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With no idea what else to do, I follow Arsen through the house and down the stairs. My hip is aching by the time I reach the entryway and find my bags by the door along with Gedeon—yet another person who won’t meet my eyes. An engine purrs from the driveway.
Arsen appears in the door. “Are you ready?”
“Where’s Mom?”
We came here together. We should leave together. If Arsen is done with me, he won’t want her around.
A shadow passes across his eyes. “She’s sick, Laila.”
The pain in my heart eclipses the pain in my hip. “What are you telling me, Arsen?”
“You have ten minutes. Go say your goodbyes.”
59
LAILA
Arsen leaves the room, and Gedeon is still staring at his feet.
“Did you help him plan this?” I demand.
He shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Laila. There’s nothing I can do.”
The resignation in his voice almost brings me to my knees. “I don’t understand. Why do I have to leave? What did I do wrong?”
“Nothing. You didn’t do—” Finally, he looks at me. “You’re in danger. Arsen wants to get you as far from here as possible. He’s doing this to protect you. And Nina, too.”
I can’t bite back the bitter laugh that bursts out of me. “Maybe you missed the part where he blamed me for Dominik getting shot.”
“He doesn’t blame you. He blames himself.”
“Then explain all this!” I fling my hands around to encompass the bomb that just dropped on my life. “Where am I going? When are we coming back?”
The sunken look in his eyes is all the answer I need. “I’ll be with you. I’ll be your security, so you won’t be all alone.”
“But Arsen…”
Gedeon’s eyes darken as he turns for the door. “You’ve only got a few minutes to say goodbye to your mother, Laila. Don’t waste them.”
The walk to my mother’s room feels endless. Nina is heavy in my arms, asleep again, thankfully. That’s about the only thing to go right tonight.
I have to knock on her door for a long time before Evelyn finally answers, her eyes puffy with sleep.
“Laila? Is everything alright?” She takes one look at my face and hers drains of color. “What’s wrong?”
I swallow back tears. “I need to see my mom.”
“Do you want me to take Nina?”
Silently, I slip Nina into Evelyn’s arms and move to my mother’s bedside. She looks so small in her massive bed, the covers drawn up to her chin. The windows are open and moonlight streams through them, turning her pale cheeks a blue-tinged silver.
“Mom,” I whisper, my voice trembling. “Mom?”
It takes a couple more nudges to wake her up. When she does, it’s all at once—her eyes flying open, her body jerking upright as though I screamed.
“Laila, what’s wrong? What’s going on?”
I grab her too-thin hand and hold it to my chest. “I have to leave tonight. Nina and me. I’m not sure when we’ll be coming back.”
