Page 81 of Winter
“Yup. I saw monsters everywhere.”
Inca turned away from him then, not wanting him to see the fear in her eyes. “I know what you mean.”
At the mansion, she turned and hugged him goodbye. He smiled at her.
“I’ll see you back at home. I don’t want you alone until we get this asshole. I’ll be home as soon as I can, hopefully with Olly.”
“Thanks, Knox, for everything.”
Inside the mansion, Inca deliberately went straight to her room, wanting to be alone to grieve. She lay on her bed and the sense of loneliness, of hopelessness she’d been trying to bury, threatened to overwhelm her, and she pulled up the comforter to hide the tears. Exhausted, she leaned her head on her hand and closed her eyes.
Before long, images and half-clouded dreams began to run through her mind. Kissing Raffaelo, standing with him at the edge of the cliff. Now they were at the bottom, Raffaelo lying motionless on the rocks. She was screaming for him to wake, but he was gone. There was a laugh, a movement, behind her. She turned. She expected to see Olly, but no, it was Tommaso driving the knife into her, grinning, giggling. Pain. Blood.
Death.
Luna had refusedto stay at the Winter mansion—and neither of the brothers seemed keen on her staying with them. She could tell from their hostile eyes that she wasn’t welcome. They clearly thought Olly was guilty.
As soon as Knox had taken Inca and Tyler into the city, she had slipped from the house and walked back home, letting herself into Olly’s place, tidying it up, looking for any clue. The detectives had clearly already been there, and she ignored theKeep Outcrime scene tape. There had been enough secrets around her.
And yours is one of the biggest, isn’t it, Luna?
She closed her eyes. She could never take back what she had done.Never.And yet … it felt unfinished, what she felt she had to do.It’s time.
She left Olly’s place and went to Knox’s apartment, sliding under his bed to ease up the floorboard she had removed a few weeks ago. From underneath, she took up the small bag, then crawled out again. She left a note on Knox’s desk, then, with tears streaming down her face, she walked into the inky black night.
“Well, kid.” Trent pushed open the door to the interrogation room. Olly looked up, his eyes heavy and tired. His lawyer, Bryan, followed Ford in and patted Olly’s shoulder. Trent smiled at him.
“Your construction boss has confirmed your alibi. We still have questions, but for now, you’re free to go.”
Olly gaped at him. “What?”
Bryan cleared his throat. “No evidence, buddy. They’ll bail you for now. You will have to surrender your passport—”
“Knox can take care of that,” Trent interrupted with an apologetic nod to the lawyer.
Olly followed them out of the precinct in a daze. Bryan said goodbye, Trent, too, and Olly was left alone on the sidewalk. He began to walk, not paying attention to where he was going, just needing to feel the ache in his leg muscles and the cold air in his lungs. His speed increased and then he was running, pushing himself harder and harder until finally, he stopped, chest heaving, the blood pounding in his brain.
He was free. There had been moments over the past days when even he had believed himself capable of … anything. All he knew now was that he had to get to Inca, to hold her, to protect her.
One thought dominated his mind as he turned and began to walk across the city to the waterfront. Inca was in trouble. The image of Nancy’s body flashed in his mind, and Olly couldn’t help seeing Inca’s face, contorted like Nancy’s had been in absolute terror and agony, her body shredded and bloody.
“No…” Olly’s jaw set. Before this ended, Olly knew in his heart, more people would die. But if it took his last breath, Inca would not be among them.
Raffaelo strokedhis fingers down her bare back. Inca had stepped out of the tub, and now he wrapped a thick fluffy towel around her. She looked exhausted, drained, and grief-stricken. She had woken up screaming from the nightmares earlier, and it had taken both him and Tommaso to calm her down. She had cried for most of the rest of the day, the full impact of what had happened hitting her full force.
She leaned against him now, and he kissed her temple. “Tommaso is preparing some hot soup for you. You need to eat.”
“I couldn’t.”
“Try for me.”
They walked slowly hand-in-hand down the stairs. In the kitchen, Tommaso smiled at her and kissed her lips softly. “Here, eat. It’s good.”
Inca smiled at him. “Did you make it?”
Tommaso grinned. “No. That’s how I know it’s good.”
She appreciated both of them trying to make her feel better and truthfully, she didn’t want to be anywhere else. The soupwasgood, and she managed about half of it. She looked at them both, sitting with her so patiently.
