoni yelled at me as I followed them.

I turned and nodded before I sprinted after the girls, and I held pressure against the nagging pain in my side until we got to the car. He watched us until his wife was safely in the car, and then he disappeared back into the house.

Rome sped off again before Val and I shut our doors, and I leaned over and took her face into my hands.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, searching her face.

“I-I wanted to come home,” she muttered, “I wanted to come home to you.”

I took in a shaky breath, and pulled her in towards me, leaning her face against my chest.

She sat up again, pulling away from me.

“I’m so sorry, Ren. If I had come with you in the first place, none of this would have happened. Now Antoni’s still in there because of me.”

“Shh, it’s okay,” I said, trying to calm her.

“He’ll be fine, Val,” Rome reassured her from the front seat.

“What made you change your mind?” I asked.

She shrugged, “I don’t know. Something just flipped in my mind, and I realised… I realised that I don’t want to be away from you anymore.”

I nodded, pulling her close again, “we’ll never be apart again, okay? I promise.”

I held her against my chest and closed my eyes.

Even though Rome was driving like a madman through the suburbs, swerving through traffic in and out towards the safe house - I had never felt more at peace.

26

Chapter 26

Valerie

Icouldn’t feel relieved about the fact that I was back with Ren. Not yet.

We hadn’t heard a word from Antoni, or any of his men, for hours. I had been panicking the whole time, but it only made my anxiety grow as I noticed Rome and Ren started to get worried too. I rubbed my wrist, where a bruise was forming from the ropes.

It was only a few hours in between being tied to the chair and when Ren set me free - but it felt like forever. Waiting to hear from Antoni though, felt even longer.

“I should have let you guys know that I was coming back,” I mumbled, “I didn’t even think. I’m so sorry, Rome.”

She smiled a small smile and shook her head, “it’s not your fault.”

I had never been more scared in my life, but I didn’t even think twice when the man at the airport told me that they would kill Ren and Toni. I knew what my life would look like now, it would look like this.

It would look like guns. It would look like checking over my shoulder. It would look like waiting around and wondering if the people I loved were okay. I looked over at Ren as he rubbed his chin in worry, and I knew now that I could live with it. I could live with all of those things if it meant that he was mine and I was his.

The decision had been made, I was all in.

If I was with him, I knew it would all be worth it. It would all be okay.

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