𝙲𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚙𝚜𝚎 | 𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝟸

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙴𝚕𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗

𝙼𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚢

❖═━┈┈━═❖

Rogers HQ was destroyed.

Bullet holes covered every inch of the building, Sofia's latest collection had been destroyed, millions of dollars gone, a gaping hole sat on the side of the building and the safe had been left open. Steve had gone pale, there were no sights on the girls and he was panicking. Sofia was his everything, and no matter what Curtis or I said, he was inconsolable. Up until his phone dinged, all of us turned our attention to the device on the table. "It's the home security camera," Steve rushed over to his phone, unlocking it quickly and I felt the lead blanket be lifted off the room, "she's home, which means they're all home."

Elena and Julianna were safe.

"Let's go." I took the keys from Steve once again, and the three of us climbed into the Jeep exhaling a collective breath.

The panic that had surged through me was nearly debilitating, not only did I have my sister's life to worry about, I panicked about Elena. She loved Sofia more than anything in the world and I know that she would've thrown herself in front of the girl to save Sofia. I know Elena hates me, and I let her because it's easier than trying to fight through the walls that she has in place. Elena's heart is nearly impenetrable. But I didn't want anything to happen to her.

I hadn't even noticed I was driving until I was hitting the break at a red light, I could ask Steve how to get through to Elena, he had the girl he tormented her entire life fall in love with him. If anything, he could tell me how to navigate this new relationship. "Steve," he hummed his acknowledgment, eyes never leaving his phone screen while he typed away, no doubt explaining everything to the lawyers. "How the fuck do I do this? How to entertain a marriage neither of us wants to be in?"

That got Steve's attention, his eyes lifting from the screen to look over at me, "Be her safety."

"What?"

Now that Steve knew Sofia was safe, he wasn't panicking and put all his attention on me, which had always made me uncomfortable. "Sofia never viewed me fully as someone couldn't trust," Steve explained, running a hand through his hair, "I always came and got her when she needed me to, I always made sure she was safe, I always had her favorite food on me, she knew I would always be there to protect her, so she always kept me close," Steve ran his tongue over his lip, watching as we made our way back to the complex, "I have Elena's favorite foods stocked up in the fridge because Sofia would lose her shit if I didn't, take some down to her when we get back."

"If she asks you to take her somewhere," Curtis added, running his hand over his beard, "just do it, especially now, if Julianna wants to go back home I'll take her, but you need to focus on Elena, your sister will be safe with me."

I knew that was true, I saw the way Curtis gripped Julianna, he fought the hardest to keep her safe, always had.

I threw the car into park when we got to the complex, the three of us jumping out and running upstairs, the lobby fell silent when we got to the first floor, the news of the robbery, as the media had dubbed it, had dropped it was a miracle we were all there. "Where's Alex?" Steve asked the woman behind the desk, we all knew he was hoping when Sofia walked in, Alexander would go with her. They had this weird pact that Sofia would be under their protection at all times.

"He went up with Sofia, the other two went to their apartments," the woman fished around the desk for another key, handing it over to me when I nodded my thanks, "Elena went to the new one, she said something about needing some time alone."

So she was shaken up and didn't want anyone else to see it.

"I'll be up in a little bit," I told Steve, watching him nod before he was rushing over to his elevator, Curtis and I stepping into the one that lead us to the rest of the apartments. My heart was racing, Elena was on my mind, and I felt fucking awful. Julianna should be my priority, she always had been, but I'd never get the look of pure fear that rested on Elena's face when she was ripped from my grasp out of my head. She clung to me, Elena would've never tried to keep me near if she wasn't terrified.