Page 34 of In My Blood
“Cara!” Rafe gripped me from behind as Gia grabbed one of my arms.
“What’s wrong?” Gia cried at the same time.
“I’m alright,” I uttered as I slammed my eyes closed and grabbed onto Gia’s arm.
“Rafe! What’s wrong? Is she hurt? Does she need a doctor?” Gia panicked.
“No. I…I’m okay.” I opened my eyes and tried to push up from Rafe so I could stand on my own and show Gia I was fine, but it was a mistake. Heat rushed over me again and then everything around me went blurry, sounds echoing, and then darkness.
***
“She’s not okay! Look at her! Why is she so bruised? What the hell happened over there?” Gia’s hissed, but clearly angry and panicked words brought me back to awareness.
“She was attacked. We believe it was the men who killed our mother. They were planning to kidnap Cara, but she fought back and they hurt her,” Rafe explained quietly.
“What does that even mean? Why weren’t you protecting her?”
“I messed up, Gia, okay? Cara was scared of us and she ran away before I could stop her. By the time we found her…well, it was too fucking late.” Rafe sighed tiredly.
“She was checked over by a doctor over there. He told us she didn’t have any serious injuries. She’s just exhausted. She’s been through so much this week, and she’s barely eaten. She just needs some rest and plenty of TLC, and she’ll feel better,” Gio added.
“Is she safe now? Are these men, whoever they are, going to come after her again?” Gia asked, and she sounded so much older than her sixteen years. It worried me. Had she been forced to grow up too fast too?
“I don’t know, but I’m doing everything in my power to see that doesn’t happen. In the interim, she’s safe here, with us. I have extra men outside and in the garages. Arran, Dante, Sil, and Jase will be personal protection for both of you if you leave this house, until this is over, and you don’t go anywhere without one of them, and a team tailing you, understood?” Rafe told her.
“Yeah. I’m not an idiot. I won’t do anything that means we could lose her again. We only just got her home again,” Gia sighed.
I opened my eyes then, not wanting to eavesdrop any longer. I was laid on a wide bed, the sheets beneath me white and soft. I could see a lilac duvet folded at the foot of the bed and sat on it, at the side closest to me, was Gia. Rafe stood at her side, and we were in a bright, spacious, modern bedroom.
“Where are we now?” I groaned as I pushed myself up onto my elbow and glanced around me. Thankfully, the room didn’t spin, but I felt groggy, my head heavy.
“This is your room,Tesorino. You’re home now,” Rafe told me gently as he came closer and crouched beside the bed so we were at eye level with each other. “You fainted on me,” he sighed with a lopsided smile. “How are you feeling?”
“Embarrassed mainly. I don’t think I’ve ever fainted in my life,” I replied.
“Don’t be silly. You’re obviously exhausted and in pain,” Gia cut in as she jumped up the bed until she was sat at my side. I tried not to grimace as the bouncing of the mattress caused pain up my side. It wasn’t until I felt her soft hand running up my bare arm that I realised she had pulled off the hoody I was wearing, so a lot of the bruises I had on my arms, chest and shoulders were visible. “It’s Rafe’s fault for making you walk into the house. Heshould have been carrying you. It’s not like it would be hard. What do you weigh? Five, six stone? You need feeding up.”
“Gia!” Rafe bit out.
“It’s fine,” I interrupted before Rafe could upset her. It wasn’t like she was saying anything untrue. I knew I needed to gain some weight. It had been years since I looked in a mirror and found anyone remotely healthy looking back.
“See! It’s fine.” Gia turned and stuck a tongue out at Rafe, then turned back to me. “We’re sisters. We can tell each other anything, can’t we?” she asked me.
She looked younger in that moment, more like the child I had left behind, so filled with mischief and innocence, reaching out for me to show her that I loved her. She had always needed that reassurance, even when she was small – not that I had known that was what she was seeking when I was younger, but it all made sense later.
“Of course we can,” I agreed.
“I need to go and make some phone calls. I’ll be in my room if you need anything,” Dio spoke up, then he looked to me with a small smile, which I tried to return. As soon as he left the room I wished he would come right back. I felt safer with him there.
“I love your accent. It’s such a mix. You sound American, but I can still hear the London accent in there too,” she laughed.
“I guess I am a bit of a mix now,” I shrugged. “I was over there for a long time. It’s hard not to pick up the accent.”
I tried to push myself up to sitting, my elbow no longer able to hold me up alone any longer, but it was a struggle, and Iended up laid back down against the pillows with a deep huff of annoyance.
“How much pain are you in right now?” Rafe asked me as he stood to his full height and studied me.
“I’ve lived with worse. I’m just exhausted,” I replied.
