Page 56 of In My Blood
“It will not happen again,” he said even more firmly. He leaned in and gently kissed my cheek, then pulled back, taking his gentle touch with him, and I instantly wanted it back.
“Get them home and make sure Dante gets patched up. I’ll handle this and meet you at the house later,” Dio said, then he walked past us and over to where Dante was chatting to another guy not far from us.
“How exactly do you handle this?” I asked as the thought occurred to me.
“We’ve a team of men who’ll clean up the scene and get rid o’ the cars and bodies before the police become involved,” Arran answered honestly.
“Do you know who they were? Who sent them?” I asked as I glanced behind me to the bodies once more.
“No’ yet, but Dario will try to find out.”
“Come on, gorgeous. Don’t look back there again. Let’s just get home before Rafe loses it and comes out here himself,” Callan said, and I nodded. It wasn’t doing my already addled mind much good being around death, blood, and bodies. I needed to get out of there.
“Dante needs to come with us. He needs a doctor,” I worried as I turned to look for the big guy.
“He’s comin’ now. I’ll make sure he gets taken care of. Dinnae worry,” Arran assured me. Once again he and Callan held me between them and I found myself feeling safer there with them, despite the madness that had just occurred.
CHAPTER 15
CARA
Although I couldn’t seem to control the way my body shook, I felt calmer as Arran pulled up outside the house a short while later. He and Dante were up front and Callan and I were in the back. Callan had been holding my hand on the seat between us the entire journey back and I’d been grateful for it.
The quiet of the drive had given me time to get to grips with my panic, the images of the past pushing to the front of my mind, and the pain that was coming angrily from my ribs with all of the movement and action.
By the time Dante opened the door on my side and took my hand to help me out, I could breathe fully once again, and my mind seemed a little clearer, errant thoughts under control for the time being at least.
“The shaking will stop soon. It’s adrenaline,” Dante told me as he held onto my hand longer than necessary and obviously felt my trembling.
“I know,” I nodded. “It’s not the first time I’ve felt this way.”
“I don’t like that,” he rumbled.
“Neither do I, but that’s life,” I shrugged.
“I can’t change your past, but I’ll do everything I can to make sure this is the last time you feel fear like that though.” I looked up, barely able to even meet his eyes with how much taller than me he was, but he was looking down at me, his dark, almost black eyes focussed right on me, and I felt like he was making me a promise with those words.
“I think you might have your work cut out for you there, Dante,” I tried to joke, but Dante didn’t laugh. There was something both unnerving and comforting in the seriousness of his face in that moment. How could anyone not feel even just slightly safer when a giant like Dante was all but pledging to keep you safe?
“We need to get inside. You’re bleedin’ again, brother,” Arran said, jolting me back to reality. I looked up to where I had noticed a blood stain on Dante’s shirt and saw what looked like wet, fresh blood there now.
“Oh crap! Put pressure on it or something!” I demanded as I tried to reach up on tiptoes to reach his shoulder.
“Hush now. It’s just a scratch. I’m hardly bleeding out,” Dante chuckled as he grabbed me around the waist and stopped my stretching to reach up. “Don’t anger your ribs more. They already hurt, don’t they?”
“I’ve had worse,” I told him belligerently.
“Okay, come wi’ me, wee one. Best to pick your battles wi’ Dante, and this one isnae worth it,” Arran stepped in. He grabbed my hand and pulled me behind him towards the house, and for some reason I just followed him, only pausing slightly to make sure Dante and Callan were right behind me. I could see dark coloured cars parked down the street, and I was pretty sure they contained Rafe’s men, all watching over us. At the door, two ofRafe’s guys stood like night club bouncers, one either side of the entrance, eyes watchful and arms crossed. They certainly looked threatening and I found myself hurrying to huddle closer to Arran as we passed them.
“Cara?” Rafe yelled through the house the second we stepped inside.
“I’m here, and I’m fine!” I called back, hoping he’d hear me. My voice still wobbled because of the shaking, but it sounded stronger than it had before, and I felt some pride in that.
I still didn’t have any shoes on, so I didn’t stop to slip them off as the others did, all obviously not wanting to tread blood through the house. I did check there wasn’t any on the soles of the socks I’d borrowed from Callan that morning, but other than my own from wearing Gia’s trainers, I was good. I was pretty sure Callan would not be wanting his socks back though.
I moved further into the hallway just as Rafe appeared at the top of the first flight of stairs. He paused there and stared at me for a moment.
“Thank Christ!” he gasped, then he was striding down towards me. In seconds I was in his arms, being crushed until I couldn’t stand it any longer and moaned in pain.
