Sweet Truths & Silent Lies ✔️

CHAPTER 13 - ❝holding hands with the devil himself❞

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
"HOLDING HANDS WITH THE DEVIL HIMSELF"

SCARLETT DEL GATO

My elbows were pressing into my sides as I tried to make myself as small as possible in the little clothing store Giovanni took me to. My breaths were bursting in and out rapidly and my eyes were filled with tears as I tried to blink them away.

Giovanni shot someone.

The dress lay crumpled up on the floor in front of me. When I reached my hand toward it to pick it up from the floor, my hand was shaking uncontrollably, I finally just let it fall back to my side again.

Giovanni shot someone.

My ears were ringing from the loud gunshot echoing throughout the entire clothing store. The shop assistant was hiding behind the counter, a telephone glued to her ear as she probably dialled the cops.

I turn my head to where Giovanni shot Vincent, seeing him propping the gun in the waistband of his sweatpants before he ran over to where I was hugging my knees to my chest now, trying to control my rapid breathing.

"Scarlett. We have to go now!" Giovanni yells, reaching out his hand toward me so he could take it into his, but I didn't take his hand. I couldn't.

Giovanni shot someone.

I hear police and maybe ambulance sirens in the distance, but not even that was enough for me to lift my hand to get out of here as fast as we can. I couldn't even look him in the eyes right now.

"Scarlett," his tone was almost pleading, "we need to go now."

A choked sob escapes my lips when I shake my head at him, seeing tiny droplets of blood spattered across his shirt and sweatpants. "You shot someone!"

"With reason, Scarlett!" He yells back, finally just pulling me up by the arms himself before he hauled me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "I'll explain in the car. For now, I need to get you out of here." He says, holding onto the back of my thighs tightly so I won't slip from his grasp.

I didn't fight him.

I let him run with me out of the clothing store.

I catch a glimpse of Vincent lying on the floor, gurgling blood. Another choked sob escapes my lips. I screw my eyes shut tightly, trying to erase the memory from my head, but it didn't work.

Seeing Vincent lying on the floor gurgling blood made me think back on the nightmare I had during the week of my brother.

I fall down next to him and try to help him stop the bleeding, but it was a lost cause, the blood was everywhere, endless. It kept pouring and pouring onto the floor around him, my knees were soaked.

Giovanni runs toward the exit of the shopping mall, storming through the glass doors when it opened for him. Shoppers who arrived frowned at Giovanni with me over his shoulder, but he didn't take notice of them, he only fished his car keys out of his pockets to unlock his Maserati.