Bullet ✔️

Chapter 12

Datoches seemed so much bigger than I'd ever known it to be as we kept trudging through the city for hours. We started right after breakfast, arriving at the first store on Elina's list a minute after it opened. She ended up buying a whole new outfit in white, for use on her honeymoon whenever they could finally get around to go on it.

It was a nice day, the sun was out, and there was nothing bringing us down. Well, except the fact that our men—or, rather, her man and my...weapons teacher—were out somewhere, in danger probably.

We went from store to store, mall to mall, for hours. Elina wasn't her usual chipper self, she was more closed off and a little stressed. But she tried. Now and then she would hold up a ridiculous item and pretend she loved it, just to get me to laugh.

"It's a lot easier to deal with it when we're laughing," she'd said.

I still didn't know what had happened, but by the ruckus in the house that morning, I knew James, Damian and probably a few more people met up and went out together. I heart Damian bark orders at them, even though I was still inside my bedroom. It had to have been serious.

We entered another high-end clothing store as I shook the thoughts off again, and followed my friend through the racks. She'd already bought so much we'd unloaded in her car two times, filling up the sizable trunk, and the backseat was nearing full as well.

Elina picked up a few items to try, and I kept walking around to see if I found anything for myself while she tried everything on, but the prices were way too high. A blouse with marbled fabric, simple and pretty, cost as much as a night at a decent hotel. A skirt with lace edges, flowy and lovely, cost what I paid for my most expensive camera—so I decided not to get anything in that store.

My friend, however, bought a dress, a skirt, two tops and a poncho. It was all gorgeous, and I'd definitely buy them myself if I had the money, but for now I was happy I could accompany her and keep her distracted.

She finally calmed down after we purchased some ice cream, and sat down outside a cafe. She closed her eyes and enjoyed her pistachio dessert, while I smiled and tasted my chocolate brownie and lollipop mix.

"Thanks for this," she said after a minute of relaxing. "I usually start climbing the walls at home when this happens."

"Does it happen often?" I asked, not really sure how else to interpret her words.

Around us, people were walking past, sitting around eating ice cream or sipping iced coffee or tea, like it was just another late summer day. For us it wasn't. At least not for her—I still had no clue what was going on, though I had an idea..

"Not really," she replied, wiping her lips with a napkin, "but often enough. Last year, right after we got engaged, James came back full of blood, and I freaked out." She lowered her voice a little so no one else would hear. "I started yelling and hit him several times in the chest, because I was so scared he'd keep doing that and be gone before we could get married. It turned out it wasn't his blood."

I couldn't stop myself from letting out a tiny laugh. It sounded absurd, yet I knew it was true.

"Do they ever get hurt?" I occupied myself by stuffing my mouth full of ice cream before I could tell her not to answer—I wanted to know.

"Yes, of course." She sighed deeply, fidgeting with her napkin with her free hand. "Damian got shot really bad once, not long after I met them. James was furious, and he was positive Damian wouldn't make it." I thought of the bullet tattoo I'd seen on his chest, the story he told me about it. Elina sighed once, and added, "But they always seem to live through it, so I shouldn't worry."