Rhett reached out and took my hand in his, stopping me from picking holes in the seat of the couch with my fingernails. “Angelo saved you?” he asked softly. “Again?” I jerked a nod. I wasn’t ready to reveal the rest of that story just yet. “I guess I misjudged him, then. Because it sounds like I owe him a huge debt.”
I glanced up at him in confusion. “For what?”
Rhett’s stare was dead serious. “If he hadn’t saved you then, we never would have met. And that, Thorny Rose, would suck.”
I grinned, seeing the attempt to lighten the mood for what it was. “I see why Jace is the lyric writer in your band. You’re as poetic as a toad, Zepp.”
He grasped his chest in mock pain. “You’ve wounded me!”
“Whatever. Your turn, wise guy. Ready for a truth?”
“Hit me where it hurts, Bellerose.” He said it with confidence, but there was a tremor in his hand as he reached for the liquor bottle.
I wanted to ask a million things but sensed he wasn’t even remotely close to tipsy, let alone drunk enough to give truthful answers. So I started easy. “What are you drinking to forget, Rhett?”
His eyes widened, and he gave a visible swallow. “Today? Or any day?”
Fuck. He was holding so much darkness back. “Today,” I whispered. “Start with today.”
He gave a tight nod, then took another sip. “I killed someone.”
I blinked twice, processing. “Last night?” He nodded again, and I exhaled heavily. The way his shoulders bunched with tension as he waited for my reaction told me how much it was weighing on him.
I closed the distance to where he sat, then climbed into his lap, straddling his hips with my knees and cupping his face with my hands. “I’m glad,” I said softly. “They deserved to die. Every fucking one of them. But I hate that you have to wear that stain for the rest of your life, Rhett. I hate that any of us were ever in a position that we’ve needed to make that choice. I’m so sorry.”
He gave me a sad smile, lightly holding my waist. “You’re right. It was him or me, andfuck it, I’m not done with this life just yet.”
“Thank fuck for that because I’m definitely not done with you either, Zepp.” I emphasized my point by kissing him, but that one taste wasn’t nearly enough. I moaned his name as he deepened the kiss, holding me tight as he maneuvered us to the floor.
Screw our bridge rebuilding project. It could wait until after sex. Pillow talk was always the most honest conversation, right? Right.
twenty-five
BILLIE
“Am I interrupting something?” Jace asked in a heavily sarcastic voice, making me jump out of my skin and headbutt Rhett in the process.
“Yes,” Rhett snarled. “You are. Fuck off.”
He wasn’t joking. He’d literally just pushed his fingers inside me, so yeah, the timing couldn’t be much worse. Okay, it could be a bit worse.
“Mm, nah, I think I’ll stay.” Smirking, Jace sat his ass down on the floral armchair and snatched up our forgotten bottle of whiskey. We hadn’t had a lot… just a little.
Face flaming with embarrassment, I wiggled out from under Rhett and tugged my pants into place. “We didn’t expect you back so soon,” I commented, smoothing my hair. Fucking hell, Jace.
Jace’s gaze was dark as he stared at me, then gave a slight shrug. “There was a little gas station not too far away; I managed to plead a free phone call from the cashier. Luckily, I had Brenda’s number memorized.”
That hadn’t even occurred to me. Good to know one of us was thinking, though.
“So? What did she say?” Rhett adjusted his pants, not appearing to give any shits that Jace could see his hard outline. “She coming to get us?”
Jace shook his head. “Not yet. She knows the owner of this house, though. They’re on an extended vacation in Spain right now, so we’re safe to stay here a little longer while she sorts out what we do next.” He paused, his expression saddening. “She’s pretty upset about Flo.”
Rhett cleared his throat, his eyes downcast. “Yeah.”
He didn’t need to say it.Everyonewas upset about Flo, and we were all largely trying not to think about it. We could process and grieve when our lives were no longer at risk. Or maybe that was just easy for me to say when I hadn’t been close to her like they all had. She was family to them…
“So, chill here?” I asked, giving a weak attempt at shifting the subject.
