Teenage Troubles (Prequel for Teenage Baby)

Chapter 17 | The captors

Chapter 17 | The captors

Cara knew she shouldn't have left Dominic with his father like that. Not in that state. So much could go wrong, so many of her dreams could be destroyed.

She wasn't driving too safe, not quite focused. Her heart thrummed, hands clammy against the steering wheel. If he did it, if he killed him, he'd go to jail or a mental institution. They wouldn't be able to get married nor would she get her hands on his wealth.

She'd have to marry Lou instead.

Beside her, Lou was crying. He had a cloth pressed to the wound under his eye. Only eight years old. She was eighteen. Too old for him. If worse came to worst, she'd have to wait until he'd grow more and—

No, she thought to herself. No no no. Dom wouldn't kill. She'd made him promise. None of that was going to happen. Her plan was going to work implicitly like she'd wanted and she wouldn't have to alter anything.

From the corner of her eye, she caught blood trickle along Lou's cheek. She reached over whilst keeping a hand on the steering wheel and pressed the cloth harder onto the wound. Lou let out a muffled cry.

"The blood won't stop if you don't press, Loubear," she said.

"Don't call me that!"

"Fine. Lou. Luciano. Whatever you like. Don't worry, your brother's coming." She focused on the road again. "He better come back without killing anyone."

When they made it to the beach house Dom had told her to go to, she parked and stepped out and led Lou inside. It was George's in reality, but Dom had the keys and he'd given them to Cara because he trusted her.

Cara turned on the lights as soon as she closed the front door behind. She let her bag slide down her arm and drop onto the armchair, eyes roving around the pale beige walls. Lou followed her in but quickly clambered onto the couch by the window, sitting with his front pressed against the backrest, longingly staring outside.

"Did you guys ever come here, Lou?"

Lou was busy waiting and bleeding. Dom had told him they used to come here before their mom died. He'd been a baby, so he couldn't remember. "No."

Cara eyed the bedroom. She'd snoop around later. She ambled back closer to Lou and sat on the couch beside him, patting the cushion. "Sit straight, let me clean the wound, yeah?"

Lou shrugged one shoulder. "No. I want Dom to clean it. Not you."

"Lou, it'll get infected—"

"I want Dom."

Cara sighed and rolled her eyes. One word from Dom years ago, and Lou still couldn't stand her. He was only a rebel when his brother wasn't around. If she needed to control Lou, she'd have to do it through Dominic.

"Lou, I said sit straight and let me clean the damn thing."

Lou turned just enough to frown at her sharply. "Don't talk to me like that."

"Oh wow, watch the attitude,
mister."

"Señor, not mister," Lou corrected. Just as he was about to ignore her, she gripped his arm and forced him in place. He finally stayed still, scoffing at her.

She reached over for her bag and pulled out cottons and alcohol. She'd stopped at a pharmacy because both Lou and Dom had looked like they'd been to hell and out. Mostly Dom.

She caught the back of his head and patted the wound with the alcohol. It burnt, making Lou flinch and whimper. But then he settled, when he heard the roar of an engine outside, when he realized Dom had come. Before he could race to the door, Cara gripped his arm, forcing him in place, and quickly plastered the wound.