“It means I was never going to let him get away with what he did but I played it smart, I worked behind the scenes to make sure he can’t pay his way out.” With a little help, but they don’t need to hear that right now. I’m too busy having my moment. “Sityourass down,” I tell Eli.
He smirks but does as I ask, taking a seat on the couch beside Dominic. They listen as I explain what I’ve done and how Vance is going to get everything he deserves and they look impressed, begrudgingly, but it doesn’t last long. Because they’re assholes and they see passed the victory I’ll earn for Cara.
“The criminal case has been dropped but in the court of public opinion, Cara will be the one who wins and Mia won’t let that be kept silent.”
“Desperate men do desperate things.”
Dominic’s voice rings out in the silence following my declaration I’ve beaten Vance. I don’t like the insinuation or where I now suspect this is going.
“Which means from now on,” Eli gets up and walks toward me. “You don’t go anywhere without one of us.”
“Welcome to your new home,” Dominic adds with a stupid ass grin I want to smack off his ridiculously handsome face.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Eli (Handlebar)
“I take it she still isn’t answering.” I don’t bother looking over my shoulder when Mace comes stomping back into the kitchen.
“She’s acting like a brat.”
“It’s understandable,” I reply, stirring the sauce on the burner.
“Do you have to be so fucking reasonable all the time?”
“Do you have to get so worked up? She has good reason to be pissed at us. Let her cool down in her own time.”
“It’s not like we’re doing this for fun.”
I side-eye him, then go back to the sauce. I pretend I don’t hear the snort.
Cassie did not take it well when we informed her she would be living in Mace’s friend’s house for the next few weeks. Or that one or both of us would be here with her while she was. It was always going to end with her being angry. Getting mad and threatening to call the cops, I didn’t expect. We all knew she wouldn’t go through with that.
Trying to call a cab to come get her ended with Mace taking her phone which enraged her even more. Then she did something neitherof us expected. She went silent, excused herself and calmly walked out of the room.
“There is no way she can get out of the house is there?” I’d asked him as we watched her go.
“You think she’s going to jump from a second-story window?” Mace shook his head.
“Wouldn’t put it past her.”
Now here we are, two hours later and she still hasn’t come out of the room. She won’t talk to us either. Mace has been trying the whole two hours. I’ve decided to let her sit with it. She’ll come around, eventually. Or she’ll get hungry. Either way, she will come out of the room on her terms.
“That smells good,” Mace says, his tone somewhat begrudging. “Didn’t know you cooked.”
“Learned to fend for myself from a young age,” I tell him, adding some more herbs to the sauce and checking on the pasta.
“I could burn water.”
“When it’s a necessity, you learn how to do it.”
Mace frowns but he’s interrupted when his phone rings. He walks out of the kitchen to answer but as this house is fully open plan, he can’t get away from me hearing without him stepping outside. Instead of eaves dropping, I gather up dishes and cutlery.
“Yeah, I’ll be there in twenty minutes.” Mace hangs up and walks over, looking at the food. “I have to go. I don’t know how I managed to forget that I have a thing tonight.” He shakes his head. “You gonna be okay?”
“Did you really just ask me that?”
“Yeah, I don’t know what the fuck that was,” he glances toward the stairs. “Good luck.”
