Aloura West | ✓

Chapter Twenty Eight

Aloura couldn't remember how exactly she had found herself in Elias' bed, because she remembered sleeping on the couch the night before. She knew the only explanation was that Elias had moved her here after she'd fallen asleep and taken the couch for himself. Aloura's heart fluttered at his gentleman nature, even when they were angry at each other.

Aloura threw the covers off her body, sitting upright on the bed, before tucking her knees to her chest. She rested her back on the headboard, and her head on her knees. She wasn't necessarily upset at Elias; she too had said hurtful things, but she was unsure how she was going to apologies when she meant most of the things she said.

She really did need to talk to her dad, this was his mess after all.

She wanted Elias out of this debt now, no matter what it cost. And the more she thought about it, the more she'd realised how little sixty four thousand was to what she was willing to lose for him to have a normal life.

Aloura's alarm rang, and her heart fluttered in her chest once more. Elias had set her phone alarm so she wasn't late for work. Fuck you she mentally cursed him, why're you so easy to love. I want to be mad at you.

Aloura reached over to the nightstand and unplugged her phone, before turning the alarm off and throwing it onto the bed. she groaned and threw her body onto the bed also, giving herself a few moments to collect her emotions before getting ready for a day filled with fake smiles and white lies.

Aloura slid off the bed, and grabbed her change of clothes from the pile, and slipped them on. She grabbed a hair tie from the nightstand and threw her hair into a ponytail.

Elias was nowhere in the flat when she had wondered into the kitchen. She could practically hear her heart breaking slightly at the thought of him still mad at her. She stood aimlessly in the centre of the kitchen; eyes fixed on the first aid kit neither of them had bothered packing away. She swallowed the lump in her throat, suddenly losing appetite.

Instead, making her way to the bakery, hopeful Elias had just decided to turn up to work early, and not seriously injured somewhere from last night. She paused outside the door, gathering her thoughts before pushing it open. She pulled her best smile onto her lips and greeted Cassidy, before walking off to the back of the bakery. She pulled open her locker, pushing in her belongings, and taking out her work apron.

Aloura rushed out the back whilst slipping the apron through her head, her eyes scanning the diner floor for Elias' familiar figure, disappointment settling in the pits of her stomach as she realised he wasn't there.

Her hands fumbled with the strings of her apron, groaning in frustration. She all but tied them when two larger hands covered hers, guiding her fingers to aid her in tying the apron up. Aloura didn't need to turn around to know it was Elias that was behind her, because only his touch made her body this hot and flustered. "You just gotta loop both strings" he told her as he looped the strings. "Then wrap the loops together." Aloura blinked before nodding. "Try do mine." He told her, turning around.

Aloura smiled softly, grateful he wasn't one to hold a grudge. Aloura held the two ends of the string in concentration, her teeth clamped on her tongue that rested out her mouth. Aloura followed the instructions Elias had relayed to her mere seconds ago, before stepping back. Smiling in victory. "Oh my god I did it!" Aloura grinned up. Elias laughed at her.

"You did it." Elias smiled fondly at her, "I'll always tie your apron and you gotta always tie mine" he told her, Aloura grinned, nodding her head. "It's a deal then, sweetheart"

"Elias I'm sorry about what I said-" Aloura mumbled after a moment, she knew he had already forgiven her, but her apologising felt necessary.

"It was my fault" Elias told her guilty, "even if I didn't like what you wanted to do I shouldn't have said what I said. And I shouldn't have tried to stop you." His voice sincere, and Aloura almost found herself crying at the gentleness of his words.

"It's okay" Aloura smiled, "let's not talk about it."

Elias smiled at her with sad eyes, before lowering his lips to hers, offering her a quick peck before ushering her to a table in need of service.

♡ ♡ ♡

Aloura sat in the back booth waiting for Annie to be done with her shift, the papers of notes she'd made in front of her. Aloura didn't mind waiting, in fact, she found herself thankful for the extra moments she had to gather her thoughts. She had no idea what she wanted to ask, or if Annie would be any help. But for Elias, and justice for her mother, she was willing to try.

"Sorry I kept you waiting Bella" Annie sighed, as she slid into the booth. She placed her coat on the table, and her bag in her lap before looking up to Aloura's gentle smile. "You said you have some questions?"

Aloura thought for a moment before nodding, "it's about uh" Aloura used the pen to scratch her forehead, "my mother's death." Annie froze; Aloura had never wanted to talk about the accident before. At the start, she had even refused to believe she was dead. Talking about seeing her sitting in the stars or what not- Annie was shocked her father didn't send her to therapy.

Annie swallowed and nodded her head, "yes dear" she smiled, although Aloura could tell it was forced, "what about it."

Aloura turned the article page she had written out to face Annie, "I read that it says it wasn't an accident." Annie doesn't look down to the paper at first, probably because she knew this all along. "It also says here" Aloura pointed to the sheet of paper, "that it was related to a specific organisation. But you knew this. Right?"

Annie sighed, "I did."

"How is my mother connected to these people Annie?" Aloura's voice was desperate, and agnus remembered her mother taking this exact same route. It was the curiosity that killed her.

"I promised her I would never tell" Annie's eyebrows furrowed as she swallowed, "you should stop searching Aloura, your mum took this same route a few years ago. And look where it led her."

Aloura ignored her statement, "you promised you'd never tell what? What route? Please stop talking in codes. I just want to know what she was involved with."

"It was her secret to-"

"It killed her Agnus!" Aloura snapped, "this secret took my mum, and I have a right to know it." Annie flinched at the name; yet she still watched the angry girl with loving eyes. She knew the ending of this story, she had watched it unfold before, and she didn't like how it ended. She only prayed that Aloura, and whoever she was trying to save, had a better ending.

Annie swallowed and nodded. "Very well" she muttered, her eyes fell to the table in concentration. "Your father always had a gambling problem."

Aloura frowned, that was something she had never known about Michael, but something she didn't find shocking to learn. "Even when I used to look after you, your parents would constantly argue about it. Your mother drew the line when he touched your college fund"

Aloura frowned, "he spent the rest of it after she died."

Agnus nodded meekly, "he had gambled all his money, and he turned to taking loans to save his marriage." Aloura swallowed, the story suddenly sounded familiar to one she'd heard a few nights ago. "They were sketchy people. Dute I think. They made them do all sorts to pay back their debt."

"Like what?"

"Your mother never said what they made him do" Agnus sighed, her fingers playing with the corner of the paper on the table. "But she found something" she couldn't believe she was telling the young girl all this; she was practically leading her to her death. "I'm not sure what, but she had begged me to watch out for you, telling me they were coming." Aloura didn't reply, her throat felt constricted. "I think she knew it was her end."

Aloura stared off behind agnus' head, her mind racing to think of any unusual events during her childhood, but she came up empty handed. Aloura turned the sheet, so it faced her, "did she ever say anything about an offering?"

"An offering?" Agnus' eyebrows furrowed, deep in thought, before shaking her head, "not that I can remember." Aloura frowned before Annie spoke up again,

"She did once mention some type of eccentric payment"