Page 103 of Darkest Sin
“But look at you. You were obviously tortured. You can just tell them they did this to you.”
“I don’t like to bring police into my business, baby. We need to keep moving until Charlie gets here.”
Mikhail tugs on my hand and I follow him. We walk through the shipping containers, staying far away from the police. I can see them off in the distance, near the warehouse. Someone must have called the cops about all the shooting. I don’t see Nico or Cillian anywhere.
We ease around an office building and come to a stop.
“There’s Charlie,” Mikhail says, pointing to a man across a large parking lot, waiting by a car. The problem is: multiple cop cars are in the way. They’ll notice us and ask questions for sure, especially with Mikhail covered in blood the way he is.
“How do we get to him?”
“You can walk through. Just tell the police you were an innocent, walking by when you heard the gunshots and you hid.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll stay hidden. Come back for me when the police are gone.”
“Mikahil, no. You could be caught. You could be hurt.”
When he cups my face, it’s almost painful. “I will not lose you to anyone. Go to Charlie. He’ll take you home. Tell him where I am. He’ll come back for me. Nico and Cillian won’t be coming around for a long time. The police scared them off. I’ll be fine.”
“But you almost died,” I whisper as tears slip down my face.
“But I didn’t. Thanks to you. Now, go.”
I know he’s right and his commanding tone is something that I know I’ll listen to. So with heavy legs, I walk away from Mikhail and head straight for the police.
They notice me like Mikhail said they would.
“Hold on,” a male officer says, stopping me in my tracks.
“Thank god you’re here,” I gasp out. “I heard gunshots. I hid. I was so afraid.”
“What were you doing out here? Alone?”
“I was supposed to meet up with some friends to go to a party but they bailed. So I… called my dad to come pick me up. There he is.” I point towards Charlie. Thank goodness he’s old enough to be my father – or looks it anyway. “I was leaving when I heard the gunshots.”
“I’ll need your statement.”
After talking with the police for a few minutes, they let me go. They must see my young face and summer dress and realize I’m not the kind of person to be causing trouble. When I look over my shoulder, I don’t see Mikahil anywhere. He’s disappeared, like a ghost.
Charlie lets me into his car without a word and drives us back to my house. I tell him where Mikhail is and he promises that he’ll go back for him.
Once I’m in the house, I realize just how alone I am. Mikahil and I went through something insane tonight. We both could have died and yet, we didn’t.
I turn my eyes to the ceiling. “Dad? Did you help me tonight?” I don’t get an answer, not that I expected one, but it’s a comfort thinking of my father protecting me, even from beyond the grave. I just hope he can do the same for my sisters.
I spend hours pacing around the house until the front door opens and Mikhail stumbles inside. “You’re ok. You’re alive.” I pull him into a deep hug and feel him wrap his arms around me. I’ve never felt this safe before.
“But you’re hurt,” I say with a gasp. “Mikhail, you need to go to the hospital.”
“No. They’ll ask too many questions. I have a first aid kit in the bathroom.”
“A first aid kit? Have you seen yourself? You’re still bleeding.”
“I know. It got on the seats of Charlie’s car. He’s pissed about it and I told him I’d pay him back for the damages done.” He walks past me into the nearest bathroom where he pulls out a first aid kit from under the sink and slumps onto the toilet lid with a heavy sigh. His hands are shaking as he opens the box. I’ve never seen him look so bone tired and worn down before.
“Here. Let me.” I take the box from him and pull out multiple alcohol wipes and start dabbing the cuts on his chest. He winces every time but otherwise, doesn’t say a word. Once I’m done, I place gauze over every one of his cuts until his entire chest is covered in it.
