Page 98 of We Are Yours

“We’re not done here.”

“I know, but can we continue this at home?”

“Home, huh?”

She firmly nodded, grabbing my hand. “Yeah, Julius… home.”

Reluctantly, I let her lead. Marco waited by the entrance, letting me know that Kraven had left with some sketchy characters. I didn’t have the energy to give a shit, feeling utterly defeated.

By the time we arrived through the front door, it was almost three in the morning. As soon as we walked inside, I made my way into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. I felt like a semi-truck had run over me.

I drank the whole thing before grabbing some ice from the freezer and wrapping it in a rag for my hand. She met me in there with a first-aid kit in her grasp.

“I’m fine,” I stated.

She shot me a stern stare, nodding to the chair beside her.

I did as she wanted, mostly because I wanted to know where this was going. After I sat, she bent down in front of me to sit on the balls of her feet as she took a look at my hand. It didn’t take her long to wrap it up with a bandage.

When she was finished, she looked up at me through her lashes. Her striking green eyes were filled with sadness.

“The day we met,” she expressed out of nowhere, making my stomach drop from what she was about to share.

“I wasn’t just running away from my fosters. I was also running away from a crime scene I caused.”

My blood ran cold, never expecting to hear that.

“They were the Bates, same old story. Except this time, it ended with him chasing me down the basement stairs and falling.”

“Why was he chasing you?”

“Because it was Tuesday.”

I grimaced, hating that for her. Yet I immediately understood what she meant by that.

With uncertainty in her stare and tears in her eyes, she admitted, “Nobody knows, but I think I killed him.”

Her words knocked the air out of me, though I remained calm, years of practice working in my favor. Instead, I drew her into my arms, and she settled on my lap.

Her heartbeat was in sync with mine. Cradling her face in my hands, I wiped her tears with my thumbs.

“I’m here, Isla. Nothing you tell me changes the way I see or feel you, the way I care about you…”

Relief quickly washed over her face. “You promise?”

“I swear it.”

“Do you think the cops are?—”

“No.”

She sighed deeply, leaning her forehead on mine.

“Do me a favor?”

“Anything.”

I spoke with conviction…