It wasn’t that I needed their permission, but I also didn’t want to take any stupid risks that could hurt all of us. We were a team now, and teams checked in with each other.
“Okay, great! I’m in. When will you be here to get me?”
Vee let out a little shriek. “We’re out front now! Get your gorgeous ass in the car.”
I should have guessed she’d already be out front. Vee was nothing if not uber confident.
“I’ll walk Billie out,” Angelo said to the others. “Meet you guys in the studio in ten.”
Jace, who was the closest, wrapped his arms around me and lifted me off the ground, pressing a solid kiss to my lips. By the time he pulled away, I’d forgotten all about Vee and the girl’s day. My head was still spinning as Rhett, followed by Grayson, took possession of my mouth, each of them branding their lips against my skin.
Angelo laughed as I stumbled after him toward the front door, before he took pity on me and loped an arm around my shoulder, keeping me steady. “I don’t know where the hell you came from Bella, but we are four lucky dudes.”
I was the lucky one.
Vee was with Giana, and I loved that we were going to have a day together, continuing to build on our friendships. “Hey husband,” she said to Angelo, and I didn’t even flinch.
Their relationship was kind of cute, actually, like best friends and family, but without any sexual attraction for me to worry about.
“Look after Billie with your life,” he warned her. “She’s precious.”
I waved him off. “Come on, I can take care of myself too. We still need to get me a gun.”
Vee squealed again, and the contrast between her girlie side and the mafia queen who killed people was shocking and fucking amazing. I liked the duality of her personality. “I can do that! We’ll gun shop after we get our facials and massages. Get in, bitch, we’re going day spa-ing.”
Giana dissolved into laughter too. “She’s been waiting so long to use that line. I can’t even tell you.”
Vee shrugged before turning back to start her car up and get us moving. Angelo deposited me into the back seat, buckling me in, his knuckles grazing across my nipples in what was definitely a deliberate move. “Stay safe, Bella. See you back here later.”
He kissed me even more thoroughly than the other guys had, no doubt leaving his mark a little harder. Not that it mattered; all of them owned me, and as long as we were working out our dynamics, I’d never complain.
“Bye,” I called breathlessly when he finally pulled away. Vee didn’t wait for him to say anything else, taking off with the door still half open. I managed to get it slammed shut as we turned the first corner, laughing at my crazy friend.
It had taken some time, but the trust was finally returning between us, and I was able to relax fully in their presence. “So, any reason for the spa day?” I asked as Vee sped up, ignoring virtually every road rule ever invented.
She wasn’t a fan of rules, and this was just one small demonstration of that.
“One, you need to get out of that testosterone-filled house before they break your pussy,” Vee said as she took a corner super-fast.
I spluttered out some laughter, Giana joining me as she turned in her seat to look back at me. “Vee loves you and she feels guilty for what happened in Europe. She’s going to keep trying to make it up to you for as long as you’ll let her.”
Some of Vee’s high excitement faded then, as she let out a deep breath. “I really am sorry about what happened there, Billie. I took risks that I shouldn’t have with your lives, and I regret doing so.”
The genuine remorse in her tone had the last of my reservations falling away. “It’s okay. Seriously, it is. You did what you had to in the situation, and who the fuck would have expected Wilson to just show up like he did and kidnap Angel?”
Wilson. The father I still wasn’t thinking about or dealing with because I seriously couldn’t handle one more thing this week. Month. Year. Lifetime.
Yep, all of the above.
“And Angel is safe,” I added, “so we can move forward. Just next time… make sure you discuss the plan with us first.”
Vee took her eyes off the road, scaring the fuck out of me since she was still flying along. No lie, I was white knuckling the back of Giana’s chair. “I promise, Billie. I will never make plans that involve you or Bellerose without discussing them with you first. And that leads me to part two of why we invited you here today.”
Thankfully, she returned her eyes to the road, probably saving our lives.
“Part two,” I reminded her as she negotiated an intersection. And by negotiated, I meant she drove straight through it to the sound of horns and shouts. I returned my hands to the back of the chair, since, clearly, there was no time to relax with Vee behind the wheel.
“We want to deal with Tom.” Vee grinned.
