Page 31 of In My Blood
“No,” I cut in, hoping to ease his struggle. “No one was there when I got home. The lights wouldn’t work, and it was dark so I….I went to flick on the lamp. That’s how…why I was….in the blood. I tripped over…over Mum….part of her. That’s how I f-found her,” I explained as coherently as I could between the flashbacks popping up in my mind like horror filled crime scene photos.
“But…” Dio began, but Rafe lifted his head fast and glared hard at him, cutting off whatever he was going to say.
“But what? What’s going on?” I asked, looking between them.
“It doesn’t matter. We don’t need to talk about it right now,” Rafe said.
“Rafe, please don’t keep things from me. I know I haven’t coped well since you found me, but I’m tougher than I seem. I need to know what’s going on,” I urged.
“You’ve coped amazingly, Carr. Don’t put yourself down like that. You’re so strong,” Dio spoke up, and when I looked over to him, I saw so much sincerity in his beautiful eyes.
“I am,” I agreed. “So lay it on me. What was that ‘but’ you started?”
Dio looked over to Rafe and they just had some weird stare off for several moments. Finally Dio must have won because he dropped down to his knees before me and pulled my hand into his much warmer one.
“You know the doctor came to check you over after we left your apartment?” he started, and I nodded. My hand felt so good wrapped in one of his huge mitts. His skin felt a little rough, and it was such a contrast to my own. “Well he…he found some bruises on your hips and shoulders, and he…there was some blood down the top of your thighs. He was pretty sure that you had been raped,” Dio finished, and he clutched my hand even tighter between both of his after he seemed to force the words out.
“It’s okay to tell us if that’s what happened, sweetheart. Were you there, at the apartment? Did those men….did they touch you?” Rafe asked, trying to maintain a calm demeanour, but I could hear the ire in every word.
“No,” I shook my head, but tears filled my eyes as I realised the real reason for the blood and the bruising. How could I tell them I had sold my body to get a discount off some fucking drugs? What would they think of me then? “I w-wasn’t there…at the apartment. That was…it was consensual, Okay? It just….I guess it got a little rough, but I….I wasn’t raped….at least not then.” Images of the night before, outsideJewels,flashed through my mind and I felt like I had no control of the endless stream of horror that seemed to be on autoplay in my head.
“Stop or I’m gonna cut up that pretty face!”
I jumped badly in Rafe’s hold as I heard the words hissed into my ear, the tip of that cold, sharp blade pressing to my face. It felt so real.
“That’s enough,” Rafe snapped as he pulled me closer into his body and wrapped both arms around me. “Just breathe, Cara. You’re alright now,” he soothed softly as I clung to him.
“Fine, but I’m heading right back to Chicago in a couple of days and I’m going to need the name of the prick who got rough with you before I go,” Dio growled angrily.
“Dario! Enough!” Rafe barked. And that was the end of that. Clearly eleven years had taught my brother how to find his terrifying side, and God help anyone who disregarded it.
***
The cold was the first thing to hit me as I stepped off of the plane and on to the top of the metal steps down. I had expected it to be warmer than Chicago, but if anything it felt colder. It was around nine A.M. in the UK with the time difference, so there was still alayer of fog in the air, and it was dull and overcast. Just the way I always remembered it.
“Here,Piccola.” I turned at the sound of Dio’s voice behind me and realised he was draping a heavy, charcoal grey, wool overcoat over my shoulders. It ran down to below my knees, and I was grateful for it as I grabbed the lapels of the collar and pulled it tight around me.
“Thanks,” I whispered.
“Do you need a hand?” he offered as he stepped past me and held a hand out to me.
I looked down the steps and saw two guys stood at the foot of them , just waiting for us. They were both tall and intimidating, dressed in dark colours and watching us with so much scrutiny it set me on edge instantly. Behind them, there were three black Range rovers parked one behind the other. Each car had blacked out windows and was pristinely clean. Beside those cars stood more men, all of varying ages, sizes, and levels of intimidating, but there was no mistaking they were intimidating as a whole. They were in dark colours too, some in suits and overcoats, some in jeans and jackets. They were watching all around them, their hands held loosely at their sides. I had lived in Chicago long enough to know they likely had weapons – probably guns - concealed under those jackets, and were keeping their hands loose and ready to grab those weapons at the first sign of a threat.
These were Rafe’s men, I realised. These were the men Rafe had told me would protect me, and who put their lives on the line to take care of what remained of my family on a daily basis. They were loyal to Rafe, and had to respect him to feel that way, I wassure. Suddenly as I took them all in I felt the need to hide my terror of them all surrounding us, and the weakness I had been allowing to overcome me for too many days already. These men didn’t know anything about me, except that I was a De Santis. I didn’t want to start off with them pitying me, or seeing me as the broken shell I really was.
“I’m good,” I told Dio. I took a deep breath and lifted myself up, straightening my posture as much as I could. It caused pain to ricochet through my body, but I pushed through it and followed Dio down the steps with my head held up, looking past the men all watching me, knowing that if I met any of their eyes, it would rattle me, and possibly trigger another meltdown I could not allow to happen. I knew I was likely coming off as a royal bitch, but that was better than me looking weak.
“Glad to have you back, brother,” A deep voice spoke, and I glanced ahead of me to see Dio was now at the foot of the steps and shaking hands with the biggest guy I had ever seen in real life. I took another discreet breath, bracing myself for having to bypass the giant in a moment. I wasn’t ordinarily so jittery around people. Growing up the way I did, I had become tough, and I didn’t used to scare easily. But that was before I found my mother’s dismembered body spread over our blood bath of a living room. Before three men attacked me in that parking lot, and that sonofabitch violated me. Since then I didn’t think I had stopped feeling scared except for the moments Rafe had held me in his lap and protected me.
“Everything good?” Dio asked.
“We need to talk, but it can wait for now,” the huge guy answered.
“I’m here,Tesorino. Keep going. You’re doing so well right now,” Rafe spoke from behind me. More than anything I wanted to turn and clutch on to him so I wouldn’t be so afraid, but I didn’t. I didn’t even turn. Knowing he was there would have to be enough. I gave a single, discreet nod, then continued down the last three steps, stepping off the last and moving to stand beside Dio. I would have walked right to the car if I knew which we were supposed to get into.
“Cara, this is Dante,” Dio said as he nodded to the giant standing opposite us. And giant was an accurate word. He was easily over a foot taller than me, and he was enormous. He had to have muscle on muscle to be as broad across his chest and shoulders as he was. He was wearing dark trousers with a white shirt, a black overcoat that came down to mid-thigh, and I could see tattoos peeking up out of the collar of his shirt, black ink against dark, olive toned skin.
“Welcome home,” he told me with a nod, and his voice seemed to rumble through me in the strangest way. But his voice was so deep, with a rough edge to it, and it instantly sent heat to my core.What even was that?I gave myself a shake, knowing I needed to get a grip. Clearly, I was exhausted and overwhelmed, maybe losing my fucking mind.
