Blood in the Water | 18+

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘍𝘪𝘷𝘦

𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Meeting at Red Room, noon, bring her. Do not miss it. -AC

I ran my finger over the embossed envelope, the morning sun rising. Aurora doesn't know that she screams during her nightmares. The sound still haunts me as I lay on the couch. The genuine screams of fear that were erupting from my guest room and eventually my room were haunting. I had checked on her more than a mother checks on a newborn baby. The fact she remembers the pain so acutely, so vividly that she throws up at the memory broke a part of my heart that I didn't know still worked. And her pleading for me not to force her to sleep in her vomit made me hate Angelo Coppola even more.

"Hi," I looked over the back of the couch to see Aurora in the doorway, her body swallowed by the black shirt that she was wearing, one of her arms crossed over her chest and her hand holding the opposite bicep, "Am I interrupting?"

"No," I watched her closely, making sure she wasn't shaking as she climbed down the two steps into the living room, instantly sitting in the armchair across from me, tucking her feet under her thighs, "How are you feeling?"

"Good, thank you for helping me last night."

I chuckled, "Your elephant is in the laundry room, she's clean I promise," I smiled when Aurora rolled her eyes, only pausing when she saw the emblem on the envelope, "Don't worry about it," I tucked the letter back into the envelope, tucking it into the couch, "Your father just likes to demand things, he's not very good on asking."

"You two seem to have that in common," I felt the corner of my mouth rise, a half smile appearing, I hadn't had that happen in a long time, "What is he demanding?"

"A meeting," I pushed up on the couch, turning so I could sit up. I hadn't slept, Aurora was screaming and it pained me to hear those cries, the deep fear that her own family had instilled in her. "He wants you to come with me, but I could give a fuck what your father wants, go get ready we have to go back to the city."

Aurora sat quietly, her fingers playing with the hem of the shirt she was wearing, my shirt, and as much as I wanted to hate her, she looked fucking good in my clothes. And quite honestly, I only hated her for the headache she was creating for me, which was at the doing of my own hands. But watching her sleep that night, watching her chest rise and fall in the silver moonlight was entrancing, when I entered the house that night, I had no desire to take her with me, but when I saw that silk dress on her body, her lips parted, I knew I wasn't going to be able to leave without her. Yet, I wasn't expecting her to have as much fight as she did.

"Do you want to go?"

Aurora's voice was soft and demure, looking at me like she was willing to follow me into this death trap. "I'm not going to put you in that situation," I explained, pulling myself off the couch, I needed coffee desperately, "Last night you were crying, throwing up over the fear your father put in you, I'm a monster Aurora, but I've been up all fucking night because you scream in your sleep," she flinched like I had slapped her, and I sighed, placing my hand on her knee, "It's not a bad thing, you're just scared, I'm not going to put you in a place where your father can reach you."

"That's not what I asked," Aurora stood up, her arms crossing in front of her chest, "I asked if you want to go."

"I'm going regardless, I have a war riding on this," When she turned around heading towards the stairs again I reached out, wrapping my fingers around her wrist, "What are you doing?"

"Getting ready," She yanked her hand away from me, and I was shocked at the determination on her face, "If my father wants me there if it'll save New York from a war because you two have the biggest egos I've ever seen," That stung, but she wasn't entirely wrong, "Then I guess we'll be going to lunch."