I nodded raggedly, clutching their hands tighter. “I know we have to deal with him, but I also know that finding out the truth changes nothing. My mom is still dead. Our baby is still… gone.” My voice cut off as I fought for composure. “And my father still betrayed his family and left me alone for the better part of a decade. No truth changes any of that, and I don’t think I care to face him again. I kind of hope he gets shot walking to his car and his brains end up splattered on the sidewalk.”
After another moment of silence, a dark laugh escaped Rhett. “Why does it turn me on when you get all bloodthirsty?”
Jace’s laughter followed a beat later. “Because we’re all fucked up with enough trauma to write decades of hits.”
Wasn’t that the truth.
Before we could continue this conversation, my phone, which had been thrown on the coffee table last night and promptly forgotten, started to ring. Leaning over, I saw that it was Vee’s number, and I answered on the next ring, putting her on speaker.
“Hey!” I said quickly. “Everything okay?” My immediate panic that she was calling about Angelo faded as she laughed warmly.
“Girl, everything is fucking golden. Want to hang out with us again today?”
I glanced at Jace and Rhett, who wore neutral expressions. None of them had ever really tried to tell me what to do–except Grayson, who wasn’t here, the poor bastard–but we still checked in. To me, that’s what you did when you were dating someone.
“Sure, what did you have in mind?” I finally asked. “As long as it’s safe, since Gray gave strict instructions for me not to leave the house.”
His punishment would be so damn delicious this would not be the last time I broke his rules.
“Perfectly safe. You’ll be at one of my houses downtown. G is pulling into your drive as we speak to pick you up.”
I had to laugh at that. “You only call when you’re already here. Okay, I’ll be out in five.”
Vee hung up, and I turned to the boys. “This is cool, right? I don’t want to be the stupid chick who ignored some excellent advice to run right into a dangerous situation. We’re not on high alert or anything at the moment, right?”
Jace gently lifted me up and into his lap, pulling me against his firm body. “Baby, you have to stop stressing. Vee is one of the safest friends for you to have these days. No one is fucking with her, and she knows how to stay off the radar. Go and have some fun with your friends.”
He was leaning in for a kiss when Rhett stole me away. “Love you, Thorn,” he whispered against my lips, before he kissed me.
Jace dragged me from his grasp after that, and I got my kiss from him as well, and then both boys walked me out the front, after ensuring I had a coat and my bag. “You’ve got cash and credit cards in your purse,” Jace told me as he opened the front door of Giana’s Porsche. “Call us if you need anything.”
I squinted at him, brows furrowed in confusion. Had he just saidcredit cards?
Before I could ask him what the hell he was talking about, he shut the door firmly in my face and smirked at me the entire time Giana backed out of the drive. “Girl,” she said, sounding a lot like her girlfriend. “You are so fucking done over that boy. All of them. I know why the media is calling them the Boys of Bellerose now. And it has nothing to do with the all-male lineup.”
Sucking in a deep breath, I shook my head. “I’m fucked. It’s too late to back out of this, and I wouldn’t want to even if I had the chance. They’re it for me.”
Giana smiled broadly and, thankfully, despite her supercar, drove at a much more reasonable pace than Vee as she navigated the streets. “I get it,” she said. “I really do.”
We chatted comfortably for the rest of the drive, and I didn’t ask what Vee was up to, knowing that Giana wouldn’t give it away. Their loyalty to each other was unbreakable, and the fact that Vee wasn’t here to pick me up told me there was more to today than just a random hangout.
We ended up in a newly built suburb that I’d never been to before, but all the houses reminded me of the safe house in New Jersey—which was my second clue that today wasn’t about any normal, chick stuff.
This was mafia stuff, and I wondered if the boys would have been as willing to let me go if they’d known.
When Giana pulled in, she turned the car off and turned toward me. “Okay, Vee is a little busy right now. I’m going to take you round back so we don’t disturb anyone. Stay quiet, okay?”
Flutters started in my gut, but I just nodded. As much as I wanted to ask questions, I had the sense that I’d find out soon enough.
The house was quiet and had the look of a place that wasn’t quite ready to be moved into yet. The paint finishes weren’t done, and plastic still coated some of the windows. The side yard we walked through was mostly dirt, and when we entered the back door, it was to find a completely empty room.
No furniture or personal touches. This was definitely a house used for business and not for living.
Giana didn’t creep or anything, but she was quiet as she padded through that room and into a hall. Off to the side was a set of stairs, and she led me up them with a wink.
If I didn’t trust these ladies, I’d be getting really nervous about now.
At the top of the stairs there was an open landing, and here, Giana moved much slower, gesturing for me to slow as well. I forced my breathing to remain steady before I took very light steps after her, both of us edging near the balcony that looked down into a near empty living area below.
