I shake my head. “When did you two get married anyway?”
“Last year,” Alex provides, then grins again. “And in the same church Declan used to take me to, tocleanse me of the evil inside me.”
I laugh. “Savage.”
He joins me. “I know; I had so much fun. And then Ledge killed the pastor because he kept telling Jay and I how we’d sinned in the eyes of God, and my wedding day gotsomuch better.”
I don’t know why, but I can’t help but laugh at that. He’s so fucking ecstatic as he says all that, that I can’t control myself.
Varsha laughs along with me, making me feel validated.
“I’m serious!” he says. “I mean, have you seen the guy ending a life? He’s magnificent while he works.” He fans himself.
I swat him on the arm. “If you got married to Jayce last year, when did you join the crew?” I ask.
“Three years ago – right before Solo retired.”
I turn to Varsha. “And you?”
“Five years ago,” she tells me. “Dorran and Jayce found me naked and starving in an alley after my parents threw me out of the house upon having found me fucking a guy in my bedroom.”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out, becausewhat the fuck?
Varsha chuckles. “Confusing, I know. The thing is: I’m an Indian, so my family was very conservative when it came to a lot of things. No smoking or drinking, no sex before marriage, etcetera. My dad, especially, was too overbearing. When they found a guy balls-deep inside me, they lost their shit. They tied me up, hit me, and shaved my head, then kicked me out of the house. For days, I lived off of scrapes I found in dumpsters, and I had to stay in the shadows as I had no clothes on me. I think it was a week after living hidden in the alley that Jayce and Dorran found me. They took me in and treated me like family, and if it wasn’t for them and Solo, I’d have rotted in a darkened corner, and no one would have even cared.”
My chest tightens at her words; at the haunting expression on her face.
I make my way over to her, and Alex does the same.
“I don’t think saying I’m sorry is enough for what you’ve faced,” I tell her. “But still, I’m so very sorry, Varsha.”
Her expression clears as she smiles at me, then nudges my shoulder with hers. “Thanks. You’ve been through a lot of shit yourself, so I’m sorry, too, Cignette.”
“Me too,” Alex adds. “I apologize for not having said it sooner, but I mean it.”
A lump forms in my throat, but I swallow it down and give them a grateful nod. “Thanks, guys.”
“V, youhaveto tell Cigs how Ledge killed your parents,” Alex urges, then sighs. “I wish I’d known you guys then. It would have been so cool to watch their demise.”
Again, the three of us laugh at Alex’s eccentricity.
“Well, Dorran cut my parents into pieces – while they werealive,” Varsha provides. “He asked me to watch as he took turns dismembering them, and even though it was a lot for me to witness, I enjoyed every single one of their screams.”
“You had every right to,” Alex tells her. “It’s a good thing we’ve got Cignette’s uncle at our backs, or else we wouldn’t have the kind of liberty we do right now.”
My breath catches in my lungs as I stare at Alex, and a chill runs through my entire body as I’m completely taken over by shock.
“What did you just say?” I all but whisper the question.
Alex blinks at me. “Huh?”
I’m breathing a little heavily now as the impact of his words finally takes over.
“Cignette?” Varsha looks at me in concern, then places a hand on my shoulder. “Didn’t Dorran tell you that Chase and Miranda are our top-tier clients?”
I thought I’d heard it all, but I apparently haven’t.
“My mom’s involved too?” I sound and feel so dumb right now.
