FRAGILE BONDS
SMOKE'S POV
The night Miguel took Lena felt like a scar on both of us. She hadn’t been the same since. I couldn’t blame her—no one could. What she went through would shake even the strongest person.
After I brought her home that night, she locked herself inside her apartment and refused to leave. The light in her eyes was gone, replaced by fear and paranoia. Every time I tried to visit, she either didn’t answer the door or made it clear she didn’t want me there.
“I need space, Smoke,” she finally told me during one of the rare moments she opened the door. Her voice was cold, distant. “You brought all this into my life. You promised to protect me, but look what’s happened. I can’t do this anymore.”
I stood there, silent for a moment, the weight of her words hitting me harder than I expected. “Lena, I—”
She cut me off. “I can’t keep living like this, looking over my shoulder every second. It’s too much. I need to feel safe, and I can’t do that with you around.”
I wanted to argue, to tell her that I’d fix everything, but I knew it wouldn’t help. She’d made up her mind, and all I could do was respect her decision.
\---
Days turned into weeks, and Lena kept herself locked away. She didn’t return my calls or texts. She barely went to work. It was like she was a prisoner in her own home, and it killed me to see her like that.
I kept my distance, but I made sure she was safe. I had guards stationed outside her building, watching over her without her knowing. If anything happened, I wanted to be sure she was protected.
When she finally returned to work, it wasn’t the same. She was jumpy, her nerves on edge. She carried a small gun in her purse, something I’d suggested once, but now it seemed like it was her lifeline.
Then it happened.
\---
It was late in the evening when my phone rang. Lena’s name flashed on the screen, and I picked up immediately.
“Smoke,” she whispered, her voice trembling.
“Lena? What’s wrong?” I asked, my heart racing.
“I—I messed up,” she said, her words barely audible. “I didn’t mean to—he startled me, and I just—”
“Lena, slow down,” I said, trying to calm her. “What happened?”
“I shot someone,” she cried. “He... he walked up to me in the parking lot, and I thought he was going to hurt me. Smoke, I didn’t mean to! It was an accident!”
I didn’t waste time. “Where are you?”
“I’m still at the hospital parking lot,” she said. “Smoke, what do I do?”
“I’m on my way,” I said firmly. “Stay there. Don’t move. I’ll handle it.”
\---
When I arrived, the scene was exactly what I feared. A man lay on the ground, blood pooling beneath him. He was motionless, and from the look on Lena’s face, I knew he wasn’t getting up.
She stood a few feet away, clutching the gun in her shaking hands. Tears streamed down her face as she looked at me, her expression a mix of fear and guilt.
“I didn’t mean to,” she said again, her voice breaking.
“I know,” I said, stepping closer and gently taking the gun from her. “But we don’t have time to talk about that right now. We need to move fast.”
I checked the man’s pockets for identification. He didn’t have much on him, just a wallet with a few bills and a driver’s license. He wasn’t armed, which made the situation even worse.
“Go wait in your car,” I told Lena. “I’ll take care of this.”
She hesitated, her eyes wide. “Smoke—”
“Trust me,” I said, my tone leaving no room for argument. “Go.”
\---
Once she was gone, I called Charles.
“We have a situation,” I told him. “I need you to bring the van.”
Charles didn’t ask questions. He knew me well enough to understand that when I called, it was serious. Within twenty minutes, he arrived, and together we moved the body into the van.
“Who is he?” Charles asked as we drove out of the city.
“Doesn’t matter,” I said. “Lena thought he was a threat. She acted on instinct.”
Charles didn’t push further. He knew better than to question me when it came to Lena.
We drove to an isolated area outside the city where no one would find him. It wasn’t the first time I’d had to make a problem disappear, but this one hit differently. This wasn’t business; this was personal.
\---
When I returned to Lena’s apartment later that night, she was sitting on the couch, staring at the floor. Her hands were still shaking, and her face was pale.
“It’s done,” I said, sitting down beside her. “No one’s going to find him.”
She looked at me, her eyes filled with tears. “I didn’t mean to kill him, Smoke. I was just so scared. I thought he was going to hurt me.”
“I know,” I said, taking her hand in mine. “And I’m not going to let anything happen to you. You’re safe now.”
She leaned into me, her body trembling as she sobbed. I held her tightly, stroking her hair and whispering words of comfort.
\---
That night, as I lay beside her, I couldn’t shake the feeling that things were spiraling out of control. Lena was breaking under the pressure, and I was doing everything I could to hold her together.
But how much longer could I keep this up? How much longer could I protect her from the darkness that surrounded me?
One thing was certain: I wasn’t going to let her go through this alone. I’d do whatever it took to keep her safe—even if it meant losing myself in the process.