Page 4 of In My Blood
“Me? Is Dad angry with me too?”
“Yeah, Cara, he is. I’m so sorry.”
“Why? What did I do, Rafe? Do I have to go away too? Will he hurt me?” she asked as panic seemed to consume her and her breaths started to speed up way too fast. She was terrified of our father, with good reason.
“I will never let him hurt you. That’s why we have to get you away with Mum, okay?”
“I don’t understand. What did I do? I d-don’t want to leave you and Gia, Raffy. Please don’t make me leave you,” she cried as she grabbed my arm and clung tightly to it.
“You didn’t do anything, Cara. This isn’t your fault. It’s all because of Mum and Dad, but you’re not safe here right now. The last thing I want to do is send you away, but this is the only way I know right now. It won’t be for long, I promise. I’ll find a way to fix everything and then I’ll come and get you again. It’ll just be for a little while, okay?” I explained emotionally. It was taking everything I had not to fall apart at the sound of her sniffles and the way she gripped me so hard.
“How long? Will I h-have to stay with Mum the whole time?” she whimpered.
“Yes. Mum is the only one who can look after you right now. And it won’t be for long. You don’t even need to unpack, okay? You just keep anything you have to buy in your backpack, and then when I come for you you’ll already be all packed and ready to come home, won’t you?”
“Yeah, okay. But Raffy? I don’t think Mum likes me very much,” she sniffled as she bravely tried to calm her tears swiping her eyes and cheeks with the back of her hand.
“She’ll look after you. Just try to stay out of her way as much as you can. Be a good girl and wait for me to come and get you. Can you do that for me?”
“I’ll try,” she agreed, but she hadn’t let her grip on my arm go, her left arm wrapped tightly around my forearm, and I never wanted her to.
Dario’s car was already parked up in the small car park at the private airfield just outside of the city centre when I pulled up. I hadn’t even turned off the engine yet, when the passenger door was thrown open and my mother leapt out. She was dressed in a cream trouser suit, her hair pinned perfectly into some fancy twist, as always. She was always the best dressed and most immaculately turned out alcoholic and drug addict I had ever come across. I’d give her that. But the way she was stumbling in her heels and shouting, even though I couldn’t hear her yet, were obvious signs she wasn’t sober.
“Mum looks mad,” Cara whispered, like she dare not speak any louder. It was what she was used to, of course. My mother couldn’t lash out at her daughters if she couldn’t see or hear them, so they had both learned to be quiet and to stay out of sight when necessary.
“It’ll be alright. Come on, sweetheart. Grab your bag,” I told her as I opened my door and stepped out. Dario was out of his car now too, and heading towards me.
“Oh, here he is, boy wonder!” my mother slurred loudly. I ignored her and turned to Dario instead as he approached me.
“Did anyone try to stop you?” I asked him.
“No, but we passed your Dad’s Jag just before we turned out of your street.”
“Fuck. We don’t have much time,” I uttered. I knew it wouldn’t be long before my father worked out where we were and came searching. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had a tracker on my car. He liked to keep a tight rein on his heir. And that’s all I was to him – his heir. Never his son.
“Your Mum’s wrecked. I tried to make her drink some water on the way here, but she just batted it away and swore at me.”
“Just stay with Cara and try not to let her hear whatever bullshit my Mum’s about to spout. She knows she has to go, and she’s terrified. Just…just try to reassure her for me, please. This is killing me,” I admitted. He was the only person I would ever allow to see such weakness from me.
“I’ll take care of her. Good luck with that,” he said as he nodded to where my mother was leaning heavily on the front of my car and swaying like she was about to collapse. Was I really going to trust this woman with my eight year old sister?
“You!” Mum shouted as she turned and glared at me, waving a pointed finger in my direction, sort of.
“Dio!” Cara cried. I glanced behind me just in time to see her running into Dario’s arms. Just another person she loved, that she was going to have to leave behind. I had never hated myself, or the life I was trapped in more than I did in that moment.
“Mum, you need to pull yourself together!” I snapped as I grabbed her arm and pulled her further away from where Dario had taken Cara to the entrance of the building.
“What did you do? Why am I here right now, Rafe?” she demanded.
“You know why! You cheated on him, you idiot! Did you think he wouldn’t find out?” I hissed angrily. “How could you do this? He’ll kill you and Cara if he gets you now. Do you realise that!?”
“Fuck him! I never wanted him!”
“I don’t give a shit what you did or didn’t want. This is about Cara now!” I raged as I gave her a shake. She stumbled on her heels, but stayed upright thanks to the fact I was holding onto her.
“I never wanted her either! I never wanted any of you!”
“Shut the fuck up!” I looked over to where Dario and Cara stood, hoping they hadn’t heard, but they clearly had, because they were both looking at me, and Cara looked tearful. “Listen to me. You are going to get on this plane and you are going to take Cara to a safe location that I have arranged for you. It has no ties to me or the family, and you’ll be protected there. You hurt one hair on Cara’s head and I will kill you myself. Do you understand? I’ll come to collect her. When I get her back safe, I’ll give you money to get away and start again. You can go wherever you want, but until I do, you keep her safe and try to be her fucking mother!”
