Shadows In Durango

Chapter 84

HRHRRSOfig's POVHHIRK

"Why are we going out this way?" | question gently, not wanting to send Vincent over the edge since | could

already sense that he was overwhelmed. "It's safer." He all but states, opening the fire exit door to find a waiting

car and two large guys.

I shrink back slightly at the sight of them, not deeming them to be the friendly looking type, as they move swiftly

to take our bags out to the car.

| feel Vincent's hand reach the small of my back, gaining my attention as I look up at him to find his eyes

scanning our surroundings.

What has gotten him so paranoid?! | wonder what was in that damn envelope...

Seconds later when the men finish up, he hurriesout and into the car, as both men slam the doors and climb

in the front before starting to drive off in to the night - wasting no tat all.

| was thankful to be going back to Durango, finding comfort there in Vincent's hwith the familiar presence of

Emma and Daryl...

| suddenly felt guilty, having not bothered to text Daryl at all since the incident between the two boys the other

day - finding him to be fully at fault for it all this taround.

| was slightly disappointed that he hadn't bothered to textonce either since then, unsure of why he would

have any reason to be pissed off withsince he was the one who had lashed out...

But | knew that he was annoyed aboutdeciding to travel with Vincent and looking back at things now, maybe

he was right all along, although it still wasn't Vincent's fault.

"You good?" | turn to find Vincent's concerned eyes as | nod stiffly and eye the pair in the front.

As if he could feel my tension, he reaches over and takes my hand in his - a gesture in which | was thankful for

since it helped to makefeel a whole lot safer.

We remained in a thick silence the rest of the drive, arriving at the airport with the car passing through security

and taking us towards the waiting jet that had brought us here only days before in a matter of minutes.

| climb out when the car stops, with Vincent speaking in hushed tones to the men who make a move to collect

our bags for us shortly after.

| felt bad for judging them both based on appearance alone but | couldn't help but feel nervous and unsure of

everyone after what had happened earlier at the zoo.

| quickly realised that people would pretty much do anything for money, even if it meant draggingback to

my hellish father without even knowing the half of it!

| follow Vincent up the steps of the jet, as the staff onboard make a move to fix things in preparation for us

flying.

| immediately find a recliner seat and sink down into it, chewing my lip in thought as my body aches against the

leather fabric.

Vincent moves to join me, taking the seat beside me. His presence was comforting, but the tension still lingered

heavily in the air.

| could feel his eyes on me, gauging my mood, but | didn't want to add to his stress. | glanced out of the window

instead, watching the ground crew bustle around as they prepared for takeoff.

Vincent leaned in, his voice low, "You're quiet. What's on your mind?"

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| hesitated, unsure if now was the right tto bring up everything that was bothering me. The incident at the

zoo, Daryl's silence, and Vincent's sudden paranoia- it all swirled around in my head like a storm | couldn't yet

calm. "I just feel... unsettled," | admitted, finally meeting his gaze. "Everything happened so fast today, and |

don't know what to make of it."

He exhaled deeply, rubbing the back of his neck. "I know. | should've been more careful. | shouldn't have let you

out of my sight even to use the damn bathroom." He scolds himself, as | shake my head in defence.

His guilt was palpable, and it madeinstantly soften.

"It's not your fault, none of this is. I just... don't understand why my father is still so desperate to find me. And

whoever left that envelope... what did they want? What was inside?" | find myself wondering, hoping that he

would just tellinstead of keeping it a secret.

Vincent's jaw tightened, and | could tell he was debating how much to tell me...

"You don't have to worry your pretty little head about any of it, I'm trying to figure it all out. I've got my father

looking into it, and you'll be safer back in Durango. We just need to lay low for a while, and I'll handle the rest."

He insists that | drop it, which causes forto sigh a little as my shoulders slump too.

| nodded, feeling the weight of uncertainty press down on me. | knew Vincent was trying his best to keep me

safe, but something toldthat this wasn't going to be over anytsoon...

The jet engines roared to life, and soon we were in the air, the city fading into the distance below. | leaned my

head back against the seat, closing my eyes, but sleep didn't come. My mind kept drifting to the look in Vincent's

eyes earlier - how alert he seemed, how much pressure he was under.

"I don't want you to feel like you have to handle everything alone," | said quietly, opening my eyes to find him

staring at nothing, lost in thought. "You've done so much foralready, Vincent. You don't have to carry all of

this by yourself."

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His eyes softened as he turned back to me. "I promised I'd protect you, Sofia. I'm not going to let anyone hurt

you again. Not your father, not anyone. I've faced worse than this before, trust me." He forces a smile.

I believed him. But | also knew that he couldn't be everywhere at once, and the weight of his promise was

starting to take a toll on me.

Before | could respond, a soft chechoed through the cabin, and a flight attendant approached, offering us

drinks. Vincent waved them off, still too tense to focus on anything but the situation at hand.

| reached for his hand, squeezing it gently. "We'll figure this out, okay? Together." | promise, as he nods and

agrees.

For a moment, something in his expression shifted - his guard lowered, if only for a second. "Yeah," he

murmured, "together."

He seemed hopeful at that point, finding a hidden meaning behind the word... perhaps hoping to still proceed

with whatever relationship we currently had together, but there was still someone to rule out fully first, and that

was Daryl. Trying to shift the tone, Vincent quickly reaches down into a bag and retrieved the siPad from

earlier.

"Showwhat you bought yourself then..." He hums, as | nod slowly and chew my lip.

| felt weird spending his money so freely, since he had already givenso much, but | would also be lying if |

said | didn't enjoy picking snew things to start rebuilding my wardrobe.

| started with underwear, but | definitely didn't have to show him that, so instead, | tapped to show him the first

order | had placed that consisted of a grey sweatshirt, black sweatshirt, three t-shirts in khaki, navy and grey

followed by the legging colours to match.

"Very nice, | hope that's not all you got though?" Vincent tests, as | shake my head shyly and click over to the

next purchase.

I think in this moment, we both just tried to enjoy the brief distraction from the number of concerns we now

faced... but like Vincent had promised, we would attempt to face them, together.