The Sinister Silhouette

A thump sounds on the door, and I hear her sniffle again before I hear the lock unlatch. The door opens fractionally, but the chain is still in place, preventing it from opening all the way. It both pleases me and sends another stabbing pain to my chest at seeing it, even though I suggested it. She should be cautious of her safety, I just hate it’s against me.

When she peeks through the small gap, I strain against the need to kick the door open so I can see her better. Even so, there’s enough of a gap that I can see she’s lost weight. Jules is already a small woman; she can’t afford to lose more. Her hair is piled on the top of her head, and the shallowness of her cheekbones is pronounced. There’s a frown on her pain-filled face.

“See,” she says quietly. “I’m fine.”

She’s not fucking fine, and that fact angers me. What in the hell is going on between her and Theo to cause her to lose weight and look as though someone killed her childhood dog? It has to be more than her finding out my role in her accident. I don’t mean that much to her to garner such a reaction.

Running my eyes over the exposed skin of her legs, arms, neck, and face, I see no visible marks. I reprimand myself because it’s fucked-up to think of Theo being capable of physically harming her. It’s just an excuse my mind came up with to justify why he’s not right for her.

I jerk my head up in acknowledgement and take a step back from the door, the urgency in my body demanding I reach through the small gap and touch her. My eyes land on her hand that’s curled around the door, her knuckles turning white, and I hope she’s fighting the same pull as me.

“Take care of yourself, Jules.”

I’m unsure if it’s my mind playing tricks on me or if it’s wishful thinking, but I think I see her eyes water.

I’m such a fucking sap when it comes to this woman.

“You too, Luca,” she whispers.

I run my eyes over her face one more time, taking in every single beautiful inch, stamping it into my memory, before turning and walking away. As her brother-in-law, I’ll still be forced to see her on occasion, but I swear to myself I’ll leave her alone and let her have the life she should have had all these years. A life with my brother.

Even if that means my own life will be one tortured moment after the other.

I STOP BY ELLA’S HOUSE after leaving Theo’s. I promised her I would let her know how Jules was after I saw her. There’s a sharp ache in my chest where my heart resides as I pull up to her and Vicki’s place. I can feel my heart beating, but they’re dull thuds against my sternum, lacking the feel of life.

Ella knows right away something is off by the expression on my face, and immediately comes to the wrong conclusion.

“What in the hell happened? Did Theo do something to Jules?” she demands as I walk through the door.

It’s funny how we both assumed it was Theo who did something. It’s also funny how Ella seems to have developed a sense of protectiveness over Jules.

“No.” I grunt my answer. As I walk toward her kitchen and the beer that I really fucking need, I throw over my shoulder as Ella follows me, “Do you honestly think Theo would hurt

Jules?”

I expect Ella’s answer to be no right away, so I’m surprised when I turn and see the hesitation on her face. I uncap my bottle and take a swallow, then lift my brows in question. She takes a seat at the table, her hands twisting together as her eyes avoid mine.

“What the fuck, Ella?” I growl.

“I seriously don’t know if he would hurt her or not. I want to say no, Luca, and it really pains me to even think there’s a possibility. But, the other day when I was over there, he was acting strange. The way he looked at her was eerie as hell. I don’t know what’s going on with him, but he’s not himself. There were a couple of times I caught him watching her when he thought I wasn’t looking.” Anger has Ella’s lips forming a firm line. “The look wasn’t healthy. He looked like he was on the verge of ripping her clothes off and taking her right there in front of me.” She shudders. “It wasn’t just that though, it was still really fucking freaky to witness that look from my brother. It was also the absolute menace in his eyes. That shit even freaked me out. When I asked Jules earlier if everything was okay between the two, she claimed they were fine, but I still saw something deep in her eyes. Fear.”

Frustrated, I sling the cap of my bottle toward the trash can at the same time I state angrily, “This is our brother we’re talking about here.”

“I know, goddammit!” Ella shouts back, becoming angry herself.

“I’m sure whatever you saw wasn’t what you thought it was.”

Ella gets up from the table and stomps to the fridge, jerkily opening the door, then slams it shut after getting her own beer. She growls in irritation when she can’t get the bottle open, so I snatch it from her and open it myself before handing it back. She takes a long draw, then wipes her mouth with the heel of her hand. Leaning back against the counter beside me, she lets out a loud sigh.

“You’re right. I know you’re right.” She blows out a tired breath. “And I thought we had you to worry about,” she mumbles.

I grip my beer tighter, her words ringing true. The fucked-up part is, we still do have to worry about me.

“You seem to care about her a lot,” I state, and tip my beer to my lips.

Ella crosses her arms over her chest and looks at me out the corner of her eye.

“There’s just something about her that draws you in, you know? The lost look in her eyes, the melancholy that surrounds her. I can’t imagine what she’s going through having no memory of Theo. Then having her parents turn their backs on her….” She trails off, and I glance at her. Blazing anger rests in her eyes. “Kinda makes you want to find her parents and bitch slap them, doesn’t it?”