Page 127 of When She Falls (The Fallen)
My heart pounds inside my throat.
As an underboss, disobeying your don’s direct command is as good as handing in your resignation. There won’t be any coming back from this. Dem’s my brother. I’d die for him. I’d kill for him. Ihavekilled for him.
But I can’t do this.
I can’t leave her.
I just fuckingcan’t.
I press the phone back to my ear.
“The answer is still no. I’m not leaving her here.”
“Ras—”
“I’m sorry, Dem. I am.”
I hang up. There’s a whoosh of blood in my ears as I try to pull myself together. There’s no time to ruminate on what I’ve just done. I have to figure out my plan.
I get out of the car and rush to help Gemma.
“You can stop fussing over me,” she says. “The doctor said my ribs aren’t broken, just bruised. They will heal on their own. And my lip didn’t even need a stitch.”
Relief floods me, but my hold on her stays firm as I help her into the car. “Good, but you’re still in pain. Did he give you anything for that?”
“He prescribed me oxycodone. I don’t know if I need it though.”
“Give me the script.”
She hands me the piece of paper and clasps my hand, making me meet her gaze. Her eyes are tired, but there’s so much damn resilience in those gray depths.
I have no fucking clue what we’re going to do, but the fact that I’m still here feels like a damn good start. There is no version of this universe where I’d get on a plane while she’s hurting.
“Where are we going?” she asks.
“We’ll stop by the pharmacy.”
“And after that?” Her voice is flinty. “I… I don’t want to go back home. Not yet.”
I bite on my tongue. She’s not going back to that house, that’s for fucking sure, but where do I take her? Do I tell her about the impending arrest? Garzolo may have been taken in already. Her sister or her mom might be trying to contact her right now, but her phone is off inside my pocket.
If Gemma gets in contact with them, she might ask me to take her to them.
And I’d have to say no. Because as soon as she leaves my hands, Garzolo’s or Messero’s men will force me out. I didn’t go against Dem’s commands only to lose her in the next few hours.
Fuck, this is a mess. Going to Orrin’s will buy us a bit of time while I try to figure out what’s next.
When I put my hands on the wheel, I realize they’re shaking.
“I have an idea,” I say gruffly. “We’re going to go see a friend.”
CHAPTER27
RAS
We pickup Gemma’s meds and then head straight to Orrin’s. Poet’s Cafe is empty when we arrive. The sign says it’s closed, and the lights are dimmed. When I open the door, a bell rings above us. There’s a lingering smell of coffee and sugar in the air.
“What is this place?” Gemma asks in a hushed tone as she takes a step inside.
