Page 105 of Because I Need You
“I’m okay.” Petra smiled, tears filling her eyes. “It got scary.”
I nodded, not saying anything else to that because I couldn’t. I couldn’t.
“What happened?” I whispered, looking at Nadia. “Gio was there and then I was shot and then I heard more gunshots, but I was gone.”
Nadia’s lips pressed together as she swallowed, and I braced myself for the worst. “Evelyn died.”
My heart stopped. She’d been the one holding the gun, I realized. I hadn’t seen her face, but it had to be her. She’d pointed the gun at her own son, shot me, and she was dead. It didn’t take much to put the pieces together. My lip wobbled again. Poor Gio. I couldn’t even imagine what he was going through.
“How’s Gio?”
“Fine. Well, physically.” Nadia paused. “He killed his mother.”
“So, he’s not okay,” I whispered.
“He’s as okay as someone who had to kill their own mom can be.”
“What do you remember?” Petra asked.
“I don’t know,” I whispered. “I remember screaming. I remember blood, so much blood. I remember Evelyn having a gun aimed at him. I moved him and then I remember nothing.”
“That’s Gio’s account too,” Nadia said. “You saved his life.”
“He saved mine.”
He had. In so many ways, but if he hadn’t gotten there when he did who knows what his mother would have done to me. I hated her. I’d never wanted to actually kill anyone, but she may have just been my first victim. I shivered at the memory of her. A terrible mother, a sex trafficker. Ugh. It was mind-blowing that her children had turned out as well as they had.
“She was a horrible human being,” I whispered. “How long have I been in here?”
“A week.” Petra held my hand. “You’ve been in and out. Mostly out.”
I looked down to examine myself. Holy shit. “What isn’t broken?”
Nadia laughed lightly. “You have some cracked ribs; your shoulder got some real damage from the gunshot. Your face looks like complete shit, but I’m sure you feel it, so I don’t think I need to tell you.”
“And you’re supposed to be the nice one,” I mumbled. Nadia smiled a little. “Where’s Gio now?”
“Taking care of some things. His father died the same day his mother did, so, he lost both parents.”
“Do Cat and Emma know?”
“Yeah,” Nadia said. “Gio told them everything that happened. They’re sad, and relieved, but mostly sad. They’re a mess about their dad, though.”
I could imagine. I didn’t say anything, though. I looked at Petra. “How’s Joey?”
She shook her head, the sadness returning, tears welling in her eyes instantly.
“No.” I gasped.
“He was a good soldier,” Nadia said. “He saved a lot of lives that day. Who knows how much worse it could’ve been if he hadn’t stopped the second shooter from going in there?”
I swallowed, bringing a hand up to flick more tears off my face. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.” Petra wiped her own face. “It’s none of our fault.”
I looked down again. “Is Gio not going to visit me here?”
“He was here in the beginning,” Nadia said. “But he thinks you’re better off without him. I’m sure he’s torn up about his parents, but I think he’s mostly grieving the loss of you.”
“The loss of me?” That hurt, too. “I’m right here, though. I’m fine.”
Petra’s brow shot up. “You’re not even close to being fine.”
“But I’m alive. I’ll be fine.”
“He feels guilty. If he hadn’t pulled you into this mess, you’d be living your life with your friends, and work and William Hamilton.” Nadia gave a shrug.
“So, what, he’s walking away?” I blinked.
“He’s made a promise to stay away.”
“That’s bullshit,” I whispered, blinking as fresh tears fell. “He can’t just break up with me without actually breaking up with me.”
“Trust us, it’s killing him, but he truly feels this is the right thing to do.”
“Since when does he care about doing the right thing?” I asked, my voice rising.
“Since you.”
“That’s total bullshit.”
They laughed.
“How ’bout you focus on getting better and then figure this out?” Nadia said in her mom voice. “If you still feel the same a month from now, then, I don’t know, call him or something.”
“You really think he won’t call me first?”
“He won’t.” Petra let go of my hand with a sigh. “He’s a stubborn motherfucker.”
He was a stubborn motherfucker, but so was I.
48
GIO
Twenty-eight days. That was how long it had been since I last saw her. Between my sisters and her friends Luke and Noah, I knew she was doing okay. Physically, at least. She’d moved into a new apartment. It was so close to mine that it hurt to breathe whenever I passed by it. And yet, I continued to drive by it, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. As if in a city of over a million people, I’d see her randomly walking to the subway or a store. According to Luke, she’d transferred to a new school, one that was around here. Classes hadn’t started, but she’d met the teachers and apparently, she loved it there. I was happy for her. I was.
