Here's to Us (Blood Money #2)

Chapter 28 - Not Knowing Was Better

It wasn't the words themselves. It was his face that said he meant them. Now as he walked around the bed, I watched him bring the first aid box out of a nightstand drawer. If we were going to run, we certainly weren't in no need of that.

"For your wound," he said, handing me a band-aid fast before throwing the box into the tote. It surprised me to see that he remembered that my throat was bleeding even when I didn't.

He had tossed the suitcase on the foot of the bed when I was done with the wound. The burn was dull and manageable. Two of my fingers were still pressed against the band-aid when my eyes met his. He stared for a while, not speaking until he recalled something. A frown emerged on his pretty face and he strolled towards me.

"Grab some stuff," he said, passing me and walking right into the closet.

I followed him in, scowling myself. "Like what?"

"Jeans, tee-shirts, whatever makes you comfortable. Important stuff." He had his back turned on me while he went for the top drawer in his bureau and rummaged before taking out two pairs of jeans and tee-shirts.

Inspired, I did the same, taking out two pairs of jeans for myself, a couple of tee-shirts, a sweater, all the dull stuff I had brought with myself when I had skipped New York.

I could really use a drink now, idly I thought.

From the bottom drawer, I tossed underwear into the suitcase. Silas was going through the passports and other valuable files regarding our current aliases. He decided to take two of other aliases for each of us.

On second thought, I sprinted into the bathroom and retrieved a number of tampons from the vanity. We were done packing in less than five minutes.

"Are you going to say goodbye to Jayne?" I whispered, mounting the stair behind him.

"I don't want to," he muttered, took a deep shuddery breath and stuffed the gun somewhere inside his jacket.

I could almost hear him thinking. His blinking eyes a picture of his regret, his bobbing Adam's apple a sign of nervousness. Nonetheless, he moved forward.

Jayne was sitting there on the same couch she had sat on when I first came here looking for Silas. That day, her air was confident, her eyes strictly impassive. Tonight, it was the opposite. Tears were shining on her pale cheeks. Dan, however, sat across from her, not wanting to interrupt anything.

My eyes turned to Silas. He had been blinking rapidly at the vintage chandelier I had admired when I first came through the main door. I wondered if he thought of staying. But he was the one to say to me once that one succeeds in running with no goodbyes. I noticed, him shaking slightly.

"I'll call you," he murmured, sat on his feet before Jayne and held her hands in his.

"Silas, please!" She was weeping again, wanting to make him stay. But I knew Silas and it upset me. I saw his eyes crinkling, his guilt evident in his tiny smile.

"Jayne, listen to me," he said, his voice soft and soothing. She looked at him with puffy, wet and terrified eyes. The green eyes similar to his.

I thought he would explain but what came out of his mouth was much more mature than an explanation.

"Go down to the gallery in the morning when it's crowded. Talk to McCarthy. Tell him I had to take off and this is the key to my Buick."

He placed the key on her palm gently and squeezed her hand.

"It's yours from now on. You'll find it at the gallery. I'll have to take your Dodge. And if, anyone suspicious come around asking for me, tell them that you only rented the second floor to Russo and you had no idea who I was."

"But-?"

"No buts. If they are armed, I want you to hide. Outside the Villa."

"Why do you have to...?"

"Dan." Silas turned to the other guy who sat recoiled under this unlikely circumstances in his regular flannel shirt and faded jeans.

"Yes?"

"I am trusting you on this. You make sure that she does what I just told her to."

"I will."

Of course, Jayne wasn't willing to let Silas go. Her tears were more frequent, but not as a defense. She was deeply hurt by what I could see.

"Stay safe, okay?" Silas smiled at her and for a split second, I thought he was going to cry. He only leaned forward and dropped a kiss on Jayne's forehead, murmuring what looked like an 'I love you'.

With that, he disentangled himself from her and walked towards the door. Stealing a glance at him, I swooped in and held one of Jayne's hands.

Now she looked at me like I could change his mind. I couldn't do that. That would risk all of our lives.

"I know I told you I'll take you home. I remember my promise and I'll keep it," I assured her with a tiny smile. She nodded, tears still streaming down her cheeks. Then, she just wrapped a hesitant arm around my shoulder, hugging me.

"My door's always open for you," she murmured into my ears.

Saying goodbye was a hard thing to do and when I followed Silas and let myself out, wiping a forbidden tear from one eye, I realized how much of a chore it would've been if I tried to do this with my parents and June before flying to here. They would've stopped me or worse they would've given my location up under observations. I trusted them but they couldn't beat a lie detector. For them, not knowing was the best thing.

We were on our way to the road, climbing the stairs with no idea where we were going. We had spent ten minutes inside the Villa according to my watch. It felt like hours. I looked around at the neighborhood once we reached the Dodge. The sky was almost clear now. The coast of Amalfi would start to crowd in an hour or so.

And it was probably the last time I'd be here.

"Where are we going now?" I asked while Silas unlocked the car door and tossed the tote on the passenger seat. His curls were unruly, almost touching his eyebrows when he leaned in.

"Naples. We need to get out of this country,' he stated and opened the door to the driver's seat.

"We..." I couldn't finish at the sight before me. A familiar face was visible behind his shoulder and I opened my mouth to warn him only to be collapsed. Someone clamped a hand over my lips. The last thing I remembered was the man in the black suit hitting Silas on the back of his head.

_____________________

Do you hate me now? :P

Trust me, I, myself, am very much sensitive to the way this book is going. I didn't really think of adding many surprises to this book. But I guess I did and I will.

 What surprised you the most about the book? Let me know.

Have a lovely day. <3