“Sonofadick. What does this Lyle want?” Cassie asked.
“We’re not sure yet, but it won’t be good.”
Lovelyn’s shock settled, her calm returning with the revelation. “According to my father, he’s trying to climb the ranks and flex his connection between the police and the underworld. I guess that means he’s aiming for money or power.”
Cassie pointed at her and drew a heart in the air then stabbed it through. “Hence why he’s after ye. The daughter of his mentorand now rival would be the feather in his cap. My money is on him being behind the threats.”
“Kane thought so, too.” Lovelyn hung her head, the pain at speaking my brother’s name all too obvious.
Further discussions broke out among our group. I made us food to fuel our plotting, making extra for the men in the hall. Arran and Riot had reluctantly left, but Shade remained with Convict, the two sprawled on opposite sides of the corridor and deep in discussion.
I could have guessed that Shade would volunteer to stand guard, not liking leaving his pregnant girlfriend alone for long. Everly had told us how he couldn’t relax unless he knew she was safe and protected. Which basically meant an armed guard whenever she wanted to go anywhere.
The enforcer shook his head, midway through a story. “Aye, man. The cops showed up, and ye just stood there and sang, ‘Come on then if ye think you’re hard enough.’ Problem was, they did. And they were.”
Convict groaned. “I really was an idiot.”
“Drunk burglary is not for everyone. At least ye could hold a tune.”
They shoved each other and laughed.
I loved seeing Convict reconnect to the memories he lost. From the moment he and I had met and then our clash together in the game, I’d wanted the world for him. It really was a bond like no other.
The door creaked where I leaned on it, and both shot their gazes to me.
Shade leapt up. “Is Everly…?”
“Completely fine.” I brandished the plate of sandwiches. “Thought you might be hungry.”
Convict took it. The smile he gave me short-circuited my brain. It told me we really needed some more alone time. Kidnap worked up an appetite.
Back in the living room, Lovelyn had taken the empty glasses to the kitchen and was stacking them in the dishwasher. She dried her fingers on my approach. “Thank you for coming to get me. I didn’t know what to do. It felt so awkward because Kane had broken up with me. Not that we were ever really a couple.”
I wanted to hug her. I also wanted to slap my brother upside the head for fucking things up. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out. I don’t want that to be a problem between us.”
She hung the hand towel back on its hook. “It won’t.”
“Can I ask what happened?”
“He…he’s dealing with issues he felt better able to cope with alone.”
Inwardly, I sighed. He’d pushed her away. The idiot.
Lovelyn forced a smile. “It doesn’t matter. I’ve spent days moping, and that’s enough. I’m not going to let myself be hung up on him. Instead, I’ll try to take the positives from it. One thing I hadn’t expected was how ready I am for a relationship. He forced all these emotions to crest, then showed me that I have love to give. Which brings me onto something else I realised this evening.”
She beckoned me to follow her back to the sofas then stood against the tall windows, the sparkling city lights at her back. She swept her gaze across us all. “What if I put my name down for the game?”
We stared.
Lovelyn bounced her focus from one woman to the next. “There’s a place available, isn’t there? Not to step into a dead woman’s shoes, but this feels like the universe giving me a solution I should listen to. Mila, both you and Genevieve have done it, and the relationships you’ve found are beautiful. I wantthat. I’m ready for it, and I need a complete reset. I’m tired of hiding from my own life.”
Genevieve and I swapped a glance.
There’s no way gentle, sweet Lovelyn would want twenty men fighting to have sex with her on the rough floor of the skeleton crew’s basement. She was hurting, emotion underlying her words.
She’d been in love with my brother. She probably still was. More than I’d guessed.
My heart thumped out of time. On paper, they were complete opposites, but I’d watched his first glimmer of attraction form at the warehouse when Lovelyn had been chatting with Tyler, then I’d seen how it had changed to sheer want when she’d confessed to me that they’d had a thing. It had humanised him. Showed me he was more than the brick life had made him into.
