Realization and dread rolled through me as I pushed the door open and stepped out with my guns raised.
“Fuck,” I spat. Not at the twenty-odd armed guards pointingtheirguns at me—fuck those assholes—but at the view. The very wet,middle of the damn oceanview. My stomach hadn’t been roiling from my beatings and the swaying on my chains, it was churning because I was on agoddamn ship. “Well. I should have seen this one coming.”
“Put your weapons down!” One of the guards barked, his face twisted in anger and outrage.
I smiled. “You must be new. Here’s how this is going to go. Since clearly none of us are leaving this tub until it docks, you can either kill me now—which we both know you can’t—or I can kill all of you. Unless you’d like to investigate option three?” Silence met my offer, and I relaxed. These fuckers were loyal to the dollar, not the man.
“We’re listening,” someone said, and I quickly located my smart guard.
The angry dude who’d told me to put my weapons down seemed to disagree, though. “Fuck that, we’re not making deals with—”Bang. Smart guard put a bullet through angry—stupid—guard’s head.
“You were saying, Mr. Ricci?”
That was more like it. Why kill them all when I could flip them to my side?
seven
BILLIE
Grayson might have requested my presence in his bed for three days, but he never managed to make it home long enough to reap any benefits. Some mornings I woke up to his scent on the pillow, along with a note to explain where he’d been that day, but his presence was sorely missed.
I couldn’t really complain when he was out there tracking down Angelo though.
On the morning of the deadline for my compromise, I woke up resigned to the fact that we’d probably be boarding a plane today, and I still had no fucking clue where Angelo was. The pain was a dull ache now that never went away, no matter how distracted Jace and Rhett attempted to keep me. In the end, all of us were a mess, and there wasn’t anything that could fix it except the last two boys of Bellerose being back here. With us.
“Hey baby,” Jace said when I stumbled out of the room. He was coming from the stairs that led to the gym, a towel across his shoulders, impressive-as-fuck chest and abs on display. “Sleep okay?”
I nodded, tilting my head back for his kiss. Jace had been making good on his promise to do better, giving me all of his time and attention, but also taking the cues for when I needed a moment alone. That part was the most surprising—younger Jace had never been able to leave me be, even when it was what I needed. This time he was doing things differently.
“Gray called,” he added when we pulled apart, just as Rhett stepped out of his room, making his way over to wrap me up in his arms.
Now, I was sandwiched between the two of them, and fuck, the stirring in my stomach was akin to an entire flock of birds taking off.
“What did Gray say?” I rasped.
Jace smiled at the strangled sound of my words. These bastards knew what they did to me, and while he might be on his best behavior, he was still Jace.
“They found out some information on Angelo. They talked to people who saw him the day after he was taken.”
The lustful thoughts faded. “Alive?” I burst out.
Jace nodded. “Yes. Gray is on his way back here now with more information. He didn’t want to say too much over the phone in case they were compromised.”
Okay, that was fair. “If he was alive two days ago, then maybe our guess that Wilson would wait to enact his plan against Giovanni is right. Right?”
Jace nodded, his voice growing deeper. “Yes. Gray said if they didn’t kill him straight away to send the body to Giovanni, then they’re waiting for maximum impact. They want him alive so Giovanni can watch them kill the heir.”
As terrifying as that concept was, at least we had some time. Maybe. Unless Angel was on a plane right now, and we were wasting our time here in Europe.
That terrifying topic of conversation faded off then as the two spent some time giving me more morning snuggles and kisses, before I reluctantly left to shower and change. I wanted to be ready and waiting when Gray returned.
I emerged in jeans and a sweater, socks on my feet, hair pulled back into a bun, and minimal make up. The scent of food dragged me to the main living area, where four room service trays were being placed on the table. Jace helped set everything out while Rhett tipped the hotel staff.
When we were alone once more, we sat to eat in a somewhat comfortable silence, all of us waiting for Grayson. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait long; we were still eating when the front door opened. Jace and Rhett reacted like we were about to be ambushed, on their feet and blocking me from view before I could even get up.
As much as I loved the display of love and protectiveness, it also bothered me. A fucking lot. I was no more willing to lose them than they were to lose me. I wouldn’t survive it.
They relaxed when Grayson entered the room, and he ignored both of them to lift me off my feet and deposit a long, searing kiss on my lips. “God, I missed you, Prickles,” he rumbled, sounding gruff and tired.
