A bitter laugh comes from my throat, and I shake my head. “How could she not? I still blame me, you know. I visit her grave daily, and it’s still not enough. Nothing will ever be enough, because I am the one who took her life. I was supposed to find and protect her. Instead, I took her life away. She’s dead and no matter what anyone says, I’ll carry the weight of that guilt for the rest of my life.”
“I know,” Cove says, his voice taking on a sympathetic note. “But somehow, in the end, it’ll all be okay. Your family is very strong, you guys always manage to pull through.”
I don’t know whether I want to laugh or cry. I can’t even count how many times I’ve heard someone say that. On some levels, it’s true. But this is vastly different than anything my family’s ever had to deal with. I’m not certain there will be going back once Mom’s made aware of everything Luna and Dad related.
“Arlo,” Aria’s voice snaps me out of it. I straighten up, giving Cove a look that he recognizes immediately. No matter what, he won’t be opening his big mouth on this topic unless I tell him to. He wouldn’t risk his life like that.
“Yes, Squirt?”
I turn to find Aria at the top of the stairs. “Where’s your phone?” She starts waving her own around. “X is here.”
“With Raven and Theodosia.”
Aria nods. “Yes, let’s go. Cove, go guard Mom’s door. Just in case.”
Cove lifts a questioning brow, though he doesn’t protest. He climbs up the stairs, and Aria walks down, with a very serious and determined expression on her face.
“Is everything prepared?”
I nod, reaching for one of the kitchen cupboards. Earlier, there were too many people going in and out of the house, so it was the first place I thought of to put all of the things needed. It’s a new passport for Theodosia, cash, spare clothes, and some necessities a girl her age might need.
The only reason we brought her to the States is because her grandparents came here. Raven sent them a ransom note, telling them Theodosia was in the States. They dropped everything and came here, so they'll be going home together.
Why did he do that?
To throw them off trail in case he needed to kill her. He didn’t say that, of course, but that’s why anyone in such a situation would do that. A missing person never being found in America is more common than Greece, and the chances of a fifteen-year-old not being found, whether alive or dead, are slim.
“You’re going to be here with me, Aria.”
“Alright. She might feel more comfortable with me, since we’re similar in age and such.”
I nod. “Precisely. The house’s finally empty, and we can deal with this.”
The front door opens, and I grab the bag. Aria walks a couple of steps in front of me, toward the living room. Our people have done a fantastic job of turning this place back into what it used to be, with all the decoration, framed pictures and little trinkets.
X enters first.
As per usual, he’s wearing all black, and his face isn’t visible. He nods at me, then steps aside, allowing me to see the girl.
Fuck.
From the image I’ve seen of her, I knew she looked like Blair. The picture didn’t do her justice, because she could pass off as Blair’s twin without a doubt. The same eye shape, the same hair color, the same nose, and even the same freckles all over her cheeks.
“Hello.”
Theodosia takes a small step back, glancing around nervously. She’s only holding a small backpack in her hands, clutching it tightly. Her eyes are filled with fear, and terror, and my heart sinks at the sight.
“I’m not doing to hurt you.”
Her eyes narrow in skepticism, and I know she understands me. She’s fluent in six languages, which is impressive on its own. One of them is English, with the rest of them being Greek, Russian, French, Italian and Portuguese. At such a young age, she’s already an impressive young lady.
“Aren’t you?”
There's a slight Greek accent creeping into her trembling words as she takes a step toward X, who, to his credit, is trying his best not to look like he doesn’t want to escape right this instant. He hates people getting close to him physically, but he’s putting up with it for her sake, which I’m thankful for.
“No, he won’t hurt you,” Aria says, offering a small smile. She snatches the bag out of my hands, and hesitantly walks over to Theodosia, allowing the girl to take it. It takes her a moment before she reluctantly reaches for it, glancing inside.
“What’s the money for?”
