Page 15 of Whispers in the Dark
“Mauro, put me down!”
She slams a fist against my back. But I don’t stop. I just keep walking as fast as I can to get the fuck out of here before I dosomething I’ll regret. Like, remove the eyes from every single man who saw her like this.
“Wait!” A woman with long dark hair, wearing almost the same outfit as Alina, dodges past the crowd and rushes toward me, thrusting a bag forward. “This is Alina’s.” She presses it into my free hand, her eyes flicking between Alina and me. “I take it you two know each other?”
I nod.
“And you won’t hurt her?”
I shake my head.
“Okay, well, have fun then!”
“Some friend you are!” Alina shouts as I quickly continue my path to get the hell out of here.
“Looks like pigs are flying!” the woman says behind us, laughing.
No idea what that means.
Leo appears by my side as we exit the back door. He drags a hand down his face, shaking his head as he walks toward his bike and swings a leg over one side. “I’ll give Vin the info from Johnny and I’ll…” He clasps his hand around the accelerator, looking awkwardly between us. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” His tires squeal out of the parking lot as he disappears down the freeway.
My chest feels too damn tight as if I can’t get enough oxygen into my lungs.
Carefully, I place Alina on her feet and quickly turn, not wanting to look at her cause fuck me. I bite my knuckles and begin to pace back and forth beside the dumpster as snow falls continuously around us. I try to take steady, calming breaths as I rub my chest.
But it’s not fucking working.
Why am I this worked up?
A chattering of teeth has me spinning on my heels, and I see Alina’s fingers shake as she puts on her glasses and immediatelylooks down at the ground. She wraps her arms around herself, shivering against the cold that surrounds us.
I don’t hesitate as I remove my jacket and then walk over to her, arranging it around her body, pleased to find that the material engulfs her, falling just past her knees, and shrouding around her midsection like a giant blanket. She eagerly slides her arms into the sleeves and sighs, closing her eyes as she pulls the hood up over her long strands of brown hair.
Turning away, I unlock my truck and hold the passenger door open for her. Her eyes open, and I watch as she swallows nervously before approaching the vehicle and climbing inside. I hand her the bag the woman gave me, which she tucks by her feet, and then shut the door behind her before making my way to the other side.
Once inside, I turn on the car, my knuckles grasping the steering wheel, as I look straight ahead, taking another deep breath that fogs up the window beside me.
Trying anything to calm my racing heart.
Noticing her hands on her lap, which appear almost blue, I adjust the heat to its highest setting before reaching across the console and covering her hands with mine, rubbing them back and forth.
She freezes, her eyes looking up beneath her dark lashes.
I slide my hand into my pocket, retrieve my phone, and open my notes app. Seeing that I can’t just say whatever the hell I want whenever I want, I rely on my phone a lot. So much so that typing or writing has become second nature to me, the fastest way to get my thoughts expressed to others when needed.
I face the screen toward her.What the fuck was that?
She shakes her head, fighting back tears while turning toward the door, curling into herself. “I don’t know,” she whispers, staring out the frosted glass.
Looking away from me.
I type on my phone and then rest my hand on her shoulder, waiting for her to face me, which she eventually does.
Please don’t turn away from me when I’m trying to talk to you.
She twists in her seat. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” Her bottom lip begins to quiver. “That was rude of me.” Her eyes blur with tears. “I didn’t mean… I’m sorry,” she says again, but softer this time.
I reach over, my fingers gently gripping her chin. I tilt her face up until our eyes meet. And for whatever reason, it causes the tears in hers to break free. Each one slowly crawling down her porcelain cheeks. My thumb brushes across her skin, wiping them away.
