Page 110 of In My Heart
I was already gone. I fled up the next set of stairs in three leaps, slamming closed and locking my bedroom door behind me. I slid down it, resting my head atop my raised knees as I crumbled and tears flooded my face. My sobs were desperate, my heart racing and my body shaking. I didn’t understand what was going on. Rafe wasn’t being the brother I knew him as. He was acting more like Marcello, and that terrified me.
CHAPTER 27
CARA
It wasn’t long before the door handle above me rattled, but they couldn’t come in. Not only was it locked, but I was blocking the door.
“Cara? Open this door for me, baby!” Dio demanded urgently. He knocked so hard on the wood that I felt the reverberations down my spine.
“Easy,” Cal said softly. “Don’t scare her.”
“You try, lad,” Arran urged.
“Babe? We’re a little worried about you out here. Rafe said you threatened to hurt yourself. Can you let us see that you’re alright?” Cal spoke gently.
“I don’t want that,” I whispered, then when I realised they couldn’t hear me, I spoke up. “I d-don’t want that.”
“Don’t want what, Cara? To open the door? To see us?” Cal asked.
“To hurt myself,” I told him shakily.
“We dinnae want that either, wee one. Ye sound so upset, lass. Open the door fer us now. Let us hold ye and make it all better, alright?”
“It’s just us, beautiful. We’ll keep Rafe away as long as you need us to. Just let us see you, please,” Cal pleaded.
“I’m tired,” I argued. It was a ridiculous argument, since I’d only just gotten up, but I did feel exhausted again.
“That’s okay,Piccola. You always sleep better when we’re with you, don’t you?” Dio reminded me.
“Yeah,” I sniffled.
“That’s right. Good girl. I want ye te stand up now, and unlock the door fer us, ye hear me?” Arran said more firmly. The words seemed to echo through me and without conscious thought I was already agreeing.
“Okay,” I told them.
“Such a good wee thing. Step back from the door when it’s unlocked so we can come in wi’ out hurtin’ ye.” Arran continued and my body did his bidding easily, the gentle command allowing me to not think, just do. I unlocked the door and stumbled back until I was leaning back against the wall beside the door.
It opened slowly and cautiously, then Dio was there, pulling me into his arms and holding me against his chest as my sobs started up again.
“Let it out, lassie. We’re here now. We’ll no’ let Rafe or anyone upset ye like this again,” Arran soothed from somewhere behind me, his hand rubbing soothingly up and down my back above where Dio held my shaky body up.
“I d-don’t want t-to hurt myself,” I whimpered, needing them to understand. “But he….he wants to take you all away from me and I….if I was alone again….if I was a prisoner…”
“Hey. You’re not going to be a prisoner. Is that what he threatened?” Cal asked as he appeared before me, crouched so his eyes met mine as he cupped my face between his hands.
“He said he wouldn’t allow me to leave,” I admitted.
“What the fuck is wrong with him?” Dio cursed.
“We would never allow that to happen. Nor are we going anywhere. Rafe is in a bad place right now, after he got shot. It doesn’t excuse what he said to you, but believe that he doesn’t mean it, Cara.”
“I don’t want to see him…not until he’s better. I know that’s selfish, but I…it hurts when he’s nasty. He reminds me of Marcello,” I squeaked through my tears and tight throat.
“It’s no’ selfish, considering the way he’s acted,” Arran assured me.
“And you don’t have to see him if you don’t want to. I’ll find us somewhere secure to stay for a few weeks until Rafe screws his head on straight again,” Dio offered.
“You don’t need to…”
