Risk me.
Even with Rocco saying it, I still couldn’t believe it right away.
Holland stiffened. “How can you be so sure?”
“Because he’s my best friend. And because I’ve worked with him for years,” Rocco said. “He’s careless with himself, not with other people. Especially not with someone he cares about.” Rocco looked at me with an earnest expression. “He’ll fix it.”
I suddenly felt a small sense of hope. Rocco wouldn’t say any of this unless he meant it. I kept my eyes on him as he continued to reassure me.
“Those two didn’t do this because of Callan. They did it because they hate anyone who gets more attention than they do. They could never stand new girls working with Callan and taking their spotlight, and you were a direct threat to them.”
Holland leaned forward, resting her elbows on the island. “Jealousy is a fucking disease,” she murmured, shaking her head.
“They won’t step foot in this house ever again. I’m sure of it.” Rocco looked at me again with a promising expression. “Don’t worry, Lana.”
I gave him a tight smile and tried to see things more positively. Of course, I couldn’t just ignore everything thathappened in the last two hours, but I had to tell myself that I was safe right now, with them by my side.
After he finished cooking, Rocco plated everything and set the food in front of us.
“Eat,” he said. “It’ll help.”
I took in the food and appreciated the effort he had put in. “Thank you, Rocco.”
“Don’t thank me.” He grabbed glasses out of the cupboard and filled them with water. “Just tell me what you’d rate the food. I’m a pretty damn good cook, and I usually get high ratings.”
Holland raised a brow at him, probably wondering how many women he had cooked for before, and Rocco winked at her with a smug grin. “Eat, baby.”
We started eating, cutting into the steak cooked to a perfect medium-rare. It only took one bite for us to agree with him. He truly was a great cook.
“It’s delicious,” I told him.
“I know.” He grinned wider, then raised his brows at Holland. “What do you think, beautiful? Good enough to open a restaurant?”
Holland snorted, but the small smile tugging at her lips gave her away. “Sure.”
“She loves it,” Rocco told me with a wink. “And she’s totally into me.”
“God, you’re insufferable.”
I laughed softly, their little back and forth lighting up my mood just enough to stop me from worrying for a few minutes.
33
Callan
I drove straight to Karlee’s building. I didn’t think or plan what I was going to say to her. I only knew I needed answers, and I needed them now.
The look on Lana’s face had burned itself into my head. Shock, shame, and so much fear flashed in her eyes, and seeing her like that hurt me more than anything ever had in years.
I had spent weeks keeping Karlee and Kira at a distance, shutting down their comments and their fake smiles, thinking that was enough to keep Lana safe. I thought they were petty, but harmless. I thought I could ignore them and they’d lose interest, because even Lana wouldn’t give them the reaction they wanted.
But I was wrong.
And now Lana was paying for it.
I was angry, and every inch of my body tensed with the knowledge that Lana’s innocence had just been taken from her. I didn’t have to look up the video to know they were telling the truth. Lana wouldn’t lie about something like that, and Karlee and Kira were perfectly capable of doing something so cruel.
When I parked the car in the lot outside Karlee’s apartment building, I got out and slammed my car door, heading straight inside. I took the stairs two at a time, my steps echoingthrough the hallway. I didn’t bother knocking politely. I hit her door hard until I heard the lock turn.
