Page 123 of Ruling Scar
“I swear to god—”Elijah crushes me to his chest, his body anchoring me to reality as I soak his shirt with tears—“if you ever scare me like that again, Leonora, there will be consequences.”
CHAPTER 29
Lennie
What’s it like to be in a shoot-out?
Terrifying.
And nobody can prepare you for the aftermath. For the daze that sets in.
I clung to Elijah when the warehouse flooded with Dad and Lev’s men. I peeked over Elijah’s shoulder, my eyes meeting Dad’s.
He froze, the mafia man, with his suit pristine and gun at the ready. I’ve never seen so much power ripple through him. Anger propelling him.
He came to a stop, flanked by Lev and Dima. First, he took in the sight of me. His eyes scanning me as I clung to Elijah. Then they moved toward Adeline and his face blanched. I saw firsthand how he jolted at the sight of his baby daughter standing over a man with six bullets in him.
Needless to say, Lev took over the scene, or more like cleaning up the mess. I don’t even want to think about the video Leopold had playing.
I don’t know what will happen with Leopold’s body. I don’t know if his family, the powerful Stuarts, will come calling over from England. I have no idea how things may unfold.
If I asked, I’m not sure I’d get an answer.
Elijah carried me to the car and then Fernando drove us home. Simple as that.
Mom and Nat opened the car door. In some ways, it felt like I was a kid sent home from school with an upset stomach.
I hugged my mom, tears running down both our faces.
Nat helped me into the shower and I have a feeling I’ll never see the clothes I wore again.
“I missed my therapy appointment,” I tell Nat as she washes my hair. She stands with the glass door open, her fingers brushing through my long hair. “And work. . .”
I left the office to go to lunch and I’m not sure what time it is now.
“We’ll get it figured out,” she says gently.
“Adeline?” I ask. Tears burn my eyes, mixing with the hot water.
“She’s okay.” But her voice is quieter than before.
Mom says something in Italian, a sign she’s stressed, and I’m wrapped into a towel. They guide my limbs into clothes and then I’m placed under the duvet.
“Where did Elijah go?” I ask.
“No boys allowed,” Nat says, combing my wet hair back. She leaves and I hear other footsteps in the hallway.
Mom lies down on the bed on top of the covers. She looks exactly how she always does. Big brown eyes and beautiful, thick brown hair with fresh caramel highlights. She runs a hand over my hairline, softly playing with the strands.
“I love you,” she whispers.
“I love you too.”
“I’m sorry,” she says.
I nod, tears filling up.
They bring tears to her eyes too. “I’m mad at myself for a lot of reasons. But what almost brought me to my own grave was knowing I didn’t pick up the phone the last time you called.”
