Beautifully Broken

I open the passenger door, and Cara moves to get in but then stops and glances up at me. It looks like she wants to say something but changes her mind and climbs into the vehicle.

I shut the door and walk around the car to the drivers’ side. As I climb behind the steering wheel, I hear her whisper, “Thank you.”

Glancing at her, I smile. “You’re welcome. We’ll grab something to eat on the way out of town so you can take a couple of painkillers.”

Cara nods, and then her eyes flutter over my face before she quickly glances out the window. She curls into herself and rests her head against the side of the door.

We have a long way to go, but first, we have to stop at my storage unit so I can get everything we’ll need to disappear.

Chapter 23

CARA

I keep my eyes closed and try to get Damian’s smiling face out of my head. He shouldn’t have shaved. It was easier to ignore the feelings I had for him when he looked like a grizzly bear.

Now… shit, now there’s no beard hiding his face.

Those eyes.

That smile.

The look that digs its way into the darkest corner of your soul.

Turns out under all that hair, Damian’s dangerously good-looking, and it’s messing even more with my head.

A tear sneaks out of the corner of my eye, and I turn my body more toward the door, so Damian won’t see.

My emotions are all over the place. One second, I’m so thankful Damian wants to stick around, and the next, I’m swallowed whole by this black hole in my soul. It must be my hormones that are totally messed up after losing my baby.

My mind doesn’t stop racing from my parents to Annie, to my baby – to the death sentence hanging over my head – to Damian.

I swear, if I knew what was waiting on the other side of death, I’d end this life in a heartbeat.

But there’s no ending this. I’ll somehow have to face it.

My whole mid-section is aching, and the pain is spreading into my hips and thighs. After forcing a sandwich and juice down, I took a couple of painkillers, but they haven’t kicked in yet.

Feeling nauseous with pain, I bite it back and wrap my arms around myself. The car starts to slow down, and I quickly use my shirt to dry my cheeks.

When Damian brings the vehicle to a standstill, I peek out the window. I can only see rows and rows of storage units. I frown, not sure why we’re stopping here.

“Come,” Damian says, his eyes already checking our surroundings.

Gingerly, I get out of the car and lean against the door as I wait for Damian, where he’s grabbing a bag from the back seat.

He walks to where I’m standing, and lifting his hands, he brushes his knuckles over my cheek. Leaning down, he tilts his head so he can lock eyes with me.

Just like in the beginning, I can’t keep eye contact and quickly lower my gaze to his chest.

“How’s the pain?” he asks.

It doesn’t help to lie, so I grimace. “The painkillers haven’t kicked in yet.”

He slips his arm around my shoulders and draws me against his side. “I’ll get you something stronger as soon as we’re done here.”

I lean against Damian as we walk down a narrow passage, aware of how his muscles ripple with every step he takes.

There’s a flicker of attraction in my belly that’s quickly followed by a surge of panic. I swallow hard, forcing the emotions down and focusing on the dim light as we pass a couple of storage units.

We finally stop by one, and I watch as Damian unlocks it. The door rolls up, and he flicks on the light. I’m not sure what I expected to see, but it’s not a plain cabinet.

Damian goes to unlock it, and when he opens the door, my eyes widen. There are two guns, ammunition, stacks of cash, and some other items.

I’ve never seen so much money before.

Damian opens the bag and then empties the cabinet into it. When he glances at me, all I can do is swallow.

God, he’s prepared for anything.

He shrugs the bag over his left shoulder and then takes hold of my arm. “Let’s go.”

Before we can leave, voices echo down the passage. Damian pushes me back and quickly rolls the door shut. He switches the light off, and my heart all but stops.

I gasp as my heart sets off racing again. I open my mouth, but before I can say Damian’s name, I feel his arm come around my shoulders. I don’t know how he can see anything, but he steers me to the back of the unit.

My back brushes against the cold steel, and my whole body tightens with fear. I grab for Damian, and then his arms fold around me. His body curves over mine, and I feel his stubble scrape against my cheek. His breath is warm on my ear as he whispers, “I know the dark and confined space scares you, but try to stay calm. We just need to wait in case they’re from the mafia.”