Avalee's POV
My head was leaning on Papa's shoulder as I tried focusing on the book in my hand, but with the events of last night still fresh, my mind continued to wander to dark places. I could still smell that revolting cologne that Demetri used to wear, the same cologne that I smelled off of the sweatshirt that Arya was wearing last night, the sweatshirt that Cameron (a.k.a. the Blade) had given her.
After thinking back on the events of the night, I had come to the conclusion that what I had smelt last night was a figment of my imagination. The company that manufactured it had gone out of business last year, courtesy of my brothers wanting to ensure that something as simple as a familiar scent wouldn't trigger a flashback. Unfortunately, yesterday proved that no matter how hard my family tried to shield me from possible triggers, some things were out of their control.
But I couldn't stop thinking that the cologne I smelled yesterday was Demetri's, even if it was almost impossible.
Papa looked down at me and placed a kiss on the top of my head. "Tesoro, why don't we go downstairs? Sandro and Lijah just got home and want to talk to you."
For the past few days, my brothers had been leaving the house at odd hours, working constantly. They were stressed—no, worried—about something.
So worried that my oldest brother had even asked Papa to help him out, hoping that his years of experience as Capo would prove to be useful. When Papa had been reunited with our family last year, my brothers had silently agreed to keep him away from everything related to the Mafia in order to give him time to heal. But something had dissolved this agreement, and it involved the growing number of secrets my brothers were keeping from me and my little brother.
Of course no one was saying anything to Teddy and I no matter how hard we pushed. As soon as we entered a room, conversations would stop as they tried to hide their problems from us. I knew they thought that any Mafia-related threats would scare me and risk my recovery, but I hated being kept in the dark. At least if I knew what was wrong, I could stay vigilant and protect myself when I was away from my brothers, but in this clueless state they had left me in, there was nothing I could do.
Papa led me out of my room and down the stairs towards the kitchen where I saw my two oldest brothers. Dark eye bags were under both of my brothers' eyes, the signs of sleep deprivation clear on their faces. They were having a quiet conversation as they sipped their coffees until they saw me, small smiles tugging on the corners of their lips.
"Morning, tesoro," Elijah said. "Are you feeling better?"
Nodding my head, I said, "Yeah. Thanks for staying with me last night." Elijah hadn't left my side after we came home, insisting on staying with me until I fell asleep. But sleep never came to me, my fear of reliving my time with Demetri in my dreams preventing my brain from turning off.
Elijah gave a quick nod of the head as Alessandro asked, "You haven't eaten yet, right? I can make you an omelet."
With the smell of the cologne still fresh in my nose and causing my stomach to churn with nausea, I shook my head. "I'm not hungry."
Alessandro glanced over my shoulder where Papa was standing with an eyebrow raised. A moment later, my brother looked back at me and sighed. "Let me know when you are hungry, and I'll make you something."
I nodded my head and took a seat next to Alessandro at the kitchen counter, placing my head on his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around me. "Aves, what happened yesterday?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Hun, you have to," Elijah said, pressing on the issue. "Why did Arya ask you to meet her in the middle of the night?"
YOU ARE READING
The Ones Who Saved Us
Ficção AdolescenteThis is a sequel for The Ones Who Failed Us. If you have not read that book, do not read this book description because it contains spoilers. Almost a year has passed since Avalee Russo killed Demetri. Since then, Ava has played the part of the perfe...