Layla

Carrie

“Are you okay?” Alessandro checked in with me after many seconds filled with heart-racing silence passed.

“Yes…” I slightly raised my head since we were still crouched. “Are you fine?”

“I am. Just stay close to me, okay?”

I nodded and with a little frown of concern on my forehead, I looked towards Eduardo whose entire body was sprawled between the driver’s and passenger’s seats. “Eduardo… Are you fine?”

It was hard to see his face since he tucked it in a corner very close to the door, so I made do with staring at the slight exposure of his lower back. Then, with a careful whisper, he answered, “I am. But… Why are we whispering?”

Hmm… Good question.

“Eduardo, who do you think is responsible for this?” Alessandro’s voice could have vibrated my entire back if it wanted to. He covered me with all that he was and it would have been hard for me to try budging if I wished to. “Do you think it is Mr. Calmar?”

“Nah,” the earlier whispering was replaced with their normal voices and I lis