Chapter 151

Aldo

I knew the best way to get through this time with Layla gone was to keep busy. But it felt near to impossible.

Today was the day Carlo was actually going to attempt to get into Agent Carter’s apartment. It should have sparked some sort of interest. However, my mind would only allow me a few minutes of focus at a time before slipping into an endless train of thought.

It was ridiculous to think that at some point Agent Carter’s character was at the forefront of mind. Now it was purely Layla.

Is she alright? What is she up to? Is she taking care of herself? Is she safe?

It became a mindless cycle that went on for hours. I’d reached a point where I just couldn’t take it anymore. There hadn’t been any real updates from Carlo or anyone else on the team which made me feel as though I was simply wasting time.

I got up from my desk and slipped out of my home office. I made my way toward the kitchen when I spotted Eli sitting at the counter with his face resting in his hands. My heart slammed in my chest as I took in his worried expression.

I came up beside him and rested my hand on his back. “Hey, are you okay?” I asked.

Of course, I already knew the answer to that. He wasn’t.

“I miss Mommy,” he said.

“I know,” I said consolingly. “I do too.”

I lifted my hand to brush through his hair.

“She’s going to be okay, right?”

“Of course, she’ll be okay. Your mom knows how to properly protect herself and she just so happens to be staying with two very strong and skilled women.”

I may not have known the twin’s personal skills when it came to defense; however, I had an intuitive feeling that the word ‘merciful’ wasn’t in their general vocabulary.

If, God forbid, a problem was to occur I was beginning to trust that they would have it handled.

Well, I was really hoping they would.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

I quickly pulled out my phone and saw that it was Carlo. The muscles in my stomach tightened with anticipation and I answered the call.

“What is it?”

Carlo’s voice came out low and heavy. “We found something...”

“And?”

An ugly feeling began to creep up my spine.

“And I don’t think you’re going to like it,” he stated darkly.

Layla

That gruesome feeling stayed with me all throughout the day. I was actively trying to ignore it but it had reached a point where I began to fidget and a light sheen of sweat had dotted my forehead.

Throughout the day, we ended up hitting a few other stores. There was a place that sold handmade jewelry and bags. I would have liked to have spent a little more time looking around but I knew I was being watched.

One place I was adamant about stopping at was this adorable old-fashioned candy store. My mind immediately went to Eli again as I scanned the shelves of all the various types of candies and confections.

But not before long, that grueling sensation prickled over my skin and I knew, once again, that someone was there.

By that point, Eva casually came up beside me, noticing something was off.

“What’s wrong?”

“Someone’s following us,” I whispered. “I’ve been feeling their eyes on me, all day.”

Eva glanced around the place, pretending to look at all the expertly crafted candies. She leaned in close to speak into my ear.

“Here’s the next question I want you to consider,” she said calmly. “Does Layla possess the ability to take a person’s life if it means protecting those that she cares for?”

I had in the past. But was that something that I wanted to take with me to this new stage of my life? No. All that anger, violence, and mindless killing...It was all the foundation for that dark persona that I so desperately wanted to destroy.

If it was possible, I would choose to never touch another lethal weapon again. That wasn’t who I was—nor who I was ever meant to be. I wasn’t a killer. My job was to help people.

In the back of my mind, losing my medical license felt like a worthy punishment for the fact I had knowingly broken my own moral code.

This new foundation that I was trying to lay for myself had no place for that kind of violence or any for that matter. But I wasn’t sure if such a demand would be possible.

I pushed the whole issue to the back of my mind and met Stasia and Eva at the door.

“Come on, we’re going to head to the grocery store and then back to the house.”

As we walked, both sisters took their positions on either side of me. They kept surveying the area until we finally reached the car.

Eva and Stasia were being unsettlingly calm about everything. Even when we made it to the grocery store, one of them always stood by me while the other would stray a short distance away.

This time, Stasia leaned over to whisper into my ear. “You’re right, someone is following you.”

“Who is it?”

“Hard to tell. They’re doing a very good job keeping their face covered.”

My heart flipped several times over. Wonderful. Why the hell was someone following me? It wasn’t as if I was physically with Aldo at the moment. This was supposed to be a trip where no one would know who I was!

Having grabbed a couple of basic necessities for the house, I quickly went to one of the open self-checkout lines and began scanning my items. Above my head, I glanced up at the security camera that showed me along with several feet of space behind me.

Barely standing in the far corner, was a figure.

“Shit,” I hissed.

“Don’t turn around,” Eva told me. “Stasia, go bring the car around to the front of the store.”

I couldn’t fathom why I was so disturbed by this. I mean, no one likes knowing that they’re being stalked—but this wasn’t the first time this had happened.

Something about this time around felt different. Sinister.

We made it out to the car and practically tossed the bags into the back seat. Eva informed me to buckle up before Stasia hit the gas pedal. We sped off down the road, strategically winding around all the other cars on the road.

“We’re being tailed,” Stasia informed us after looking in the rearview mirror.

Eva glanced over her shoulder to steal a glance out the back window. A devious smile curved her mouth.

“Excellent,” she chuckled.

My brows furrowed. “What?”

“Keep heading North until we hit the state line,” she told her sister. “After that, pull over to the side.”

Stasia followed Eva’s instructions perfectly. We kept straight until we began to see signs that read ‘Quebec’.

“Why the hell are we heading into Canada?” I questioned briskly.

“We’re not. We just need to reach the border.” Eva leaned down to open the glove compartment in front of her. Inside were a slew of different guns of various sizes. My heart leaped into my throat.

Stasia pulled the car over to a gentle stop on the side of the road. My heart was pounding in my chest as I glanced over my own shoulder to find a dark-colored car pulling up a good few feet away.

“Come on, Layla.”

I stepped out of the car and followed Eva around the back. The mystery person who’d been tailing me the whole day finally stepped out from behind the steering wheel. My mouth fell open in complete baffled confusion.

“Agent Carter?”