I couldn’t focus on what I wanted to say. Two people were just killed, their bodies just several meters away. I blinked as my eyes dropped level with his chest. He gently brought his hands to my shoulders, ducking his head to meet my gaze.
“Go inside and don’t say anythin’ to anybody.”
I nodded wordlessly, watching as the rainwater dripped from his hair.
“Dean? Lily?” Antonio’s voice drifted towards us from somewhere nearby.
“Shit,” Dean muttered, straightening but remaining close as he looked towards the parking lot. “She didn’t see anythin’, boss.”
“She looks like she’s seen a lot,” Antonio crooned. He stepped into my line of sight, smiling sympathetically as he leaned on his cane and held the umbrella himself. His bodyguards were busy. “I understand what just happened might be a little confronting for you, but you’ve got to understand that when you run a business like mine, you can’t afford to have people hijacking the inner workings.”
I forced myself to nod, keeping my eyes fixed solely on him as movement from across the parking lot threatened to send me into a spiral. From the corner of my eye, I could just make out the shapes of the bodyguards lifting the motionless bodies into the trunk of the car.
Antonio tilted his head, looking me over for a moment. His eyes were kind, soft, and warm, framed by a face that had a near-constant flicker of optimism throughout. He was watching me like a father; worried but trying to offer reassurance in a smile.
“I’m hosting a cocktail party tomorrow evening, it’s for my wife’s birthday. I’d love for you to attend, Lily. Think of it as a treat for saving Dean’s life, hm?” he said, motioning to Dean with his cane. “He knows all the details, so he’ll pick you up at nine.”
I opened my mouth to respond but nothing came out. My head was spinning, and my legs felt like jelly.
Dean responded instead, keeping an eye on me when I swayed slightly and bumped off his arm. “Yes, boss.”
“Good. It’ll be lovely to have you there, Lily.” Antonio grinned, turned on his heel, and headed for his waiting car.
It wasn’t until we watched them drive out of the parking lot, that Dean turned to me.
“Lily?”
How was it that I hadn’t even heard a gunshot and one still rang through my head? A distant pop accompanied by the flash it created on Dean’s face. I couldn’t comprehend how everyone was acting so normal about this. Even Dean seemed unfazed that Frank and Greg were alive one second and dead the next.
Frank wanted Dean dead.
I couldn’t bring myself to believe that Frank deserved to die. There were other ways to handle it. Like calling the police. But I couldn’t do that either unless I wanted to meet the same gruesome end.
What did Frank mean about Dean’s family?
My head was tilted back before I realized Dean had done it for me. His hand cupped the underside of my chin as his eyes bore down into mine. Searching and worried. “Lily. Say something.”
I wanted to but I couldn’t, feeling lightheaded but heavy all at once before my knees buckled and my eyes rolled back.
When I came to, something cool and damp was being dabbed against my forehead. I was in a chair, I realized as I slowly opened my eyes again, squinting at the bright fluorescent lighting that lined the roof of the staff room.
“Oh, thank fuck she’s alive,” Xavier sighed as he stopped fanning my face with a sheet of paper.
“Of course she’s alive, dumbass,” Jen said, pressing the damp cloth to my head. “She fainted.”
“How long have I been out?” I groaned, sitting up slowly in the chair before resting my head back against the wall.
Dean wasn’t there.
“Not long,” Jen replied, lowering the cloth as she squatted in front of me. “Gave us a fucking heart attack when we saw how limp you were being carried in.”
I cringed slightly. “Carried?”
“Like. A. Damsel,” Xavier added, eyes wide as he nodded slowly with every word.
“Dean carried you inside,” Jen said, eyes narrowing on Xavier before she lifted a glass of water from the floor and offered it to me. “He said you fainted in the alleyway. Lily, if you’re ever feeling sick, you’ve got to let us know.”
I took the glass carefully and took a few small sips. The water eased the sickening feeling of dehydration but did nothing to help the lingering dizziness. My iron levels were clearly low.
