Chapter 140: 140 ~ Mira
I woke up to see Jace with a hardened expression, holding his phone in his hand with such tightness, I thought he would crush it.
I felt my heart drop just then. My intuition did not fail me this time. Something was terribly wrong.
"Is everything okay?" I asked in concern, even when I knew it obviously wasn’t.
Jace didn’t answer. He just kept staring out the window overlooking the city below us like it had offended him. If he stared any harder, maybe the glass would have melted.
I slipped out of the bed and slid into my silk robe.
"Babe what’s going on?"
His jaw ticked for a second before he turned to me. His hard gaze softened a bit when he stared at my face but then the softness disappeared as soon as it came.
"We have to cut our trip short, Mira. I’m sorry."
I nodded in understanding.
"But can you tell me what happened?" I asked.
"My mother was shot."
My hands flew to my mouth as a gasp escaped. Donna was shot? How? Why? By whom? The questions spiralled in my mind.
"Is she alright?"
That was a euphemism for if she was still alive. He understood that.
"She’s alive. But in critical condition."
"Oh my goodness. We need to pack."
I scrambled towards the closet. Jace caught my hand before I could move further away.
"That’s settled already. Just take a shower and prepare for our flight."
"If my stuff was already packed. Why didn’t you wake me up?" I asked him with a slight frown.
"I love watching you sleep, mia cara. You always look so peaceful. I wouldn’t want to disrupt that." He rasped softly, gently palming my face.
My cheeks burned. It warmed my heart that even in the midst of what could possibly cause a meltdown for him, he still thought of me.
"Are you saying I’m not peaceful when I’m awake?" I accused, trying to make him laugh.
It worked.
"Mira, come on, you know what I meant."
"You’re getting into my bad books." I warned him with a wag of my finger as I walked towards the bathroom.
He laughed behind me. The sound warmed my insides.
I had thirty minutes to prepare. Jace had laid out my outfit for traveling by the time I came out of the shower. He even laid out the perfumes I loved. He knew my tastes so well.
I stepped out of the bedroom, into the living room of the suite when I was done.
"All set?" He asked, rising on his feet.
"Yes." I sighed, walking up to him as I stared into his stormy gray orbs. "Are you okay?"
"Yes." He sounded off. But I decided to not push so he wouldn’t close up even more.
Hand in hand, we got into the elevator.
It was silent all the way down even after we got into the vehicle taking us to the airstrip where the jet was waiting for us.
Jace soon started getting calls. Even as the flight went on, we barely spoke, because he was either on his phone or laptop.
For the first time since we started these trips, I did not enjoy the long flights. I checked on him every once in a while and he always smiled and told me he was fine but I could feel that there was a lot going through his mind.
The flight was nearly eight hours. We touched down by midday in LA.
Jace swiftly stepped out of the jet. I tried to keep up.
The air was different. He was different too. I worried that now we were back in New York, to our reality, all the progress we made in our relationship while we were away would revert back to square one.
Then, I saw that I was being led to a different vehicle from him.
"Jace?" I called out to him.
He paused and turned to me.
"I’m heading to the hospital. I’ll meet you at home." He informed me.
I frowned. This was a new development. Why didn’t he mention it earlier?
"But I want to go with you."
"Mira, not now please." He groaned.
I nodded and took a step back even when he tried to reach for me.
I slipped into the back of the Cadillac escalade and rolled up the windows so he couldn’t see me. But I saw the guilty expression on his face.
I was hurt. I understood he was overwhelmed but why wouldn’t he let me be there for him?
He had given some of the best moments in my life and I wanted to return the favor by standing by him through thick and thin and all he did was push me away. I hated that about him.
Jace claimed to love me but he shut me out at every slight provocation.
I swallowed, fighting the hurt that hit my chest. I was supposed to be riding the high of our sweet vacation even though it had been cut short.
The drive to the Romano estate went by in a blur.
When the gates opened, I watched and felt the gloom that permeated the environment. The guards typically wore rigid expressions but there was something about the way they looked.
I really hoped nothing would happen to Donna.
I wondered how it even happened in the first place. Who would dare to touch the queen of the Italian Mafia?
If I knew anything about Jace, he was willing to burn down anything and anyone for the ones he loved. Whoever did this would never go scot free but for now we had to be sure she was safe.
I really wanted to go to the hospital and see for myself. But Jace was already on edge. I didn’t want him to snap at me because he was stressed.
Stepping out of the vehicle, I felt a wave of trepidation hit me. This was home. But I didn’t feel safe here without Jace or Donna being closeby.
My hands immediately trembled as I reached for my gun.
"Ma’am, are you ready to go in?" The guard standing at the door way said to me.
I held myself from flinching at the sudden voice.
I looked at him in suspicion.
"Yes, I just forgot something in the car."
I slid back into the vehicle and locked the door.
The driver looked confused. I brought out my gun and cocked it.
"Get me out of here before I blow your brains out." I said through gritted teeth.
The strange guard was already approaching the vehicle.
"But ma’am-"
"Drive!!!" I yelled.
He stepped on the pedal immediately. I jerked forward but managed to keep my balance.
The guard I correctly suspected tried running after the car. He soon took out his gun and started shooting at us. I docked slightly.
He had some nerve slipping into the Romano estate with a ton of guards who were careless by the way. They had better do their jobs right or I’d make Jace fire all of them.
We reached the gate and the security opened with a confused look on his face.
I wind down the window with a furious press of my finger.
"There’s an intruder. Eliminate each and every one!" I yelled so loud, I could barely hear myself.
The driver thought I was distracted and tried to overpower me.
I pulled the trigger before I could stop myself.
My eyes went as wide as saucers and cold sweat broke out on my skin.
Behind me, there was a string of gunshots and right here I had just shot someone.
He sat there, lifeless...
I looked back and saw that the shootout was not stopping anytime soon. Jace didn’t need me dead. I had to live for us if not anything else.
So I reached over, opened the driver’s door and pushed the body out. He fell to the ground with a thud.
"Oh lord have mercy," I muttered, sliding into the seat as I took the wheels.
I stepped on the gas and zoomed out of there, leaving them to kill each other.
Once I was at a safe distance from the house, I picked up my phone and called Jace.
"Where are you?" I panted.
"What’s wrong?"
"Just tell me where you are!"
He called out the hospital’s address.
"I’m on my way." I stated and hung up before he could ask further questions.
As I drove, I kept trying to steady myself. I just escaped death. I couldn’t let myself drive into it.
The bloodstains on the plush seats were so disturbing but I couldn’t reach into my bag to wipe them. I would do it later.
"It was self defense." I told myself as I shivered yet again at the reminder of what I had just done.
The New York traffic didn’t help my frustration. I wanted to be out of this car as soon as possible.
It took over forty five minutes to get to the hospital. Jace had called so many times in between. I couldn’t bring myself to pick up even though I knew he was probably losing his mind, not hearing from me. Maybe he thought something had happened.
I decided to send him a text to tell him I was close.
When I got to the hospital, he was outside waiting for me.
I had barely parked when he ran towards the vehicle and practically carried me out.
I hugged him tightly as the tears flowed just then. I was so terrified but with him I felt safe again.
"Tell me what happened."
"I-" I sputtered, unable to form the words.
He held my face in his hands and made me look at him. "Breathe baby,"
I heaved deep breaths.
"I just killed someone." I finally told him.