Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 84763 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84763 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
14
CASSIAN
“Cassian? Cassian!” she calls after me as I ascend the stairs, my hand on my side. She opened the wound, and I need to take care of it. “You can’t leave me here. Please!”
I won’t leave her for long, but she is too wild. Too violent. She needs to learn.
“You’re bleeding,” Enzo says once I’m upstairs. He must hear her, but doesn’t comment. I pull the door closed behind me, lock it and set the key back above the frame.
“It’s fine. No one goes down there.”
He nods once, doesn’t ask questions. He rarely does. Enzo and I grew up together, his father often more a father to me than my own. I think I spent as many nights at his house as I did mine. He is respectful of our positions within the family, though, which is very different to Jet. Jet and I are not blood, but he feels very comfortable inserting himself where he doesn’t belong.
I hear my phone ring as I approach the bedroom. I must have left it in there. It stops before I reach it. I’m not through the door when it starts again. I rush to answer because it’s Vivi’s ringtone and I know in my gut that something’s wrong.
“Vivi?”
“Cassian. Shit, Cassian.” She’s crying.
“What is it? What’s happened? Are you all right? Is Gage?”
She sniffles and it takes her a minute to speak. I can almost see her inhaling deeply, telling herself to pull it together.
“He’s okay. We’re both okay, but—”
I exhale, but don’t miss the panic in her voice. “What’s happened?”
“Someone came to my mom’s.”
“What?”
“I was going to drop Gage off like I always do, but when I got there, she said his uncle had just left.”
My heart begins a slow, echoing throb. Vivi’s mom babysits Gage twice a week while Vivi works. Although she doesn’t need to work, she knows I’ll look after her and Gage, she’s as stubborn as Seth was. So far, she’s refused protection and although I haven’t been comfortable with the choice, I’ve tried to respect it. Now, I think that may have been a fucking stupid thing to do.
“What uncle?” I ask, my voice tight.
“I don’t know. She just said he had dark hair, was pretty tall and he was wearing a suit. She didn’t know him. It was early, whoever it was rang the bell when she was just getting out of bed. I think he caught her by surprise and was gone before she could even ask him his name.”
“Is she all right?”
“Everyone’s fine, but…”
I sit on the edge of the bed, look down at the drying blood on my hand, peel my shirt which is sticking to it, away. I swallow the pain, letting it remind me the difference a few inches would have made. Letting it remind me that Allegra may look like she can’t do much damage, but it’d be a mistake to underestimate her. She’s a Moretti. And spending a little time in the crypt might be good for her.
“But what?” I ask.
“He left something. An early Christmas gift for Gage he said.”
I’m on my feet in an instant stalking out of the bedroom. “Whatever it is, don’t open it. Leave it where it is and get out. Get out of the house!”
“Cassian. Cassian wait,” she interrupts.
I hurry to the exit. “I need you with me,” I tell two of the soldiers who stand smoking just outside the front door.
“Cassian, I opened it.”
“You did what?”
One of the soldiers slides into the driver’s seat and starts the engine.
“It was a gun.”
“A gun?”
“Yes. Gage thought it was a toy, but it’s not. Shit. It’s not.”
“Are you still at your mom’s?”
“Yeah. I called you right away.”
“Where is the package?”
“Here, on my lap.”
“Put the package aside and get out of the house. Go to the café two blocks away, what’s it called?”
“Trifle.”
“Trifle. Good. Go. Now. Take your mom and Gage. Leave the door unlocked. Get out of the house. Now. I’m on my way.”
“You’re scaring me.”
“Just g…” I force myself to stop, to breathe. “It’s fine. I’m sure. Just go. Now. Okay? I’m going to stay on the phone with you until you get there. Move, Vivi.”
“Okay. Come on, Gage. Let’s get ice cream.”
“Ice cream!” I hear Gage’s voice followed by rustling, her mom muttering, and, a few minutes later, the door closing. They’re outside. Good. Keeping her on speaker, I text Angelo to get soldiers to both Vivi’s house and her mother’s as well as to the café. I never thought it was a good idea she didn’t have protection. Gage is Seth’s son. He’s my father’s grandson. Our enemies could take him. Use him. Worse. Fuck, a lot worse. Hell, maybe we’ve been lucky no one has hurt him yet.
“We’re here,” Vivi says ten tense minutes later.
“Okay. Angelo’s sending soldiers. They’ll stay in their vehicles—”