But it’s my mother muttering, “Taking us all down with you,” that draws my attention.
My grandmother surveys the scene, grimaces, and raises a palm to Maddox and me with a commiserating smile. “Sorry, dear. I got held up, having a lovely conversation with the silver fox in the lobby.”
Then she ushers my mother into the room as if she were schooling a toddler. Eden and John trail behind them.
Axel’s lips twitch. I’m guessing he’s amused that she was able to accomplish what he couldn’t.
“Bernard wins everyone over,” Maddox asserts. “Gangster.”
And Ryker cracks a smile, flashing his dimple. “True for the dog and the man.”
My father strides toward me for a hug. He tells me he loves me and misses me and wants to have lunch with me tomorrow, but then he steps aside to speak with Maddox. I seize the opportunity to pull Violet away. Or try to.
Derek clings to her side, which I internally applaud.
“Can I have a minute with her?” I plead with a velvety tone.
He hedges and shakes his head. “She’s been really upset, Tessa.”
Sixty intense seconds pass, but finally, Violet waves him off. “It’s okay, babe. Just give us a sec.”
After Derek joins my father, Maddox, Axel, and Ryker, I tug Violet away and whisper, “Did you find any money that night?”
“What?” she asks.
The confusion on her face is an answer in itself, but still, I press.
“The guy. That night.” I glance at Derek and my father briefly to be sure they aren’t in earshot, and I notice Maddox and hisbrothers subtly scrutinizing us. I angle my head so they can’t read my lips or see hers. “When he showed up, did he have money with him?”
She throws her arms out in exasperation. “Well, he wasn’t trying to pay me for my body, if that’s what you’re getting at. He was more of a steal-at-knifepoint kind of guy.”
“That’s not what I meant,” I sigh because on top of everything she already endured, I don’t want her to know a Mafia was involved.
Her head whips around the hallway, and her breathing grows shallow as she soaks in the men talking. “Are we here because of what happened that night?”
This probably wasn’t the ideal time to inquire about the missing money, but my brain has been stuck on it ever since Maddox mentioned it. I just want to be certain there isn’t anything that would lead these guys to her.
When I don’t respond immediately, she gasps, covering her mouth. “Oh my God, Tessa. What the hell is going on?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it doesn’t have anything to do with it.” I shrug one shoulder, aiming to appear nonchalant. “There was a guy who lost some money that same night. A lot of money. And he’s upset. I just thought maybe it was connected.”
Her forehead wrinkles, her hand pressing against her sternum. “How would it be connected?”
Outside of Mafia involvement, it probably wouldn’t be. She’s not aware of how organized crime weaves unlikely incidents because they have their hands in everything. She lives in a far simpler world, and I don’t want to taint that.
Still, something stirs in my gut.
“It wouldn’t be.” I wrap my arms around her, hoping to soothe any fears I just inadvertently planted. “You know my overactive imagination. Everything is fine.”
A loud roar erupts from the men, so we both spin toward them.
Maddox’s grin lights up his face. “It’s time, baby girl.”
TESSA
The world blurs to back roads and headlights, a forest and a canopy of stars dotting the post-midnight sky. Symbols of joy in an otherwise burdensome day.
We’re speeding to the maternity hospital, which is about forty minutes away from the resort, because Rena just delivered her babies.
