Chapter 14 - The Shadow
The high of the gala faded quickly when we returned home.
It was 2:00 AM, and the house was silent.
I took off my heels and was walking past the boys' rooms when I heard a soft whimpering.
I pushed open Evan's door.
The eleven-year-old was tangled in his sheets, thrashing violently.
"No," Evan muttered in his sleep.
"Don't shoot. Please."
My heart broke.
I rushed to his bedside, gently placing my hands on his shoulders.
"Evan," I whispered.
"Wake up, sweetie. It's a dream."
His eyes snapped open, wide and terrified.
When he saw me, he let out a choked sob and threw his arms around my neck.
Evan, the boy who tried to act tougher than his father, was crying like a little kid.
"I saw Marcus in the dream," Evan choked out.
"He had the gun again."
I sat on the edge of the bed, rocking him back and forth.
"Marcus is in a concrete cell, Evan," I promised him.
"He can never hurt you again."
"But what if someone else comes?" Evan asked, pulling back to look at me.
"What if my dad's enemies come back for us?"
I didn't lie to him.
I didn't say everything was perfectly safe.
"If they do, they have to get through me," I said fiercely.
"And they have to get through your dad."
"And nobody gets through us."
Evan nodded slowly, his breathing finally calming down.
I stayed with him until he fell back asleep.
When I walked out into the hallway, Adrian was standing there in the dark.
He had taken off his jacket and tie.
He looked shattered.
"They're traumatized because of me," Adrian whispered, rubbing a hand over his face.
"Because of the life I chose."
I walked up to him and placed my hand flat against his chest.
I could feel his heart beating, fast and heavy.
"They're alive because of you," I corrected softly.
"You can't change the past, Adrian."
"You can only protect their future."
May you like
He looked down at me, and for the first time, he didn't look like a boss.
He looked like a man who desperately needed someone to hold him.
