Classified ☑

[ chapter 26 ]

"No, no, no," I whispered under my breath as I packed my things into my backpack.

It was no use. I knew the picture of my mom and me wouldn't be in there. It was stored in the box underneath my bed at Lucille's house. Dante grabbed my backpack when he took me from Lucille's house but he wouldn't have known to get the box full of pictures.

"What's wrong?" He came out of the bathroom with a toothbrush hanging out of his mouth, his eyebrows slightly raised. Thankfully, now he had a t-shirt on so he wouldn't be so distracting.

Did I really just say that?

"Nina."

I shook my head out of the daze I was in. "We have to go back."

He took the toothbrush out of his mouth and walked closer to me. "As in go back to the house where Angel tried to murder you?"

A lump formed in my throat at the idea of having to go back, but I also have to get those pictures. "Yes."

Dante looked at me like I was crazy. "Why?"

"Lucille has-" I paused and took a deep breath at the realization of reality. Lucille's death still didn't feel real. "-had a box of pictures. There's some of my mom and me and I don't have any pictures of her besides those. I have to go back to get them," I pleaded with him. He was my ride after all.

"That's a bad idea." He walked back into the bathroom, not bothering with another glance in my direction.

Sulking, I sank onto the bed. The car keys shone as sunlight filtered through the blinds and onto the counter. I turned around to make sure Dante was still in the bathroom. The faucet turned on and I could hear water run down the drain.

It was now or never.

I grabbed by backpack from the bed and grabbed the keys from the counter. As my fingers wrapped around the door handle and moved to pull it open, a hand shot out in my peripheral and shut the door just as quickly.

Dante breathed down my neck, tickling my skin and causing goosebumps to form. "Where do you think you're going?"

I turned around to face him, pressing my back against the door with his hand still keeping it closed. "I need those pictures."

He breathed out heavily through his nose, his eyes staring me down. "My dad's men are either there right now or headed there. There's no way to get there before them."

"I can try?" I whispered. I needed those pictures. My dad had never talked about my mom so I knew nothing about her. Those pictures were the only thing I had of her.

His hand takes the keys out of mine, sliding them in his pocket. "Let's go then."

*****

Dante parked down the street from Lucille's house. From here, we could see that no cars were parked in front of the house. We got out and walked up together. He'd offered to get the box of pictures by himself, but I also didn't want to chance him going in alone and getting killed because of me.

"Be ready, we might be walking into a trap," Dante said. I nodded my head. "But there's also a chance that my dad's men haven't gotten here yet." I knew what he meant. He was telling me Angel's body could still be there.

He opened the door and pushed it open after I gave him a curt nod. It creaked as it slowly swung open to the mess inside. Glass was shattered everywhere with blood still splattered on the walls.

The room in front of me seemed to show a replay of what happened. From coming home and seeing blood, though there wasn't very much on the walls and none on the floor. Angel hadn't even looked tired when I saw her sitting in the chair, looking casual as ever.