Page 55 of The Air You Breathe

Nerves made me feel uneasy, like I only had half of the story. I hated when my brother and Evan kept me out of the loop. They still treated me like I was a child. I leaned against my car dialing a few other guys, but no one had heard anything or were near what had happened to Evan.

Geraldo either wanted to know what he was doing, or Lucio wanted to make sure no one knew whattheywere doing. Evan and Giovanni held a lot of sway with the guys, so they were making sure they didn’t incite discord within.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. We couldn’t go back to Mountain View tonight. I needed a better feel of what was going on, and I needed to talk to Evan or Giovanni so I could prepare.

Thinking of Darcy made me feel extremely guilty. That day with Geraldo in the coffee shop definitely put her on Lucio’s radar again, if she wasn’t already. Now I know why Evan left her all those years ago. If something happened to her, no one would be safe from my wrath. Not even Lucio.

I pocketed my phone and walked back into the room. Darcy was drifting off to sleep while Cole finished Evan's shoulder. He was passed out, but Darcy still had his hand in hers sitting on her lap.

“I just need to add a stitch or two here.” He pointed at another spot on his chest. “Then you should be good to go.”

“Thanks, man,” I said, walking over to Darcy. “Mhuirnín, come on, let's get you to the car. You can sleep there.” I cupped her face.

“I’m fine here,” she said, looking around a little disoriented.

“He’s almost done and you're going to hurt your neck like that,” I said, grabbing her other hand so I could get her up.

She looked up at me, sleepy with her beautiful dark green eyes. “I’m tired but I’m worried.” She frowned. “Is he going to be ok?”

“He will be fine,” Cole said with a smile. I didn’t like the way he was looking at her.

“Come on,” I said, as I picked her up, giving Cole a glare before I walked away.

I heard him chuckle as we left the room. I was trying to keep my shit in check because I knew pissing off Cole wasn’t a good idea. Darcy laid her head on my shoulder as I carried her to my car. The feel of her in my arms felt like she was always meant to be there. I looked down at her sleepy face wanting to freeze time because this felt significant.

Love never seemed to be in the cards for me, but these past few weeks with Darcy felt like I had never truly taken a full breath and I had been starved for oxygen for all of my life. I tried to lay her in the back seat as best I could without disturbing her, but she opened her eyes before I leaned back. We stayed suspended in each other's gaze, but it felt like she wanted to say something. She cupped my face, then laid her head back down before she closed her eyes.

I felt disappointed, expecting something more from her, but I’m sure she was confused. Could I really blame her?

Evan had told me that he thought she was the one when they were in college, but he had wanted to keep her safe because he didn’t want her to get involved by accident like Cal’s sister Kelsey had. My father was a vile man who trapped everyone.

It was getting late. I was ready to get back to the cabin to sleep off this stress and all these feelings. When I walked into the room Evan was alone laying down. His torso was starting to bloom bruises, looking like either someone held him up as someone punched him over and over again or he was kicked while he was on the ground.

I desperately wanted to shake him awake so I could ask him what the hell was going on, but I knew he needed to rest.

“The stitches need to come out in about a week. I’m sure you can cut them out or if you really need to, you can bring him back here.” Cole gave me a bag. “There should be enough dressings to last you the week. I wouldn’t get water on it for the first 24 hours and then after that he can shower, but no bath. Watch out for infection and high temperatures. Take him to the ER immediately for either of those. “

“Thanks for helping us. I know it's not easy,” I said, walking to Evan. “If you need anything let me know. I know Ava would love to babysit again.”

“I might take you up on that offer. I’m wearing myself thin here.” He ran his hand over his face. “If you know anyone that might need a farm manager job, let me know. I’m drowning in this business and I owe it to Holly to keep it operational.”

“I might know someone,” I said, thinking about a few people.

“Thanks,” he said, looking at me funny. “I know it's not my business, but life is too short to keep your feelings to yourself. Tell her how you feel, one of you should. You’ll regret it so much sometimes it will feel like you are drowning.”

I knew Cole's wife had died recently, leaving him to raise twin girls. The pain in his eyes was unbearable to look at. He looked like he held so much regret for whatever reason and he was right, life was too short.

“Thanks man, things are just complicated,” I said, looking at Evan.

“Life is also too short to think about what other people say. Fuck the world and live for you man. Alright get out of here before I give you more unsolicited wisdom from someone who doesn't know what the hell they are talking about.”

I chuckled. “Thanks,” I said, waking up Evan enough so he could help me get his ass to the car. Cole ended up helping me get him into the passenger seat, throwing his jacket on him.

“Be safe,” Cole said, closing the passenger door as I got into the car. I didn’t feel comfortable going to Mountain View, so the cabin would have to be enough for right now. It was a quick drive to the place, thankfully. I parked the car as close as I could to the front porch, making it as easy as possible to get Evans' ass in the door. When I came back from opening the front door, Darcy was awake looking around.

“Dev, why are we here? she asked, when I helped her out of the back seat.

“I didn’t want to drive back so late to Mountain View,” I said, but one look from Darcy’s glare made me rethink keeping things from her. “I don’t know everything that happened to Evan, and I'm worried it's not safe to go back tonight. At least until I know more.”

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