Page 21 of Broken Princess

She follows me down the hall, and I take care to avoid passing by where she might catch a glimpse of the bodies I left behind.

I'm tempted to have her confirm what I already know about the baby, but what would be the point in that? There will be plenty of time to have that conversation later.

And wewillbe having it.

The rest of the house is clear, but I'm not about to let my guard down. Amelia stays behind me until we reach the front door, and I glance in both directions to make sure that I'm not missing any stragglers.

"Come on, my car's in the woods."

"I still can't believe you're here," she mutters.

I glance over my shoulder as I lead her into the woods. "You don't need to sound so excited."

She gives me a look. Damn, I missed that look. I missed everything about her, including—no, especially—when she's pissed at me.

This time, I'm the one that has the right to be pissed at her, but all I can feel is tremendous, overwhelming relief. It's the first time I've actually had the chance to pause and really study her, without just looking over her for injuries, and I notice the slight but visible bump of her stomach. Her dress is just tight enough to show it.

She follows my gaze downward before hers drifts back up to meet mine, and she swallows audibly.

"Lorenzo, I—"

"I know," I tell her. "And trust me, we're going to be talking about that later. Right now, all I care about is getting you home. Both of you."

CHAPTER 11

AMELIA

The moment Lorenzo says those words, about taking us both home, my heart plummets into the depths of my chest.

I have never felt so afraid and hopeful at the same time, but I immediately push the thought out of my mind.

I'm not going to do this again.

No matter what just happened, even if he did just rescue me, even if I am still in shock, I just am not going to let myself fall for it again.

I didn't run all the way across the country because I actually thought we stood a chance at making things work, or that he even wanted to, and that hasn't changed now.

"How did you find out?" I ask.

He looks impatiently over his shoulder, and I can't say I blame him for wanting to get out of here. That's all I wanted to do before, but I know I might not get the chance to get any answers out of him if I pass on this.

"Anthony," he finally answers. "And not that either of us is the other's biggest fan, but he was worried something had happened to you. Looks like he was right."

I sigh. "I don't blame him. I'm… glad he told you, I guess." I look back at the house, feeling a knot growing in my throat. "What happened to the others?"

Lorenzo gives me a look as if it should be obvious. And I guess it should.

"Right," I mumble. It's not that I'm not grateful or anything. I don't have any warm fuzzy feelings toward Mickey or any of the others who came in and out over the last twelve hours or so, but it's still unnerving to think about the fact that someone I’ve seen so recently is just dead mere yards away.

I really am not cut out for this life. If ever that was unclear, it's crystal clear now.

Lorenzo opens the door and ushers me into the car. I get in, finally letting myself breathe. It'll be a long time before I don't feel high on adrenaline and panic, though.

We've been on the road for a few moments in silence when Lorenzo glances over at me and asks, "Are you sure they didn't hurt you?"

"Yes," I answer, rubbing my hands together.

He turns the heat on without me having to ask. He falls silent again, and I don't know why, but I find myself wanting to break the silence, even though I should be using it to my advantage.

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