“Does it even matter? She’s dead.”
“It does matter, Arlo.”
“What do you think Mom will do when she wakes up? How do you think she’ll feel? I was the one who killed Luna, Aria. Her blood is on my hands. Mom will be ruined, and nothing will be able to fix it. Not even Dad.”
Aria turns her attention back to the grave. She’s silent for what seems to be an eternity, and my mind’s overwhelmed. All of the guilt, all of the pain that I’ve been shoving to the back of my head is back. Staring at Luna’s grave is heartbreaking, and it’s wreaking havoc within my sanity — well, what’s left of it.
“You know,” Aria starts speaking, the icy tone in her voice cutting through the tension. “I don’t remember much of Luna, to be honest. The memories I have are vague, and those that are more detailed came secondhand from Mom. But she was still a part of the family and will be treated as such. Meaning, I need you now, Arlo, more than ever. Get your head out of your ass, because we have a long battle ahead of us. We’ll start with Flint, Woods, andfinding Amy Marshall. And when Mom wakes up, Nelson is hers to handle, just like she wanted.”
I nod. “You’re right.”
“Obviously,” she snorts. “I know you’re listening to me, but are you hearing me? If I were in your shoes, I’d probably feel as you’re feeling. But we can’t afford to do this without you. I need your head back in the game. Instead of allowing the pity to swallow you whole, let the anger and fury lead you.”
“The last time that happened, I burned down half of New York.”
“Then let it happen again.” She turns to look at me, pure determination written all over her face. “We’ll clean up your mess. You let the Ghost lead this all.”
I tilt my chin upward, looking at the sky. The clouds are grey, gloomy, and it looks like it’s going to rain. The wind continues to hit my face, harsher than before, and this time, I let the coldness slice through my cheeks. With a deep breath, I smile.
“Let’s get this over with.”
Aria nods.
“Call for the meeting at the base.”
“Tonight, midnight?” Aria offers, to which I nod.
“Sounds good. How’s Freya?”
“Health-wise? Good. She was lucky the bullet didn’t graze her brain, which is rare, apparently. But her mental health isn’t as good as I’d like it to be. She lost the eye completely, and it will take her some time to recover.”
“How are you?”
Aria seems thrown off by the question but quickly composes herself. She clears her throat, tucking her hands in the pockets of her leather coat.
“I’m alright.”
I lift a brow. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” she mutters. “I started seeing someone. She’s agood therapist.”
“Good. I can’t lose you, Aria.”
“You won’t, I promise.”
Silence falls around us, my eyes dipping to the right. Next to the tree, a couple of feet away, are Lucas and Niko, with Blair closely behind. Niko looks… fucking terrible. He hasn’t slept properly since Luna’s death, and now he looks like he would switch places with Luna if he could.
The funeral is nothing more than a symbolic thing, since all of our family members are buried on the family property. Luna’s grave is right between her parents. And the sight as a whole is heartbreaking. She was so fucking young, yet she went through so, so much.
“I’ll go and set up everything for the meeting,” Aria mutters. Unexpectedly, she gets on her tippy toes and kisses my cheek. Before I can ask what the hell’s gotten into her, she turns on her heel and walks away.
“Cheeky little,” I mutter, fondness lacing my words.
“Baby?”
The sound of Blair’s voice makes my heart race. Paired with the nickname, it seems to be the quickest andeasiest way to make me come undone entirely. She offers a smile, pushing her hand into my pocket. I follow suit, warming hers inside of the coat, our fingers intertwined together.
“Are you alright?”
