Ahh. I didn’t think of sharing that. She’s been living with the fallout daily, whereas, here, it’s old news for everyone other than my family, who have also suffered through her disappearance.
“There were rumors that we shut down quickly. Of course, once things escalated with the case,” I say, referring to Dalton being arrested for the murder of Hailey Holden, “some speculation resurfaced. I did not personally volunteer anything. You are free to handle that however you wish, but as I said, you’ve been on the payroll as one of our attorneys. And we have the engagement to contend with.”
“Got it.” She nods, a little frantic. “I’m good at tall tales. Twirling yarn and all that.”
“Spin.”
Innocent brown eyes beneath a furrowed brow line meet mine. “What?”
“The saying is,spin a yarn,” I explain, unhooking Remy’s car seat since she seems to be momentarily frozen. “Are you sure English is your first language?”
“Spin and twirl are the same thing,” she sasses back. “Maybe I need to buy you anEnglishthesaurus.”
“Obviously, a thesaurus in your hands should be deemed reckless operation because in this context, the words don’t mean the same thing. It’s a saying about telling a story that containsthe wordspin. Twirling yarn would only work if you were literally twirling yarn.”
She pops a shoulder and smooshes her dubious lips to the side. “Says the Frenchie.”
Stalling. That’s what this is. Not even Mercy can honestly dispute this one.
“Cute.” I plant a kiss on her temple, which has her breath catching, even though, for years, that was commonplace. I’m undecided whether that’s because she wants my mouth on her in other places, she’s touch-starved, or she senses the shift in my intent and has reservations. Regardless, it’s an area I’ll be pushing. “Let’s save the debate and go inside. You’ve been missed.”
A genuine smile coasts up her cheeks as she tousles Remy’s hair and softly instructs him to always stay with the two of us, which I count as a small victory, before she peers out the window at the swarming guards. “Wow. You’ve really beefed up security. Is that because we’re here?”
Sure. Let’s go with that.
“I told you La Lune Noire was safe,” I say as I swiftly open the door, guide her and Remy out, and watch Bernard’s face light up.
He’s been with us since long before my parents died as the head concierge butler for us and any of our supremely elite guests. He helped Axel and me raise our siblings, knows most of our secrets, and loves us like his own family. Which is why he knows precisely what to say to my girl.
“Welcome home, Mercy. It’s good to have you back where you belong.”
And as if on cue, my brothers storm the garage, and the happy chaos begins.
MERCY
Ryker’s charisma makes anything coming out of his mouth sound like the answer to all of life’s problems and anoffer you can’t refuseat the same time. It’s one of the reasons he’s so successful.
Still, when it’s only him, I can hold my own. Or I could when I wasme.
But that is an unattainable feat in the presence of the Noire brothers, their entourage, and their twenty armed guards.
Remy is wrapped around me, excited and somewhat taken aback. That doesn’t stop Bernard from tugging us into a hug. His hold is firm and reassuring and, for the briefest beat, maybe even shaky.
“We’re going to take good care of you now,” he says, with both his customary compassion and formality. His gray hair and kind smile set me more at ease.
And that is the secret ingredient of the La Lune Noire experience that no one can ever quite put their finger on. They cater to the crooked and calculated, nefarious people who do wicked things. So, you’d expect the establishment to have a chillin the air. But you’d be wrong. I’ve lived a lot of life, and I’ve yet to find a place that exudes this warmth.
It’s baffling. And addictive.
Gentry is next, but he’s aware of the stampede barreling toward us, so his kind greeting is swift before he retreats to instruct some bellmen to gather the boxes and luggage.
And then it’s the brothers. All of them are gorgeous slices of unholy mischief.
Jax kisses my cheek, and when Remy’s eyes gleam at the sight of his pale blue hair, gauge piercings, andrainbow body pictures,he steals him from me.
It’s for the best because Maddox picks me up and swings me in a circle. “Fuck, I missed you, girl. You as a blonde isdangerous. Lucky for you, I never play it safe, and you still owe me a date.”
That makes me laugh. When he was fourteen, a few months before their parents died, he asked me out. He was a cocky little shit even then. I told him I’d consider it someday when I wouldn’t get arrested. I went away to college after that and didn’t return for a few years. Maddox was all grown up, embracing his Noireprivileges. He told me he’d outgrown his crush on me because I’d always be Ryker’s girl, even if we were only friends. But then he flirted with me in front of Ryker any chance he got to piss him off, which was pretty funny.
