Page 7 of Between Steel and Secrets
Harper gestures at my face. “You still have some?—”
Sighing, I shut the shower curtain and shove my face back under the spray, scrubbing more at my cheeks and nose.
“Do you want my help?”
“I’d love for my wife to join me in the shower, but not when it’s a bloodbath in here.” I glance down at the floor.
The water is running clear, but just the thought churns my stomach. I still see blood from the splatter of bullets into Massimo.
Harper pulls back the shower curtain, and she’s got a white mini washcloth. She douses it under the spray and then reaches up to my face to scrub the last remnants of blood away.
Her touch is warm, strong, comforting.
I’m shocked that she hasn’t run away after seeing me covered in blood.
“Do you want to talk about what happened?” She douses the washcloth under the spray again and grazes my cheek with her hand.
“I’d rather talk about what you stole. Was it from my father, or did you leave the house today?”
Harper inhales a breath. “Did Dante speak with you already?”
“No.”
What’s she talking about?
I inhale sharply, my gaze sharp and threatening. “What’d you steal, Harper?”
“It was nothing. I mean, hardly anything.”
“Out with it,” I bite, my tone short and clipped. I don’t like Harper hiding things from me.
“There was a stuffed animal in your father’s office, a dragon. The same one that Zeke has, and it had a gash in its?—”
I shut the shower curtain.
“I can’t deal with this right now!”
She found the dragon from Massimo. The threat to my family.
Tears burn my eyes.
“Luca,” her voice is soft, filled with concern.
“Give me some time to finish my shower. I’ll talk to you after. Please.” My voice cracks, and I cough to clear my throat, not wanting her to hear the pain in my tone.
Silence fills the space. I turn the shower hotter, letting it scald every inch of me.
Finally, she relents. “Okay. We’ll talk after.”
The bathroom door opens, and once again another chilly breeze hits me from the air conditioning before I hear the click.
I swear I locked that door, but it wouldn’t surprise me if she knew how to pick a bathroom lock.
It’s not that difficult.
Finishing my much-needed shower, Ashton offers to discard my clothes, and he bags his own dirty ones from today, letting me know all evidence will be erased.
There was too much evidence today, it’s a bit unsettling. But I trust Ashton and I have to trust my father.
