Page 78 of Stolen Kisses
This was all my doing. I’d ruined a sweet girl like her who had a family that cared about her. I had pushed her to this shit.
And … Dante. I couldn’t tell him what I’d seen. It was too dangerous. No one would be able to protect him. Even the hardest guys we knew couldn’t protect him if it came down to it and he got on the wrong side of Elliot, and Barabbas.
I couldn’t tell Dante. I’d have to find some way of telling him Christina needed to be tamed without saying too much.
The two left and damn it I had to wait until the men cleaned up the place and took away Todd’s mangled body.
I had to wait.
I must have waited for hours in that little cupboard too scared to come out, too scared to move. It was the worry of staying past the time the function ended that made me move, because I’d have a whole other set of worries to think about and lose my cover of the crowd.
I managed to get up and move, sneaking past everything then blending in when I got upstairs to everyone else.
All these people and no one knew what had happened just downstairs.
Nobody knew, just me—alone.
* * *
I got home and curled up in my bed.
I didn’t know how long I stayed there, but I didn’t sleep. Morning came and still no Christina. I got up and went out to the kitchen to make some coffee.
Lunch came and no Christina.
Dinner passed too, no Christina and she wasn’t answering her phone.
I didn’t know what to do.
Would she be okay?
The man she was seeing had just killed Todd Parker. How could I think my best friend was okay with a man like that?
A murderer. A killer.
I’d always heard Luc say no mindless killing. Men like him only killed to protect themselves and the ones they loved. That was the difference with the Antonellas and Manellos. It was a really big difference.
Christina, where are you?
The doorbell rang and I ran to it thinking that Christina must have forgotten her keys.
I opened the door to see Luc standing there.
“Doll, what the hell happened to you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” He stated looking me over.
I couldn’t hold it in anymore. The tears came rolling down my cheeks and I couldn’t stop them from falling.
“Fuck, what happened?” he asked.
What happened? Chances were if I told him he’d get involved too and he’d be in danger. So, I just told him part of the problem.
“Christina didn’t come home last night.”
“Come here,” he said pulling me in for a hug. “I’m sure she’s fine.”
He came in and sat with me holding me in his arms as I cried myself to sleep. I cried for all of the horrific things I’d seen and my worry over Christina.
I woke at the sound of glass smashing. Luc was gone and a blanket was spread over me.
