Giving her limb a momentary glance, she brushes away my concern. “I’ve had worse. This will be fine as soon as I rest it.”
I don’t know if I believe that, but now isn’t the time to argue about it. I just want to get her somewhere to relax and heal this day away.
The current washed us about half a mile from our original location, so walking to the car feels like an endless journey. Luckily for us, Amira knows these woods like the back of her hand, so at least we don’t get lost on the way back.
She’s quiet while we trek over the damp ground, eyes unfocused as she leans all her weight on me.
I ache to talk to her and hear whatever is going on in that jumbled head of hers after experiencing all she did today, but I can see the strain on her expression, feel the fatigue weighing down her bones.
She needs sleep, and I’m going to give it to her as soon as we pass this clearing in the woods.
Not a minute later, our car appears between the trees, and a man I’m all too familiar with steps away from the hood. His short-cropped hair is gleaming under the overcast sky, one hand on his waist as he holds a tablet up to his aged, pinched face.
“Get behind me,” I whisper, pushing Amira around my back, so she stays out of his sight. Amira doesn’t argue, but I can sense her hesitancy as she shifts her position on my body.
“Officer Colton,” I state, keeping my voice calm and firm as I come to a stop in front of the tree line.
His eyes, tired and red, lift from the license plate to my face, widening in shock as recognition hits instantly. Officer Daniel Colton’s mouth gapes open for a total of eighty-five seconds before slamming shut, feet halting in place as I come an inch closer.
As my arresting officer, I’m sure he never expected to see me again.
“Roman? Roman Marcello?”
“Officer,” I say through clenched teeth, keeping my wince out of my eyes as Amira digs her claws into the muscles in my shoulders.
Running his fingers through the buzzed hair on his scalp, Colton drags his gaze over my face and down my physique, taking in my scarred, tatted body.
“Got a call about a local disturbance. Someone claims to have heard screaming coming from the woods. Now usually, it’s a bunch of neighborhood shits coming to break some lingering chunks of glass or tear down whatever planks are left standing. Or maybe tag some more disturbing messages on the walls. Either way, I came alone, expecting to scare the shit out of some stupid kids. What I didn’t anticipate was seeing you. So, tell me, why, out of all the fucking places you could be, are you at the Lupo residence, which is probably the worst fucking place for you?”
I’m taken aback by the concern lacing his tone. It’s shrouded under hostility and ill-concealed aggression, but the worry is there, and it has me stumbling.
Hands at my back keep me from falling, and I thank her silently with a pat to her hip, which Colton notices immediately.
“Who’s that? Come out. Now,” Colton orders, peering around my shoulder to try and get a look at Amira.
I shift subtly, keeping her hidden from his piercing black stare. Her forehead rests against the center of my spine, lips peppering kisses on my skin before patting me on the side and sliding out of my shelter.
“Angel,” I snap, holding my arm out to prevent her from moving any farther away.
“It’s okay, Roman. I’m okay,” she says, kissing me on the back of the arm before stepping to the side.
Like he’s in the presence of a ghost, Colton fumbles back, his hand slowly drifting upwards to conceal his ashen lips and stunned expression.
Amira stands in front of me. Hands clasped at her midsection while she drips a puddle on the dried-up leaves.
Raising my hands, I rest them on her unsteady bones, hoping my warmth can soak into the heavily saturated, thin cotton shirt and heat her trembling skin.
Amira’s hand reaches up to clasp around mine, her grip cutting off my circulation as we wait for Colton to gather his words.
“A-Amira? We… I… Fuck. Sweetheart, are you okay?” Despair rattles his tone as he approaches Amira, sadness beginning to fill his gaze as he watches over her.
Amira twists her head to the side, lashes twitching in the wind, as she stares at the ruined home behind Colton. She flicks her gaze to me for a second, letting me wipe away the tear dripping down her skin before shifting her eyes back.
“I’m okay. Roman… he takes care of me.”
Officer Colton flips his eyes up, holding me captive in his blackened gaze as he studies me, questioning the relationship I have with Amira.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the fucker thinks I’ve kidnapped her, seeing as the media has tried to make me out to be a fucking lunatic. But his eyes don’t hold contempt. They aren’t wary or sickened by my presence. They’re grateful.
